i5k Survey to identify -community infrastructure -training/workforce development priorities -sustainability challenges for community resources -opportunities for coordination/collaboration Survey link: kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... Please help distribute! #arthropods #insects #entomology

REDfly v10 is LIVE!!! This major update brings fully on-line our all-new interface. Finally ALL fields are now searchable & can be downloaded in various formats. Numerous backend changes allow better stability. Send us your feedback on the new design (& any bug reports)! #enhancers #drosophila

Heartbreaking story.

Esther and I were able to join in the #NoKings march today despite traveling in Bloomington IN!

Over 1,100 American clergy across all Jewish denominations unite to stand with refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. Together, they affirm our core Jewish values that declare our responsibility for the dignity, humanity and rights of ALL who dwell within our borders.

Incredibly honored to be awarded the #Drosophila Community Service Award this morning at #Dros26. A huge 'thank you' to all our users and all the data generators whose hard work has made our own possible. Look for our completely revised interface with improved search & download coming soon!

Insect research has used Drosophila as a model organism for over a century. But today’s tools now open up a much wider spectrum of insects which deserve to be studied. See the recent commentary in @fly-journal.bsky.social by @peterkdearden.bsky.social, ‘Why just fly?’ doi.org/10.1080/1933...

What a Gene Regulatory Network Is — and What It Is Not ! thenode.biologists.com/what-a-gene-...

Everyone--EVERYONE--in the U.S. should read this column. Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/o...

We have a new date for the 2025-2026 i5k Annual Meeting: February 4th, 2026! Anyone with an interest in arthropod genomics is encouraged to join this open meeting. More details here: i5k.github.io/2025_annual_... #i5k #arthropods #genomics #insects (please re-post)

Good day for the spouse: www.wgrz.com/article/news...

Almost like being back at the bench...

Hey everyone: UB Biochemistry is hiring! 2 positions at the Asst or Assoc Professor level. Genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, metabolism, dev biol, neuroscience, gene expression, protein structure/function. www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/postings/60078

Even Marie Antoinette at least offered cake...

Pumped for our virtual December 2025 Genomics Education Partnership Science Seminar, presented by Dr. Marc Halfon @marchalfon.bsky.social from the University at Buffalo on Monday, December 8th at 2pm CST. Hope to see you there!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the ongoing U.S. Government shutdown, the i5k Annual Community Meeting scheduled for Oct. 15 has been postponed. The meeting will be rescheduled for a future date once the government has re-opened. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Please RT and try to alert any federal employees who will not be receiving email notification of the cancellation! New registration information will be provided once the meeting is rescheduled.

***PLEASE NOTE: IF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT REMAINS SHUT DOWN AS OF OCTOBER 10, THIS MEETING WILL BE CANCELLED AND RE-SCHEDULED AT A FUTURE DATE***

Calling early-career developmental biologists! Apply for a funded place at our #Workshop, Novelty, Co-option and Divergence During Gene Network Evolution. Application deadline: 5 December www.biologists.com/workshops/ju... #DevBio #BiologistsWorkshops #Collaboration #Networking

Excited to be part of this study of enhancer redundancy and modularity in a fly pigmentation GRN. Amazing job by Williams lab following up SCRMshaw predictions! Redundant and Singular Regulatory Elements Underlie the Rapidly Evolving Pigmentation of Drosophila url: academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...

Hmmm. "Long papers are all alike, but each brief report is unique in its brevity"?

Announcing the 2025 i5k Annual Meeting on October 15th! Anyone with an interest in arthropod genomics is encouraged to join this open meeting. More details here: i5k.github.io/2025_annual_... #i5k #arthropods #genomics #insects (please re-post)

This moment >> #GoBills | #BillsMafia

A reminder you/your lab can support FlyBase at Cambridge through the following link. Every bit helps. Please share if you yourself can't donate. www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...

I have published a post on the Oxford University Press blog that outlines my teaching philosophy, and the philosophy behind my Textbook "Organismic Animal Biology - An Evolutionary Approach". Have a look, and if you agree with my philosophy, buy the book and use it. blog.oup.com/2025/07/know...

Anyone else getting a sore neck from all the whiplash?

With you in spirit...

I'm recalibrating from "incredibly worried" to "absolutely terrified"

the sad thing is how much is reads like a very poorly-executed 8th grade English assignment

Sign!!

Our annual reminder that "everyone is awesome", and everyone is welcome, in the Halfon Lab.

This would be hilarious, only it's not: "Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, bungled questions on Tuesday about the writ of habeas corpus..." saying “Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their right to—”

Well, this is terrifying: www.science.org/content/arti...

PASEDB 2025 Postdoc Award: Kevin Deem University of Rochester, USA. Department of Biology For outstanding experimental work in emerging model species and for excellent mentorship Do you want to learn more: www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/spotligh...

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. It's sobering on this day to reflect this week, the U.S. has proposed (1) a Federal registry of people with autism and (2) sent a questionnaire to employees at Barnard asking if they are Jewish. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/n... www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...

Pleased to see that @ubuffalo.bsky.social President Tripathi signed on to this letter defending against government interference in higher education: www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...

Anyone who thinks Trump's war on universities is just about combatting antisemitism--or is only about funding--should read the full text of the truly terrifying letter/set of demands made to Harvard this week: www.harvard.edu/research-fun...

#NotInOurName Signed this open letter (shorturl.at/dXu9V) with my Jewish colleagues across the U.S. "We are united in denouncing, without equivocation, anyone who invokes our name – and cynical claims of antisemitism – to harass, expel, arrest, or deport members of our campus communities."

REDfly is now on Bluesky! And we have a major new update! We added ~50 new reporter constructs and updates on over 800 more. Importantly, we introduce a beta version of our new Search/Download interface with vastly expanded & improved functionality. Try it out! #drosophila #gene_regulation #genomics