Out First Release in @science.org this week: A large scale analysis of the epigenetics of transposable elements in Arabidopsis shows transgenerational stability www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #PlantScience

Excellent work from @piotraz.bsky.social group demonstrating juxtaposition of heterozygous & homozygous regions in maize attracts meiotic recombination to het regions rdcu.be/eHmn9 @natplants.nature.com builds from work we did together in Cambridge on Arabidopsis way back in 2015. Great stuff Piotr!

Oxford Biology is growing 📢 We’re appointing 3 Associate Professors in: 🌱 Plant Sciences 🦉 Animal Behaviour 🔬 Molecular Cell Biology 3 fields. 3 opportunities. One new home for Oxford Biology. Learn more 👉 bit.ly/41S2Tc7 Apply now 👉 bit.ly/488CNW3

#1 Centromeres are epigenetic loci defined by CENP-A, positioned in unmethylated DNA flanked by highly methylated regions. Our work, published in @natgenet.nature.com in collaboration with @naltemose.bsky.social investigates the role of DNAme at human centromeres www.nature.com/articles/s41...

IT BEST HEALTH! FOR SKIN! MAYBE ELAINE FUCHS INVOLVED! NEED CELLULAR EPIGENETICS FOR EVERYTHING PLEASE!

Some nice pyrite-ammonites we found on Charmouth beach #fossilhunting

Six more years—plus a lot of blood, sweat, and tears—later, we are thrilled to finally share it: a cytological framework of female meiosis in Arabidopsis! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

What beauty!

The original circos plot? From the 1947-1948 Carnegie Yearbook, the page prior to McClintock's Mutable Loci in Maize paper.

Out after peer review now, follow up from our 2019 pna-NLRome paper (which was based on enrichment and long-read sequencing). It is remarkable how much more can be learned with complete genome sequences. Next. pan-NLRome from hundreds of A. thaliana long-read genomes! Big thanks to the entire team!

Introducing the 1,000 Flower Collection 🧬🌹 I’m creating 1,000 genetically designed flowers each crafted with new colors, patterns, and shapes. Here’s how I’m making it happen… and how you can join me on this journey 🧵(1/7)

Oatk: a de novo assembly tool for complex plant organelle genomes link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Hi-reComb: constructing recombination maps from bulk gamete Hi-C sequencing. #HiC #RecombinationMaps #GameteSequencing #Genomics #Genetics academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...

Are you passionate about #genetics and #communication? We're looking for an Editor for our magazine. Training funds are available, you will be a trustee of the society and get free attendance to all of our conferences. Application deadline: 12 September! genetics.org.uk/committee-va...

Escherichia coli with a 57-codon genetic code | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Spindle checkpoint can secure additional cheating time for selfish expanded centromeres cell.com/current-biol... @currentbiology.bsky.social @takashiakeralab.bsky.social

1 To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised! 🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...

New studious lab pic just dropped ! A few others to be digitally added in due course!

last call! submit your abstract by tonight to be selected for one of the many oral presentations at the leading European Transposon Meeting. We are very much looking forward to your contribution and attendance!

Annual 307 laboratory day on the river!

Happy to share our new work with exciting findings, incl. different centromere organisations and all kinds of weird polyploids giving rise to the mysterious carnivorous sundews! Great word led by my postdoc Laura in collaboration with @plantgenomes.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The first paper of my PhD is now available as a preprint! 🎉 Transposable elements (TEs) don't just jump within fungal genomes, they also move extensively between species. In this study, we screened over 1,300 fungal genomes and found a conservative estimate of 5,500+ horizontal transfer events.

Today is Asgard Friday! So happy that the project that has taken a big chunk of my PhD journey is out as a preprint (for now!) “Phylogenomics of Asgard archaea reveals a unique blend of prokaryotic-like horizontal transfer and eukaryotic-like gene duplication” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Telomere-to-telomere DNA sequencing is set to transform the field of human genetics in coming years. For a flavour of what's coming, see this exciting work on nearly complete genomes of 65 individuals from diverse populations, out today in @nature.com by @glennislogsdon.bsky.social & colleagues. 👇🧬🧪

How it started / How it's going 😱 (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... / www.nature.com/articles/s41...) #preprint

Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website. sites.google.com/site/danielb...

Finally out! 🥳 Our paper showing how a transposable element (TE) insertion can cause developmental phenotypes is now published @natgenet.nature.com 🧬🦠🐁 Below is a brief description of the major findings. Check the full version of the paper for more details: www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02248-5

REM transcription factors and GDE1 shape the DNA methylation landscape through the recruitment of RNA polymerase IV transcription complexes www.nature.com/articles/s41... Lovely work from Jacobsen lab on genetics of epigenetics

Seeing this Nature cover art for first time from the Crick selfish dna article. Reminds me of this joke: Why do crustacean genomes contain a lot of transposons ? It’s shellfish DNA

RIP Franklin W. Stahl (1929–2025) here is Frank explaining semiconservative replication of DNA in the marvelous interview from 2020 together with Matt Meselson (youtu.be/7-tnuAqEp9g)

We need your nominations! Do you know an outstanding researcher whose work has made a significant impact in genetics? Now is the perfect time to recognise their contributions. Our awards celebrate excellence across all areas of #genetics research!

Magnificently primal looking Gunnera @ Cambridge botanics

A sea of wheat!

Amazing study of kelptoplastic sea slugs! www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

Midsummer Delphinium looking so vivid!

I am once again pitching my romantic comedy: - two academics start dating - discover they are each other's terrible reviewer - hijinks ensue Working title: Love is Double-Blind

Michael Ashburner FRS was an influential figure in the fields of Drosophila genomics and early sequencing database initiatives such as @ebi.embl.org. Read about their contributions across genetics and bioinformatics in the new biographical memoir: buff.ly/f01zNat @geneticscam.bsky.social‬

Spoils of Belgium ! Love these cuberdons !!!

1/7 I am very excited to announce our🌹NEW PAPER OUT IN 𝑁𝐴𝑇𝑈𝑅𝐸!🌹 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐄: Bimodal centromeres in pentaploid dogroses shed light on their unique meiosis With the Ritz and Kovařík labs we show a potential role for centromeres on 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘢 bizarre reproduction! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🧬 The study led by Rosa Fernández, #IBE principal researcher🔬, and published in @natecoevo.nature.com , shows that marine worms shattered their genome and rebuilt it in a radically different form when they first emerged from the sea 200 million years ago.

Join us next week for our anniversary day in Cambridge. Help us celebrate our prize winners and former summer students! Event is free but registration is required. genetics.org.uk/events/genet...

🧬🌽 Happy Transposon Day! 🌽🧬 Today we celebrate the birthday of Barbara McClintock - scientist extraordinaire and discoverer of jumping genes. Still the only woman to have an unshared Nobel Prize in the biomedical sciences #TransposonDay2025

How did nature’s incredible diversity come to be? These cichlid fish may offer a clue 🐠 Cambridge researchers have found that chunks of ‘flipped’ #DNA can help fish quickly adapt to new habitats and evolve into new species, acting as evolutionary ‘superchargers’ 👇 bit.ly/3HGqEN6

Don’t ask #theconferencetoendallconferences #TCTeAC

Please consider signing this petition, which emphasizes the importance of ring-fencing EU funds for ERC, Marie-Curie fellowships and other collaborative basic research. www.petitions.com/open_letter_...

1/x New story - the structure of the Vault cap, at 2.3Å! Matching a beautiful preprint from @sjorsscheres.bsky.social, we show that the cap of the vault particle has C13 symmetry, in contrast to the 39-fold symmetry of the body. Study lead by talented postdoc @huanli00.bsky.social from my group! ⬇️

REFEREE 1: “I conclude with a simple, direct statement - this is the best paper I have read all year!” #TransparentPeerReview Co-evolving infectivity and expression patterns drive the diversification of endogenous retroviruses @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social et al www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

New Article: "Leaf venation network evolution across clades and scales" rdcu.be/epLNP Evolution of leaf venation networks, from fewer, corrugated veins to high vein density and smoother loops. Herbivory as a potential driver of venation architectural changes.

The mutational dynamics of the Arabidopsis centromeres www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Absolutely stunning new preprint on centromere mutation from ‪@labschneeberger.bsky.social‬ @plantevolution.bsky.social ‪@jurriaanton.bsky.social‬ @lisasmith @plantylisasmith.bsky.social‬ & colleagues