Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Alex Merz 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇦 @merz.bsky.social · Aug 28

I am delighted to announce that the UW Department of Biochemistry has opened searches for TWO tenure-track positions.

Descriptions and links in the following two posts.

2 120 160

Leah Rosin @scienceleah.bsky.social · Aug 4

So excited to share this preprint from the Rosin lab in collaboration with the Hawley lab and @eelcotromer.bsky.social on moth spermatogenesis! We investigate the meiotic errors that occur during the formation of apyrene sperm (that have no DNA) in silkworms!

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

Programmed meiotic errors facilitate dichotomous sperm production in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The goal of meiosis is typically to produce haploid gametes (eggs or sperm). Failure to do so is catastrophic for fertility and offspring health. However, Lepidopteran (moths and butterflies) males pr...

www.biorxiv.org

1 12 26

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · Jun 25

So important! Please contact your Republican senators, especially Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA). 🙏 amplify!

Ferric Fang, MD @fangferric.bsky.social · Jun 24

As Robert Kuttner writes, the NIH will need support from Republican Senators to avoid draconian cuts to its FY2026 budget.

prospect.org/politics/202...

Will the Senate Save NIH?

Rescuing biomedical research is every bit as important as saving Medicaid.

prospect.org

3 72 98

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Christopher Wheat @chriswheat.bsky.social · Jun 22

🚨Postdoc opportunity🚨: LepEU postdoc: comparative population genomics of European scale adaptation in butterflies

2 year, full-time PD in my group, Stockholm Univ.

Applications assed on rolling basis, deadline: 23 August 2025. Planned start 1 Oct.

Details:
christopherwheatlab.wordpress.com

The aim of this proposal is to place population genomic insights into a comparative framework to gain fundamental insights into the determinants of evolutionary outcomes. The project will work within LepEU, the European Lepidopteran Population Genomics Consortium (https://lepeu.github.io/). LepEU provides access to field samples from European populations of diverse species. Chromosome-scale reference genomes are provided by Project Psyche (https://www.projectpsyche.org/). Networking during the postdoc will be facilitated by participation in the 10kLepGenomes COST Action (https://10klepgenomes.eu/). Existing datasets await analysis, while additional samples need DNA extraction and submission for sequencing. Functional validation capability (CRISPR/Cas9 gene manipulations) is also available to test emergent hypotheses of allele-to-phenotype impacts. Personal research interests of the postdoc will be important to determine the exact project, as the project has a generous sequencing budget.

The successful applicant should have a PhD (obtained within 6 years of the application deadline) in a suitable subject area, such as evolutionary biology or population genomics. A strong interest in population genomics, local adaptation, comparative analyses, and experience working with genomic-scale data is essential. The candidate must have a documented publication record demonstrating relevant skills. Experience working with bioinformatic pipelines (e.g., Snakemake), or working with butterflies is welcome but not essential. The net salary is 28,000 SEK/month (~2,430 Euro, not subject to Swedish income tax) and comes directly from the Carl-Trygger Foundation stipend, which is paid out directly to the postdoc. Only PhD candidates acquired outside of the host department can apply. Currently, the lab of Prof. Wheat consists of 3 postdoctoral researchers, while the Dept. of Zoology provides a vibrant and excellent research environment of active, dynamic researchers.

Applications should include: i) a succinct description of research interests and experience, detailing your contribution to any relevant publications (max 1 page), ii) why you are the ideal candidate for this position in the lab (max 1 page); iii) a CV including a list of publications, and iv) the name and contact information of two personal references.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a deadline of 23 August 2025. The project is planned to start on 1 October, but flexibility in the starting date can be provided for a suitable candidate. Please contact Prof. Wheat for additional information.

71 64

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Jon Freeman @freemanjb.bsky.social · May 21

🚨 A new rule would let career scientists like NSF/NIH program officers be replaced by political appointees

Already 14,000+ public comments, deadline is Friday

📣 Comments can be short. Courts consider them—and scientists with NSF/NIH experience are especially impactful

Speak up! shorturl.at/WKuBj

26 520 540

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Kayce Bell @kaycebell.bsky.social · May 23

We're hiring an entomology collections manager @nhm.org ! I have nothing to do with the search, but happy to answer questions about the museum & LA!
🧪🦋🐝🐞🐜🦗🪰🪲🪳🕷️
workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...

Recruitment

workforcenow.adp.com

30 39

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Greg Copenhaver @copenhaverlab.bsky.social · Apr 25

@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social Corbin Jones, & I give huge thanks to Frank McNally, Christoph Haag, Andy Kern, Bengt Hansson, @takashiakeralab.bsky.social & @scienceleah.bsky.social for being guests in our #Meiosis, Recombination, & Evolution of Sex class at UNC. A pic from our final session w/ students

5 9

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Katherine W. Rogers @katwrog.bsky.social · Apr 21

Happy to share a new preprint from my lab! We characterize the on/off kinetics, light dosage-dependence, and more for a suite of optogenetic signaling activators in zebrafish embryos 💡 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

An optogenetic toolkit for robust activation of FGF, BMP, and Nodal signaling in zebrafish

Cell signaling regulates a wide range of biological processes including development, homeostasis, and disease. Accessible technologies to precisely manipulate signaling have important applications in ...

www.biorxiv.org

9 36 100

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Melania Bruno @melaniabruno.bsky.social · Mar 3

I’m excited to share a new preprint from some of my work in the lab of @toddmacfarlan.bsky.social ! 😄

We dived into young KZFP gene clusters in different mouse strains and species to uncover mechanisms that facilitated their evolution and diversification in mice

bioRxiv Genetics @biorxiv-genetic.bsky.social · Mar 2

Young KRAB-zinc finger gene clusters are highly dynamic incubators of ERV-driven genetic heterogeneity in mice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.26.640358v1

3 12 27

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Greg Copenhaver @copenhaverlab.bsky.social · Apr 11

Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social loved talking w/ @scienceleah.bsky.social about her lab's @plos.org Genetics paper on a unique chromosome segregation mechanism in holocentric moths. doi.org/10.1371/jour...

4 12

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Journal of Cell Science @jcellsci.bsky.social · Apr 9

Did you know…
It’s free to publish in Journal of Cell Science – there are no submission charges, page charges or colour fees. We also plant a tree for every peer-reviewed article we publish🌳
For details, visit our website:
journals.biologists.com/jcs/pages/re...

Image of three covers of Journal of Cell Science

1 48 98

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Iain Cheeseman @iaincheeseman.bsky.social · Mar 28

New preprint drop! Check out work from @jimmy-ly.bsky.social et al for how protein isoforms generated by alternate translation initiation create dual localization, contribute to mitochondrial function, and are mutated in disease. "Blue-tutorial" thread below.

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

1 22 61

Leah Rosin @scienceleah.bsky.social · Mar 26

We are all so upset about this, Needhi. 😓

1 2

Leah Rosin @scienceleah.bsky.social · Mar 15

She should apply to the NIH postbac program! We can’t bring new trainees in at the moment but I’m hoping that changes by the summer 🤞

www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...

Postbac Program

www.training.nih.gov

1

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Arthur Matte @arthurmatte.bsky.social · Feb 26

🚨 New Paper Alert! 🚨

🐜 How did ants evolve their highly specialized queens and workers?

With @adriatica.bsky.social, we reveal a key evolutionary innovation: adult control over larval feeding unlocked extreme caste dimorphism and complex societies. 🧵👇

🔗 Read in @pnas.org: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

2 37 74

Leah Rosin @scienceleah.bsky.social · Feb 24

First mouse paper out from Elissa Lei’s lab! Congrats Dahong and all authors 🐭🐁🧬👀

“CTCF regulates global chromatin accessibility and transcription during rod photoreceptor development”

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

www.pnas.org

3

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Feb 21

Check out our super cool paper on aneuploidy in cells lacking Bub3. Congratulations to fantastic student Pallavi Gadgil and alum Olivia Ballew. journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

Aneuploidy of specific chromosomes is beneficial to cells lacking spindle checkpoint protein Bub3

Author summary Accurate chromosome segregation is crucial for the proper development of all living organisms. Errors in chromosome segregation can lead to aneuploidy, characterized by an abnormal numb...

journals.plos.org

3 10 39

Reposted by Leah Rosin

André Marques @amarques.bsky.social · Feb 21

I am thrilled to share our new review on holocentric chromosomes. It was a lot of fun to write it together with Ines Drinnenberg!
Same but different: Centromere regulations in holocentric insects and plants doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...

3 44 83

Leah Rosin @scienceleah.bsky.social · Feb 21

This is so cool!!
Congrats @roneilllab.bsky.social and team! 🦀🧬

academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...

Genome Assembly of a Living Fossil, the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab Limulus polyphemus, Reveals Lineage-Specific Whole-Genome Duplications, Transposable Element-Based Centromeres, and a ZW Sex Chromosome ...

Abstract. Horseshoe crabs, considered living fossils with a stable morphotype spanning ∼445 million years, are evolutionarily, ecologically, and biomedical

academic.oup.com

3 6

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Urszula McClurg @urszulamcclurg.bsky.social · Feb 19

Do you love meiosis? Have a cool story to share? Join us for the XVth British Meiosis Meeting 26-27 of March in Liverpool! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... You only have till Sunday to submit an abstract for a talk! ECRs are prioritised for speaking slots so the odds are in your favour 😁 #meiosis4eva

1 9 13

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Oded Rechavi @odedrechavi.bsky.social · Feb 9

Almost 200 people signed up already - add your name soon before we have to stop registration for this once in a life time conference! docs.google.com/forms/d/1dm8...

1 15 29

Reposted by Leah Rosin

MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · Jan 31

I just heard the news that R Scott Hawley, meiosis enthusiast and founding Dean of the Grad School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, passed away today. Such a loss for the science and education community. I will miss our zooms and his deep, deep wisdom

10 14 100

Reposted by Leah Rosin

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Jan 31

Feeling very lost today with the news of the passing of my undergrad advisor Scott Hawley. He had a huge impact on the field and on me personally. He was the first person to see me as a scientist and gave me the confidence to apply to grad school. I am so grateful to be a part of his legacy.

17 14 150

Reposted by Leah Rosin

HunterLab.bsky.social @hunterlab.bsky.social · Jan 31

Sadly, our colleague and friend Scott Hawley passed away this morning. He was an irreplaceable presence and force for good in the meiosis an Drosophila communities and will be sorely missed.

27 44 120

Leah Rosin @scienceleah.bsky.social · Dec 14

Scientists of Bluesky - qPCR machine recs?

1 1