Darren Obbard
@darrenobbard.bsky.social
Flies, Viruses, Genomes
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Excited to share our new preprint on BioRxiv!
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
The tiny germline chromosomes of Paramecium aurelia have an exceptionally high recombination rate and are capped by a new class of Helitrons
Background. Paramecia belong to the ciliate phylum of unicellular eukaryotes characterized by nuclear dimorphism. A diploid germline micronucleus (MIC) transmits genetic information across sexual gene...
www.biorxiv.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Excited to share our new preprint on BioRxiv!
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Open position at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics:
We are looking for a Director of the Center of Pathogen Bioinformatics
apply.refline.ch/499599/0346/...
I am in the Center's steering board together with fantastic colleagues (Emma Hodcroft @firefoxx66.bsky.social, Richard Neher @neher.io, and
We are looking for a Director of the Center of Pathogen Bioinformatics
apply.refline.ch/499599/0346/...
I am in the Center's steering board together with fantastic colleagues (Emma Hodcroft @firefoxx66.bsky.social, Richard Neher @neher.io, and
Director, Center for Pathogen Bioinformatics
The Centre for Pathogen Bioinformatics (CPB) is a unit of SIB which offers expertise and services in pathogen bioinformatics, computational molecular epidemiology and related multi-site project manage...
apply.refline.ch
October 25, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Open position at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics:
We are looking for a Director of the Center of Pathogen Bioinformatics
apply.refline.ch/499599/0346/...
I am in the Center's steering board together with fantastic colleagues (Emma Hodcroft @firefoxx66.bsky.social, Richard Neher @neher.io, and
We are looking for a Director of the Center of Pathogen Bioinformatics
apply.refline.ch/499599/0346/...
I am in the Center's steering board together with fantastic colleagues (Emma Hodcroft @firefoxx66.bsky.social, Richard Neher @neher.io, and
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Join me in Edinburgh on the 22nd of November for the @royentsoc.bsky.social Outreach, Culture & Education SIG meeting at the National Museum of Scotland!
If you missed the abstract deadline, you can still submit a poster until 10 Nov. 🧪
#bugsky #entomology
If you missed the abstract deadline, you can still submit a poster until 10 Nov. 🧪
#bugsky #entomology
November 5, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Join me in Edinburgh on the 22nd of November for the @royentsoc.bsky.social Outreach, Culture & Education SIG meeting at the National Museum of Scotland!
If you missed the abstract deadline, you can still submit a poster until 10 Nov. 🧪
#bugsky #entomology
If you missed the abstract deadline, you can still submit a poster until 10 Nov. 🧪
#bugsky #entomology
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Hi Folks !
Just a few more days to register for the POPGROUP meeting (deadline = this Monday 10/11/2025).
Join us in the beautiful city of #Lille just across the Channel for three exciting days of science and more !
www.hautsdefrancetourism.com/destinations...
--> populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
Just a few more days to register for the POPGROUP meeting (deadline = this Monday 10/11/2025).
Join us in the beautiful city of #Lille just across the Channel for three exciting days of science and more !
www.hautsdefrancetourism.com/destinations...
--> populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
November 5, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Hi Folks !
Just a few more days to register for the POPGROUP meeting (deadline = this Monday 10/11/2025).
Join us in the beautiful city of #Lille just across the Channel for three exciting days of science and more !
www.hautsdefrancetourism.com/destinations...
--> populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
Just a few more days to register for the POPGROUP meeting (deadline = this Monday 10/11/2025).
Join us in the beautiful city of #Lille just across the Channel for three exciting days of science and more !
www.hautsdefrancetourism.com/destinations...
--> populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
Out now! From Jarrod Hadfield and Manas Geeta Arun: How to estimate the additive genetic variance for relative fitness from changes in allele frequency: academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
Estimating the additive genetic variance for relative fitness from changes in allele frequency
Abstract. The rate of adaptation is equal to the additive genetic variance for relative fitness (VA) in the population. Estimating VA typically involves ob
academic.oup.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Out now! From Jarrod Hadfield and Manas Geeta Arun: How to estimate the additive genetic variance for relative fitness from changes in allele frequency: academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Transparency makes @wikipedia.org one of the most trusted sources of information on the internet.
From History tabs tracking every edit to Talk pages revealing editors’ discussions, Wikipedia runs on consensus decision-making that is visible to everyone.
Learn more ➡️ medium.com/freely-shari...
From History tabs tracking every edit to Talk pages revealing editors’ discussions, Wikipedia runs on consensus decision-making that is visible to everyone.
Learn more ➡️ medium.com/freely-shari...
October 28, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Transparency makes @wikipedia.org one of the most trusted sources of information on the internet.
From History tabs tracking every edit to Talk pages revealing editors’ discussions, Wikipedia runs on consensus decision-making that is visible to everyone.
Learn more ➡️ medium.com/freely-shari...
From History tabs tracking every edit to Talk pages revealing editors’ discussions, Wikipedia runs on consensus decision-making that is visible to everyone.
Learn more ➡️ medium.com/freely-shari...
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Work with myself + ⭐ team @xavh.bsky.social & @darrenobbard.bsky.social on the 'Ecological and Evolutionary determinants of the bacterial microbiomes of UK moths'. Please get in touch if you are a Chinese student who likes host-pathogen interactions and would like to live in beautiful Cornwall.
October 28, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Work with myself + ⭐ team @xavh.bsky.social & @darrenobbard.bsky.social on the 'Ecological and Evolutionary determinants of the bacterial microbiomes of UK moths'. Please get in touch if you are a Chinese student who likes host-pathogen interactions and would like to live in beautiful Cornwall.
Reposted by Darren Obbard
(1/9) Join us in Bern, Switzerland (8–11 Feb 2026) for our EMBO Workshop on Molecular Mechanisms of Selfish Elements and Strategies!
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Molecular mechanisms of selfish elements and strategies
Certain genes, chromosomes, organelles, or entire sets of chromosomes can bias their transmission to the next generation, propagating themselves at the expense of the rest of the genome. Referred to …
meetings.embo.org
October 27, 2025 at 5:37 PM
(1/9) Join us in Bern, Switzerland (8–11 Feb 2026) for our EMBO Workshop on Molecular Mechanisms of Selfish Elements and Strategies!
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Reposted by Darren Obbard
if you see this post, your actions are:
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
I’ve never donated to Wikipedia before but I set up a small monthly donation as a fuck you to the world’s richest psychopath.
Elon Musk takes aim at Wikipedia
Musk has denounced Wikipedia as "Wokepedia" on X and urged people not to donate to the platform.
www.newsweek.com
December 26, 2024 at 12:03 PM
if you see this post, your actions are:
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Why do complex traits differ in their genetic architecture?
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Simple scaling laws control the genetic architectures of human complex traits
Genome-wide association studies have revealed that the genetic architectures of complex traits vary widely. This study shows that differences in architectures of highly polygenic traits arise mainly f...
journals.plos.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Why do complex traits differ in their genetic architecture?
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Love this!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Transposable elements drive much of naturally occurring genetic lethality in Drosophila melanogaster
Recessive lethal mutations are widespread across studied species, with estimates suggesting that each individual carries at least one. Numerous lethal alleles persist in wild populations at higher fre...
www.biorxiv.org
October 22, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Love this!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Darren Obbard
We are in Bluesky and we are happy to share our two last consortium publications: the DrosEU expanded DEST dataset and a Continent-wide study of phenotypic differentiation among European #Drosophila melanogaster populations (1/7)
October 19, 2025 at 9:35 AM
We are in Bluesky and we are happy to share our two last consortium publications: the DrosEU expanded DEST dataset and a Continent-wide study of phenotypic differentiation among European #Drosophila melanogaster populations (1/7)
Reposted by Darren Obbard
We have a 3+ year post doc available in our lab to study trypanosome transmission and virulence. Combined wet lab and bioinformatics expertise preferred. Please apply via the HR link (elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...). Find out more about us in the link below.
The Matthews Lab | Biology
The Matthews Lab
biology.ed.ac.uk
October 17, 2025 at 12:06 PM
We have a 3+ year post doc available in our lab to study trypanosome transmission and virulence. Combined wet lab and bioinformatics expertise preferred. Please apply via the HR link (elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...). Find out more about us in the link below.
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Fungal #GenomeSize variation is largely driven by TEs & lineage-specific genome defenses. @tbadet.bsky.social & @danielcroll.bsky.social show that presence/absence of RIP mutation systems influences #genome architecture, identifying a likely novel defense mechanism @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4hcC5tx
October 16, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Fungal #GenomeSize variation is largely driven by TEs & lineage-specific genome defenses. @tbadet.bsky.social & @danielcroll.bsky.social show that presence/absence of RIP mutation systems influences #genome architecture, identifying a likely novel defense mechanism @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4hcC5tx
Reposted by Darren Obbard
The Hopkins Lab (hopkins-lab.com) at the University of Florida is looking to recruit a postdoc to work on the genetics of organ function and evolution across Drosophila and beyond. Please visit tinyurl.com/vcsjpmzz or email me for more info. And please RT or send to anyone who might be interested!
October 15, 2025 at 8:42 PM
The Hopkins Lab (hopkins-lab.com) at the University of Florida is looking to recruit a postdoc to work on the genetics of organ function and evolution across Drosophila and beyond. Please visit tinyurl.com/vcsjpmzz or email me for more info. And please RT or send to anyone who might be interested!
Reposted by Darren Obbard
@edinburgh-uni.bsky.social we're wondering if UoE management are proud to be the top of the 'slash jobs' league table?
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cuts-eq...
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cuts-eq...
Cuts equivalent to 15,000 jobs planned at UK universities – UCU
Proposed job losses almost triple since March as unions prepare to vote on nationwide industrial action
www.timeshighereducation.com
October 11, 2025 at 10:36 AM
@edinburgh-uni.bsky.social we're wondering if UoE management are proud to be the top of the 'slash jobs' league table?
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cuts-eq...
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cuts-eq...
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Very sad news, John Gurdon has died.
A developmental biologist's developmental biologist, Nobel prize winner
His work is the foundation of much of today's dev & stem cell bio.
An inspiration to many, including me. Always asking questions & wanting the answers
www.magd.cam.ac.uk/news/profess...
A developmental biologist's developmental biologist, Nobel prize winner
His work is the foundation of much of today's dev & stem cell bio.
An inspiration to many, including me. Always asking questions & wanting the answers
www.magd.cam.ac.uk/news/profess...
Professor Sir John Gurdon FRS (1933-2025) | Magdalene College
Magdalene College is deeply saddened to announce the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon FRS, who served as Master of the College from 1995 to 2002.
www.magd.cam.ac.uk
October 7, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Very sad news, John Gurdon has died.
A developmental biologist's developmental biologist, Nobel prize winner
His work is the foundation of much of today's dev & stem cell bio.
An inspiration to many, including me. Always asking questions & wanting the answers
www.magd.cam.ac.uk/news/profess...
A developmental biologist's developmental biologist, Nobel prize winner
His work is the foundation of much of today's dev & stem cell bio.
An inspiration to many, including me. Always asking questions & wanting the answers
www.magd.cam.ac.uk/news/profess...
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Research assistant + postdoc position on a NERC funded project working w @darrenobbard.bsky.social and collaborating with @savebutterflies.bsky.social on the ecological and evolutionary drivers of the virome of UK moths @uniexecec.bsky.social. Descriptions below and links here benlongdon.com/join/
October 7, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Research assistant + postdoc position on a NERC funded project working w @darrenobbard.bsky.social and collaborating with @savebutterflies.bsky.social on the ecological and evolutionary drivers of the virome of UK moths @uniexecec.bsky.social. Descriptions below and links here benlongdon.com/join/
xkcd.com/3056/ (seen via @annikabarber.bsky.social )
RNA
xkcd.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:16 PM
xkcd.com/3056/ (seen via @annikabarber.bsky.social )
Reposted by Darren Obbard
i'm participating in an inaturalist project where anyone in europe can get their specimens dna tested for free, would be cool to have some more participants in some of the countries w/o little orange square on them (download the app! take photos of mushrooms!)
www.inaturalist.org/projects/myc...
www.inaturalist.org/projects/myc...
October 5, 2025 at 2:46 PM
i'm participating in an inaturalist project where anyone in europe can get their specimens dna tested for free, would be cool to have some more participants in some of the countries w/o little orange square on them (download the app! take photos of mushrooms!)
www.inaturalist.org/projects/myc...
www.inaturalist.org/projects/myc...
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Check out this new Levine-Lampson collaboration, led by the talented Hyuk-Joon Jeon.
We explored the consequences of inheriting long telomeres from dad and short telomeres from mom. Or the reciprocal. Turns out, parent-of-origin matters (in mice, at least).
authors.elsevier.com/c/1loW-3QW8S...
We explored the consequences of inheriting long telomeres from dad and short telomeres from mom. Or the reciprocal. Turns out, parent-of-origin matters (in mice, at least).
authors.elsevier.com/c/1loW-3QW8S...
authors.elsevier.com
October 4, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Check out this new Levine-Lampson collaboration, led by the talented Hyuk-Joon Jeon.
We explored the consequences of inheriting long telomeres from dad and short telomeres from mom. Or the reciprocal. Turns out, parent-of-origin matters (in mice, at least).
authors.elsevier.com/c/1loW-3QW8S...
We explored the consequences of inheriting long telomeres from dad and short telomeres from mom. Or the reciprocal. Turns out, parent-of-origin matters (in mice, at least).
authors.elsevier.com/c/1loW-3QW8S...
Great story! (Although I think that this is a TE, not an endogenous retrovirus)
We discovered an endogenous retrovirus that's still spreading in natural D. melanogaster populations! It was horizontally transferred from D. erecta in Central Africa, so we named it "Kuruka", which means "jump" in Swahili. Read its cool story here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 4, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Great story! (Although I think that this is a TE, not an endogenous retrovirus)
Reposted by Darren Obbard
Exciting news!
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
Population Genetics group 59
populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
September 29, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Exciting news!
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !