Aaron Griffing
@aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
biologist | postdoc | evo devo | morphology | genomes | geckos | loud music & hot sauce enthusiast | he/him
https://aarongriffing.weebly.com/
#GeckoEvoDevo
https://aarongriffing.weebly.com/
#GeckoEvoDevo
Pinned
New paper out in @devdynamics.bsky.social on lizard lung development!
Project co-led w/ Kaleb Hill and also w/ @tonygamble.bsky.social @shylonatasha.bsky.social @aussiebiologist.bsky.social @bezbez.bsky.social @celestemnelson.bsky.social
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Project co-led w/ Kaleb Hill and also w/ @tonygamble.bsky.social @shylonatasha.bsky.social @aussiebiologist.bsky.social @bezbez.bsky.social @celestemnelson.bsky.social
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
‘tis the season to celebrate the many animal species that reproduce via parthenogenesis - or reproduction from an unfertilized egg. Pictured here are 3 species of all-female, parthenogenetic gecko: Mourning Gecko; Bynoe's gecko; & Indopacific slender gecko
#MerryChristmas #Herpetology 🎄🧪🦎
#MerryChristmas #Herpetology 🎄🧪🦎
December 25, 2025 at 1:46 AM
‘tis the season to celebrate the many animal species that reproduce via parthenogenesis - or reproduction from an unfertilized egg. Pictured here are 3 species of all-female, parthenogenetic gecko: Mourning Gecko; Bynoe's gecko; & Indopacific slender gecko
#MerryChristmas #Herpetology 🎄🧪🦎
#MerryChristmas #Herpetology 🎄🧪🦎
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
New in BMC Genomics! Genome size in anurans (frogs and toads) ranges from 0.5Gb to 10.0Gb of DNA. John Neddermeyer and I teamed with Andrew Rubio and @adamstuckert.bsky.social and found one type of retrotransposon active over the last ~30my is the likely culprit: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Anuran genome size evolution is driven by relatively recent retrotransposon activity and by life history - BMC Genomics
BMC Genomics - Transposable elements (TEs), often referred to as ‘selfish genetic elements’, hijack their host’s genetic machinery to replicate themselves within the host genome,...
link.springer.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:25 PM
New in BMC Genomics! Genome size in anurans (frogs and toads) ranges from 0.5Gb to 10.0Gb of DNA. John Neddermeyer and I teamed with Andrew Rubio and @adamstuckert.bsky.social and found one type of retrotransposon active over the last ~30my is the likely culprit: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Can't believe my postdoc paper is finally out. Christmas came early this year, holy moly 🎄
Molecular basis for de novo thymus regeneration in a vertebrate, the axolotl | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Molecular basis for de novo thymus regeneration in a vertebrate, the axolotl | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Molecular basis for de novo thymus regeneration in a vertebrate, the axolotl
The molecular, cellular, and functional restoration of the axolotl thymus after de novo regeneration is described.
www.science.org
December 5, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Can't believe my postdoc paper is finally out. Christmas came early this year, holy moly 🎄
Molecular basis for de novo thymus regeneration in a vertebrate, the axolotl | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Molecular basis for de novo thymus regeneration in a vertebrate, the axolotl | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
True toads (Bufonidae) originated in South America and invaded Africa via the Antarctic in the Cenozoic! (which was temperate/sub-tropical at the time). Super cool.
🐸🐸🐸
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
🐸🐸🐸
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Earth history and trait innovation drive the global radiation of modern toads
Abstract. The distributions of species radiations reflect environmental changes driven by both Earth history (geological processes) and the evolution of bi
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 5, 2025 at 1:00 AM
True toads (Bufonidae) originated in South America and invaded Africa via the Antarctic in the Cenozoic! (which was temperate/sub-tropical at the time). Super cool.
🐸🐸🐸
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
🐸🐸🐸
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Very excited to share that our latest paper is out in Science! We show that the type specimen of Nanotyrannus—an isolated skull—is fully grown, showing that it is not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but a distinct species (1/12)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org
December 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Very excited to share that our latest paper is out in Science! We show that the type specimen of Nanotyrannus—an isolated skull—is fully grown, showing that it is not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but a distinct species (1/12)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Happy World Wildlife Conservation Day in the #NewJersey #Pinelands! Here's a sampling of the wildlife that can be found in the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve. 🐍 🐦 🐸 🌎
📷: Pinelands Commission staff
#wildlife #WildlifeConservationDay
📷: Pinelands Commission staff
#wildlife #WildlifeConservationDay
December 4, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Happy World Wildlife Conservation Day in the #NewJersey #Pinelands! Here's a sampling of the wildlife that can be found in the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve. 🐍 🐦 🐸 🌎
📷: Pinelands Commission staff
#wildlife #WildlifeConservationDay
📷: Pinelands Commission staff
#wildlife #WildlifeConservationDay
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Now out in Evolution @journal-evo.bsky.social
Tetrapod vocal evolution reveals faster rates and higher-pitched sounds for mammals 🐘🦉🐸.
Mammalian hearing likely allowed the rapid diversification of their vocalizations.
Open access here:
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#bioacoustics #animalcommunication
Tetrapod vocal evolution reveals faster rates and higher-pitched sounds for mammals 🐘🦉🐸.
Mammalian hearing likely allowed the rapid diversification of their vocalizations.
Open access here:
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#bioacoustics #animalcommunication
Tetrapod vocal evolution reveals faster rates and higher-pitched sounds for mammals
Abstract. Using the voice to produce sound is a widespread form of communication and plays an important role across diverse species and contexts. Variation
doi.org
December 1, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Now out in Evolution @journal-evo.bsky.social
Tetrapod vocal evolution reveals faster rates and higher-pitched sounds for mammals 🐘🦉🐸.
Mammalian hearing likely allowed the rapid diversification of their vocalizations.
Open access here:
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#bioacoustics #animalcommunication
Tetrapod vocal evolution reveals faster rates and higher-pitched sounds for mammals 🐘🦉🐸.
Mammalian hearing likely allowed the rapid diversification of their vocalizations.
Open access here:
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#bioacoustics #animalcommunication
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
I'm happy to share that, together with @juvelas.bsky.social and Daniel Vásquez-Restrepo to examine how Andean uplift influenced the evolution of South American squamates as part of the book Andean Herpetofauna: Explorations of Diversity, Ecology and Conservation by @springernature.com (1/3)
November 27, 2025 at 11:24 PM
I'm happy to share that, together with @juvelas.bsky.social and Daniel Vásquez-Restrepo to examine how Andean uplift influenced the evolution of South American squamates as part of the book Andean Herpetofauna: Explorations of Diversity, Ecology and Conservation by @springernature.com (1/3)
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
@tywooldr.bsky.social et al. present assemblies for three bear species — the sun, sloth, and Andean bears — and use a whole-genome alignment of all bear species and other carnivores to reconstruct the evolution of Ursidae.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf188
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf188
#genome #evolution
Chromosome-scale Genomes Show Rapid Diversification and Ancient Gene Flow Among Bear Species
Abstract. Reconstructions of evolutionary history can be restricted by a lack of high-quality reference genomes. To date, only four of the eight species of
doi.org
November 20, 2025 at 4:46 PM
@tywooldr.bsky.social et al. present assemblies for three bear species — the sun, sloth, and Andean bears — and use a whole-genome alignment of all bear species and other carnivores to reconstruct the evolution of Ursidae.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf188
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf188
#genome #evolution
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
🐸 Bilder-Atlas zur wissenschaftlich-populären Naturgeschichte der Amphibien in ihren sämmtlichen Hauptformen
Wien: Kaiserl. Koenigl. Hof- und Staatsdr., 1864
[Source]
Wien: Kaiserl. Koenigl. Hof- und Staatsdr., 1864
[Source]
November 14, 2025 at 1:23 PM
🐸 Bilder-Atlas zur wissenschaftlich-populären Naturgeschichte der Amphibien in ihren sämmtlichen Hauptformen
Wien: Kaiserl. Koenigl. Hof- und Staatsdr., 1864
[Source]
Wien: Kaiserl. Koenigl. Hof- und Staatsdr., 1864
[Source]
New paper out in @devdynamics.bsky.social on lizard lung development!
Project co-led w/ Kaleb Hill and also w/ @tonygamble.bsky.social @shylonatasha.bsky.social @aussiebiologist.bsky.social @bezbez.bsky.social @celestemnelson.bsky.social
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Project co-led w/ Kaleb Hill and also w/ @tonygamble.bsky.social @shylonatasha.bsky.social @aussiebiologist.bsky.social @bezbez.bsky.social @celestemnelson.bsky.social
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
November 14, 2025 at 5:35 PM
New paper out in @devdynamics.bsky.social on lizard lung development!
Project co-led w/ Kaleb Hill and also w/ @tonygamble.bsky.social @shylonatasha.bsky.social @aussiebiologist.bsky.social @bezbez.bsky.social @celestemnelson.bsky.social
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Project co-led w/ Kaleb Hill and also w/ @tonygamble.bsky.social @shylonatasha.bsky.social @aussiebiologist.bsky.social @bezbez.bsky.social @celestemnelson.bsky.social
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
New preprint from my postdoc work! Using fluorescent imaging, scRNA-seq, and ATAC-seq of mouse, anole, and chicken embryos, we provide evidence that birds have co-opted vascular smooth muscle to generate the pulmonary smooth muscle in their lungs. More on this later!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 14, 2025 at 12:28 AM
New preprint from my postdoc work! Using fluorescent imaging, scRNA-seq, and ATAC-seq of mouse, anole, and chicken embryos, we provide evidence that birds have co-opted vascular smooth muscle to generate the pulmonary smooth muscle in their lungs. More on this later!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Super-proud of former MPhil student Emily Hillan for publishing her dissertation on the evolution of rib skeleton regionalisation in the evolution of snake-like body forms in squamates!
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
November 10, 2024 at 5:28 PM
Super-proud of former MPhil student Emily Hillan for publishing her dissertation on the evolution of rib skeleton regionalisation in the evolution of snake-like body forms in squamates!
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
A study finds that chameleons have longer & more coiled optic nerves than other squamates & known tetrapods, providing slack & reduced strain during extensive eye rotation characteristic of chameleon eyes, & providing an excellent historical review of our knowledge.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 10, 2025 at 9:52 PM
A study finds that chameleons have longer & more coiled optic nerves than other squamates & known tetrapods, providing slack & reduced strain during extensive eye rotation characteristic of chameleon eyes, & providing an excellent historical review of our knowledge.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Very happy that our new paper on the odd, looped optic nerves of chameleons is now out! It turns out having highly mobile eyes require some pretty specialized connections! doi.org/10.1038/s415...
November 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Very happy that our new paper on the odd, looped optic nerves of chameleons is now out! It turns out having highly mobile eyes require some pretty specialized connections! doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Our big squamate origins and early evolution review is now fully published as open access! with @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social and F. Burbrink
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Origin and Early Evolution of Squamates and Their Kin: From Fossils to Genomes
Squamates (lizards, including snakes) are the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates on Earth today and have an evolutionary history dating back to at least the Middle Triassic (ca. 242 Mya). D...
www.annualreviews.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Our big squamate origins and early evolution review is now fully published as open access! with @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social and F. Burbrink
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Pretty stoked that our article got the cover of the latest issue of @journalofanatomy.bsky.social!
Check it out here: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Check it out here: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
November 5, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Pretty stoked that our article got the cover of the latest issue of @journalofanatomy.bsky.social!
Check it out here: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Check it out here: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Now in Evolution: academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
This paper started when @3rdreviewer.bsky.social, Mike, and I had a lunch at which there was a lot of, "What do you mean when you say X?" Fun to spend time thinking about when terms get too muddy, and great work by Drew to pull it all together!
This paper started when @3rdreviewer.bsky.social, Mike, and I had a lunch at which there was a lot of, "What do you mean when you say X?" Fun to spend time thinking about when terms get too muddy, and great work by Drew to pull it all together!
November 4, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Now in Evolution: academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
This paper started when @3rdreviewer.bsky.social, Mike, and I had a lunch at which there was a lot of, "What do you mean when you say X?" Fun to spend time thinking about when terms get too muddy, and great work by Drew to pull it all together!
This paper started when @3rdreviewer.bsky.social, Mike, and I had a lunch at which there was a lot of, "What do you mean when you say X?" Fun to spend time thinking about when terms get too muddy, and great work by Drew to pull it all together!
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Recent paper from our lab on the puncture performance of hemipene spines in snakes! Some are like cat claws, others barely puncture. A single species can have many different spine morphologies and thousands of spines! 🧪 🐍
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
November 3, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Recent paper from our lab on the puncture performance of hemipene spines in snakes! Some are like cat claws, others barely puncture. A single species can have many different spine morphologies and thousands of spines! 🧪 🐍
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
I'll also be looking to recruit an MS student to study the functional morphology and biomechanics of adhesion, friction, and/or locomotion in sea urchins, geckos, or anoles! Please share! @sicb-dcb-dvm.bsky.social @sicb.bsky.social
November 2, 2025 at 2:28 AM
I'll also be looking to recruit an MS student to study the functional morphology and biomechanics of adhesion, friction, and/or locomotion in sea urchins, geckos, or anoles! Please share! @sicb-dcb-dvm.bsky.social @sicb.bsky.social
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
The November cover of Genome Biology and Evolution features @raularayadonoso.bsky.social @kenrokusumi.bsky.social @anthonygeneva.bsky.social et al., who studied how structural rearrangements and selection promote phenotypic evolution in Anolis.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf196
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf196
#genome #evolution
October 31, 2025 at 11:48 AM
The November cover of Genome Biology and Evolution features @raularayadonoso.bsky.social @kenrokusumi.bsky.social @anthonygeneva.bsky.social et al., who studied how structural rearrangements and selection promote phenotypic evolution in Anolis.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf196
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf196
#genome #evolution
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
"The project that was terminated was on this hummingbird, the white-necked jacobin....I suspect that it has something to do with studying a species that doesn’t fit the binary." Researcher @jjinsing.bsky.social interviewed by @carlzimmer.com #birds #nature #science #fundscience #nonbinary 🧪
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:03 PM
"The project that was terminated was on this hummingbird, the white-necked jacobin....I suspect that it has something to do with studying a species that doesn’t fit the binary." Researcher @jjinsing.bsky.social interviewed by @carlzimmer.com #birds #nature #science #fundscience #nonbinary 🧪
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Ever seen a clear and stained little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)? 🦇
I love how their modified forelimbs, with elongated phalanges that support the wing membrane used for flight. Look how big those fangs are! 🧪🎃
I love how their modified forelimbs, with elongated phalanges that support the wing membrane used for flight. Look how big those fangs are! 🧪🎃
October 30, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Ever seen a clear and stained little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)? 🦇
I love how their modified forelimbs, with elongated phalanges that support the wing membrane used for flight. Look how big those fangs are! 🧪🎃
I love how their modified forelimbs, with elongated phalanges that support the wing membrane used for flight. Look how big those fangs are! 🧪🎃
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
🥈 Second Prize – DevBio Art Contest 🎨
Hyloscirtus lynchi tadpoles captured in watercolor! 🐸 A tribute to this critically endangered Andean frog, showcasing its natural colors, unique hindlimb sacs & delicate morphology. 🌿 Painting by Sebastian Plata #DevBio #ScienceArt
October 29, 2025 at 7:13 PM
🥈 Second Prize – DevBio Art Contest 🎨
Hyloscirtus lynchi tadpoles captured in watercolor! 🐸 A tribute to this critically endangered Andean frog, showcasing its natural colors, unique hindlimb sacs & delicate morphology. 🌿 Painting by Sebastian Plata #DevBio #ScienceArt
Reposted by Aaron Griffing
Repeated gene losses have independently shaped colour diversity in marsupials. An ASIP deletion is associated with eastern quoll melanism and is convergent with the related Tassie devil, while MC1R truncation is found in the pale-yellow marsupial mole.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Loss-of-function mutations in ASIP and MC1R are associated with coat colour variation in marsupials | Biology Letters
Pigmentation in mammalian hair follicles is governed in part by interactions between
agouti signalling protein (ASIP) and the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R). The most
common coat colours in mammals re...
royalsocietypublishing.org
October 22, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Repeated gene losses have independently shaped colour diversity in marsupials. An ASIP deletion is associated with eastern quoll melanism and is convergent with the related Tassie devil, while MC1R truncation is found in the pale-yellow marsupial mole.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...