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Reposted by UCL Genetics Institute

Maria Secrier @mariasecrier.bsky.social · 1d

How do tissues organise, adapt, or collapse? 🧬
We’re looking for a postdoc with strong quantitative skills to tackle these questions in a highly interdisciplinary project bridging spatial omics, ecology & mathematical modelling (expertise required in at least one topic).
Apply 👉 tinyurl.com/3d37d3st

UCL – University College London

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

www.ucl.ac.uk

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UCL Grand Challenges @uclgrandchallenges.bsky.social · 16d

Applications open: Cultural Understanding Small Grants 2025/26
We're offering up to £5,000 for interdisciplinary projects that explore Cultural Understanding. Open to UCL staff.

🗓 Apply by 20 Oct 2025
🔗 More info: https://shorturl.at/kNx4q

Cultural Understanding Small Grants Call 2025/26

Funding of up to £5,000 is now available for impactful, interdisciplinary projects that address the theme of Cultural Understanding.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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UCL News @uclnews.bsky.social · 27d

Micronutrients may have influenced human evolution more than previously understood, finds a new study by @ucllifesciences.bsky.social and @uclchildhealth.bsky.social researchers showing how some groups developed genetic adaptations in response to shortages and surpluses of minerals in their diets

How micronutrient shortages changed human DNA

Tiny elements in the human diet, such as micronutrients, may have influenced human evolution in ways greater than previously recognised, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · 17d

Great to have Irene Gallego Romero @ee-reh-neh.bsky.social at UCL for last week’s UGI seminar, where she discussed her work on genomic diversity in Island Southeast Asian populations - from ancient DNA to modern immunity!

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Aida Andres @aidaandres.bsky.social · 19d

Pooja Swali @poojaswali.bsky.social presenting her very interesting work on ancient pathogens. @ugiatucl.bsky.social

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Aida Andres @aidaandres.bsky.social · 19d

Two that I have pictures for, from UCL. Finley Grover presenting his work on the signatures of local adaptation in mtDNA in humans. @ugiatucl.bsky.social

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Aida Andres @aidaandres.bsky.social · 19d

Fantastic Autumn Symposium and Mixer from the London Centre for Ecology and Evolution (CEE @ceevol.bsky.social) at the LSHTM brilliantly organised by Mojca Kristan @mkristan.bsky.social Lots of great talks on ecology and evolution by members of all CEE’s institutions.

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · 22d

A great start to this year’s UGI Seminar Series, with UGI’s Director @aidaandres.bsky.social discussing recent work on local genetic adaptation in chimpanzees.

@aidaandres.bsky.social discussing recent works on Local Genetic adaptation in Chimpanzees

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Jas Rees @jasminrees.bsky.social · 22d

1/ So pleased to share our paper on genetic adaptation to micronutrients in humans! Our biggest conclusion? Trace minerals in the diet have shaped human evolution far more than previously appreciated 🧬🌍👇
www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltex...

https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(25)00315-5

t.co

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Jas Rees @jasminrees.bsky.social · 22d

11/ Side bar: this work was done as part of my PhD, under two incredible supervisors (@aidaandres.bsky.social
& Sergi Castellano) and I hope some of the joy of my time at @uclchildhealth.bsky.social & @ugiatucl.bsky.social translated into the paper

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Aida Andres @aidaandres.bsky.social · 28d

Jasmin Rees PhD chapter as a paper just out at the AJHG @ajhgnews.bsky.social, with Sergi Castellano, who first envisioned the study. Jas investigated signatures of human local genetic adaptation in hundreds of micronutrient-associated genes.

The American Journal of Human Genetics @ajhgnews.bsky.social · 28d

📣New from @aidaandres.bsky.social & co
📄Global impact of micronutrients in modern human evolution

Global impact of micronutrients in modern human evolution

In this study, Rees et al. evaluate the role of dietary micronutrients in driving local genetic adaptation and population differentiation in humans. The authors find evidence that micronutrient-associ...

www.cell.com

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · Sep 4

Our first UGI seminar of the year welcomed Audrey Lin @undeaddandy.bsky.social telling us all about how a legacy of genetic entanglement with wolves shapes modern dogs. Thanks Audrey for a great talk and visit!

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Lucy van Dorp @lucyvandorp.bsky.social · Sep 1

Excited to say we’re hiring 😊. We’re looking for a post-doc in ancient pathogen genomics to join our friendly supportive team in London at @ugiatucl.bsky.social. Start date January 2026.

www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

UCL – University College London

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Hernán A. Burbano @hernanaburbano.bsky.social · Aug 14

Published version of our collaborative work! Congrats to @laskyjr.bsky.social @upenn.edu & Lua Lopez who lead the work, and to all the authors. tinyurl.com/mu8uht92 @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social

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UCL Faculty of Life Sciences @ucllifesciences.bsky.social · Aug 18

The Centenary Special Issue of The Annals of Human Genetics is now available!

First published in 1925, this special issue celebrates recent advances in human genetics, and features contributions from 13 @ucl.ac.uk researchers.

Check out the issue online: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14691809...

Cover image of The Annals of Human Genetics centenary issue.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · Aug 21

the best idea anyone ever had.

Here's my take with the ever brilliant @ppfideas.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0_0...

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Reposted by UCL Genetics Institute

Maria Secrier @mariasecrier.bsky.social · Aug 12

We recently published a review reflecting on challenges and opportunities in characterising cancer cell states and niches using spatial transcriptomics and integration with digital pathology, see full thread below. Thank you Molecular Oncology for the opportunity!

Cenk Celik @cenkcelik.bsky.social · Jul 26

We, Secrier Lab UCL @ugiatucl.bsky.social Genetics Institute, discussed challenges in cell state identification using spatial transcriptomics in cancer research, now out in Molecular Oncology.
 doi.org/10.1002/1878... #SpatialTranscriptomics #CancerResearch #SpatialNiches

doi.org

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · Aug 11

New preprint from UGI PhD student @cednotsed.bsky.social , @proffballoux.bsky.social and @lucyvandorp.bsky.social, exploring the microbial and antimicrobial resistance signatures of hospital-acquired pneumonia using nanopore metagenomic sequencing (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...).

Characterising the microbial and antimicrobial resistance signatures of hospital-acquired pneumonia using nanopore metagenomic sequencing

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is a significant burden in nosocomial settings, yet its microbial underpinnings remain poorly understood. Here, we leverage shotgun nanopore sequencing to characteris...

www.biorxiv.org

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · Jul 28

🚨 New paper klaxon! 🚨

The History of the Panmictic Population Concept and Its Legacy in Contemporary Population Genetics

Quite niche admittedly, one for the historians of evolutionary thought, and population geneticists.

doi.org/10.1111/ahg....

The History of the Panmictic Population Concept and Its Legacy in Contemporary Population Genetics

ABSTRACT The panmictic population concept is at the heart of population, evolutionary and conservation genetics. However, in nature, true panmictic populations are vanishingly rare. As an idea conce...

doi.org

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Annals of Human Genetics @ahgeditor.bsky.social · Jul 31

An Early View: A new commentary by @andyjmwalton.bsky.social, Dr Aylward, Prof Thomas, and ‪Dr @adamrutherford.bsky.social revisit the intellectual origins of #panmixia, revealing how essentialist assumptions shaped its early adoption in evolutionary theory, long before the Modern Synthesis.

The History of the Panmictic Population Concept and Its Legacy in Contemporary Population Genetics

ABSTRACT The panmictic population concept is at the heart of population, evolutionary and conservation genetics. However, in nature, true panmictic populations are vanishingly rare. As an idea conce...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by UCL Genetics Institute

Cenk Celik @cenkcelik.bsky.social · Jul 26

We, Secrier Lab UCL @ugiatucl.bsky.social Genetics Institute, discussed challenges in cell state identification using spatial transcriptomics in cancer research, now out in Molecular Oncology.
 doi.org/10.1002/1878... #SpatialTranscriptomics #CancerResearch #SpatialNiches

doi.org

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · Jul 23

New paper featuring @ugiatucl.bsky.social @aidaandres.bsky.social identifying human specific gene expansions contributing to brain evolution: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Human-specific gene expansions contribute to brain evolution

Duplicated genes expanded in the human lineage likely contributed to brain evolution, yet challenges exist in their discovery due to sequence-assembly…

www.sciencedirect.com

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · Jul 23

@cednotsed.bsky.social presenting at #SMEB2025 on his work on predicting the fitness of mutations in SARS-CoV-2. Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · Jul 21

UGI at the Forbidden City #SMBE2025

@cednotsed.bsky.social, Cameron Ferguson, @nancybird1.bsky.social

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UCL Genetics Institute @ugiatucl.bsky.social · Jul 17

New review paper led by @nancybird1.bsky.social which unpacks the complexities of genetic ancestry and examines what genetic data can and cannot tell us 🧬 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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