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Rory Cooper

@rorylcooper.bsky.social

3.6K followers 2.8K following 96 posts

Developmental biologist investigating the emergence of patterns in diverse embryos. Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield 🐊 🦈 🐥 https://linktr.ee/rorylcooper

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jan 9

Our research made the cover of @nature.com 🎉! Read our article to learn how compressive forces sculpt the intricate head scales of crocodiles 🐊🧪 @lanevol.bsky.social @genevunige.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Front cover of the scientific journal Nature, showing the head of a juvenile crocodile.

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Glover lab @glover-lab.bsky.social · 12d

🚨 Excited to introduce FuChi (Fucci chicken), the first avian cell cycle reporter line. Thank you to all those who contributed to putting this paper together. I really think it showcases the power and beauty of the chick embryo as a developmental biology model. 🐥 🥚 🔬 @roslininstitute.bsky.social

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

The Milinkovitch-Tzika lab @lanevol.bsky.social · Sep 8

🐊 New 90‑second video: watch the digital model of a #crocodile head side‑by‑side with a stunning multi‑material #3Dprint.

▶️ Video: youtu.be/3roeSI-HBbg?...
📖 Nature Article: rdcu.be/d3dnd
🎬 Full explainer (26K+ views, multiple languages): youtube.com/playlist?lis...

From 3D Modelling to 3D Printing - The Movie

YouTube video by The LANE channel

youtu.be

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Matt Towers @matt-towers.bsky.social · 29d

I'm a bit late to the party over here. I'll be advertising a BBSRC-funded postdoc position soon. So if anyone wants to solve some outstanding questions in limb development - please get in touch. We have a variety of models and approaches (everything from stem cells to sharks). towerslab.weebly.com

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

bioRxiv Developmental Biology @biorxiv-devbio.bsky.social · Aug 31

Shark tooth regeneration: RNAseq reveals genes for unlimited dental renewal https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.26.672487v1

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

James Briscoe @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social · Aug 26

Our latest: We developed a chemo-optogenetic system for precise spatiotemporal control of morphogen production. Using dual light + small molecule control of Sonic Hedgehog production, we recapitulated neural tube patterning in vitro & measured spread of Shh

🧵

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Investigating morphogen and patterning dynamics with optogenetic control of morphogen production

Morphogen gradients provide the patterning cues that instruct cell fate decisions during development. Here, we establish an optogenetic system for the…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Antonia Weberling @a-weberling.bsky.social · Aug 11

1/6
Preprint Alert
Ever thought that humans & chameleons look alike?
We follow chameleon development from fertilisation to oviposition & uncover the process through which they form an epiblast lumen that exhibits striking similarity to human embryos
#devbio #evodevo

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Çağrı Çevrim @cagricevrim.bsky.social · Aug 11

The final paper from my PhD project is out! Check it out for lots of live recordings of regenerating limbs.

We show how we optimized long-term live imaging of regenerating crustacean limbs, up to 10 days, with high temporal resolution.

#microscopymonday #regeneration #liveimaging

Michalis Averof @michalis-averof.bsky.social · Aug 8

Latest paper elifesciences.org/articles/107... closes an important cycle in our efforts to study regeneration: week-long recordings allow us to observe the behaviour of cells during the entire course of regeneration in a crustacean leg – bright objects in movie are fluorescent nuclei of cells. 1/6

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Toby Andrews @tobyandrews.bsky.social · Aug 6

Thrilled to bits to see our latest work online in Dev Cell! 🥳

We wanted to know how cells build functional organs with precision🫀🫁📏 Here we show how coupling of cell shape and organ function fine tunes the form and contractile power of the developing #zebrafish heart 1/n

tinyurl.com/cell-stretch

Mechanochemical coupling of cell shape and organ function optimizes heart size and contractile efficiency in zebrafish

Andrews et al. demonstrate that multiscale feedback between mechanical and chemical cues builds a functional heart to support zebrafish embryonic life. Cell recruitment and organ-scale forces drive tr...

tinyurl.com

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jul 30

Developing scales on the head of a shark embryo, stained with YoPro1 iodide (labelling cell nuclei) and imaged with light sheet microscopy 🦈🔬🧪

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jul 22

Its the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)!

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jul 16

Shark embryos of four different developmental stages, growing outside of their eggcases 🦈 🧪

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Peter Fabian @fabianlab.bsky.social · Jul 14

🧬🇬🇧 UK Evo-Devo Starter Pack go.bsky.app/SgRdF9T

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jul 14

Thanks Peter, really appreciate it!

Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jul 13

Had a lovely time at the Northern England Developmental Biology meeting on Thursday, and UK Evo Devo on Friday. Great to hear about the fascinating ongoing #DevBio research in the UK and beyond!

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Allan Carrillo-Baltodano @allancarbal.bsky.social · Jul 11

UK EvoDevo is happening today!

We'll try to answer the eternal question, which came first the tea cup of the egg? ☕🥚

Sponsored by @biologists.bsky.social @novogene-europe.bsky.social @genewiz.bsky.social @royalsocietypublishing.org @qmul.bsky.social

UK EvoDevo 2025 poster by Giacomo Mogglioli. Drawings show the development of the tea cup.

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jun 26

Here's a tortoise embryo developing inside its egg. Check out our new article in @cp-iscience.bsky.social to learn how molecular and mechanical systems sculpt their intricate head scales 🐢🧪
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · Jun 26

Embryonic chimeras: donors in, hosts out

Read this Research Highlight showcasing work from @stanleystrawbridge.bsky.social, Alexander Fletcher, Jennifer Nichols & co.

doi.org/10.1242/dev....

@scicambridge.bsky.social
@drn-sheffield.bsky.social
@uoe-igc.bsky.social
@edinburgh-uni.bsky.social

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

The Milinkovitch-Tzika lab @lanevol.bsky.social · Jun 23

🐢 The tortoise head is sculpted by physics and genes! Our new research shows that tortoise head scales form through two distinct processes:
👉 Chemical signaling shapes the sides
👉 Mechanical stress folds the top
🔗 cell.com/iscience/ful...
@cellpress.bsky.social @biology-unige.bsky.social

Chemical and mechanical patterning of tortoise skin scales occur in different regions of the head

Biological sciences; Zoology; Evolutionary biology

cell.com

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jun 12

Thanks very much!

Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jun 10

Head scales of the Sulcata tortoise, imaged with light sheet microscopy. Our new study in @cp-iscience.bsky.social reveals that their emergence is controlled by both chemical cues and mechanical forces. Read the full article here 🐢🔬🧪
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jun 5

This is the skull of a tortoise embryo imaged with light sheet microscopy. Check out our new article in @cp-iscience.bsky.social to learn how both chemical signalling and mechanical forces sculpt their intricate head scales 🐢🔬🧪
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

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Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jun 4

Thanks Kyra!

Rory Cooper @rorylcooper.bsky.social · Jun 4

Excited to share our new research in @cp-iscience.bsky.social! We reveal that tortoise head scales are sculpted through two distinct developmental processes - chemical signalling and mechanical folding 🐢🔬🧪
@lanevol.bsky.social @genevunige.bsky.social

www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

Chemical and mechanical patterning of tortoise skin scales occur in different regions of the head

Biological sciences; Zoology; Evolutionary biology

www.cell.com

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Allan Carrillo-Baltodano @allancarbal.bsky.social · Jun 2

It's finally here! Great start of the summer. We got our latest preprint from @chemamd.bsky.social in @qmulsbbs.bsky.social @qmulse.bsky.social, showing evidence of developmental system drift in the specification of dorsoventral (belly vs back) axis in annelids 🪱🪱🪱
#DevBio #EvoDevo

Image shows larvae of four different species of marine annelid worms, stained for muscle (magenta) and cilia (yellow). All with lateral views, with the mouth towards the left, and the future head pointing up. Images are to scale.

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Reposted by Rory Cooper

Chema Martin @chemamd.bsky.social · May 21

‼️10 days left to register and submit your abstract!! Come and join us to help relaunch the UK EvoDevo meetings. An exciting day with friends and good science!

Register and submit your abstract here 👉🏻 eshop.qmul.ac.uk/conferences-...

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