Mirre Simons
@mirresimons.bsky.social
Biologist studying why all life slowly deteriorates to eventually cause death #drosophila #science #aging https://simons-lab.sites.sheffield.ac.uk
Reposted by Mirre Simons
What do the naked mole rat and bowhead whale (lives to ~200 years) have in common to explain their remarkable longevity?
Enhanced DNA repair
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
erictopol.substack.com/p/a-long-awa...
Enhanced DNA repair
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
erictopol.substack.com/p/a-long-awa...
Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale - Nature
Analysis of the longest-lived mammal, the bowhead whale, reveals an improved ability to repair DNA breaks, mediated by high levels of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein. &nbs...
www.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:26 PM
What do the naked mole rat and bowhead whale (lives to ~200 years) have in common to explain their remarkable longevity?
Enhanced DNA repair
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
erictopol.substack.com/p/a-long-awa...
Enhanced DNA repair
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
erictopol.substack.com/p/a-long-awa...
Latest paper. Super interesting comparative biology on ageing in the bowhead whale.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Congrats to Denis Firsanov, Max Zacher, Jan Vijg, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova, et al, for this work. Thanks for including us in this work and also Dan Hayman (excellent postdoc).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Congrats to Denis Firsanov, Max Zacher, Jan Vijg, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova, et al, for this work. Thanks for including us in this work and also Dan Hayman (excellent postdoc).
Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale - Nature
Analysis of the longest-lived mammal, the bowhead whale, reveals an improved ability to repair DNA breaks, mediated by high levels of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein. &nbs...
www.nature.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Latest paper. Super interesting comparative biology on ageing in the bowhead whale.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Congrats to Denis Firsanov, Max Zacher, Jan Vijg, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova, et al, for this work. Thanks for including us in this work and also Dan Hayman (excellent postdoc).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Congrats to Denis Firsanov, Max Zacher, Jan Vijg, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova, et al, for this work. Thanks for including us in this work and also Dan Hayman (excellent postdoc).
Come and study Biology at the University of Sheffield (UK)! We cover every aspect of biology and offer specialised degrees with plenty of module choice and research. Feel free to contact me should you want any information. A brilliant video made by our students:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=syup...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=syup...
Student guide to studying Biosciences | University of Sheffield
YouTube video by The University of Sheffield
www.youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Come and study Biology at the University of Sheffield (UK)! We cover every aspect of biology and offer specialised degrees with plenty of module choice and research. Feel free to contact me should you want any information. A brilliant video made by our students:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=syup...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=syup...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Please help spread the word about our inaugural public lecture on Wednesday. Sign up and if you are in the ageing field it’s a great opp for your family to finally understand what you do! 😀
Thanks for your support 🙏
bsra.org.uk/events/bsra-...
Thanks for your support 🙏
bsra.org.uk/events/bsra-...
BSRA Online Public Seminar Series - BSRA
In our new Understanding Ageing: Meet the Scientists series, we’ve invited experts in their field to talk about their research and what it means for each of us as we get older. You don’t need any scie...
bsra.org.uk
September 29, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Please help spread the word about our inaugural public lecture on Wednesday. Sign up and if you are in the ageing field it’s a great opp for your family to finally understand what you do! 😀
Thanks for your support 🙏
bsra.org.uk/events/bsra-...
Thanks for your support 🙏
bsra.org.uk/events/bsra-...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Latest exciting work from me and @mirresimons.bsky.social (and the first bit of data from my @vivensa.bsky.social ECR Fellowship) now out as a preprint, looking at effects of knocking down individual spliceosome components on lifespan in vivo: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Knockdown of the fly spliceosome component Rbp1(orthologue of SRSF1) extends lifespan
Biological regulation is a highly intricate process and involves many layers of complexity even at the RNA level. Alternative splicing is crucial in the regulation of which components of a protein-cod...
www.biorxiv.org
September 24, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Latest exciting work from me and @mirresimons.bsky.social (and the first bit of data from my @vivensa.bsky.social ECR Fellowship) now out as a preprint, looking at effects of knocking down individual spliceosome components on lifespan in vivo: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We present a novel idea of how aging evolves. This idea was developed together with Marc Tatar, and it was such a joy to think about. I think this is one of the best ideas I worked on for a while, ..or ever.. ;):
arxiv.org/abs/2509.15911
arxiv.org/abs/2509.15911
The evolution of asymmetrical regulation of physiology is central to aging
The evolutionary biology of aging is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms of aging and how to develop anti-aging treatments. Thus far most evolutionary theory concerns the genetics of aging wit...
arxiv.org
September 22, 2025 at 11:32 AM
We present a novel idea of how aging evolves. This idea was developed together with Marc Tatar, and it was such a joy to think about. I think this is one of the best ideas I worked on for a while, ..or ever.. ;):
arxiv.org/abs/2509.15911
arxiv.org/abs/2509.15911
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Lifelong restriction of dietary valine has sex-specific benefits for health and lifespan in mice
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Lifelong restriction of dietary valine has sex-specific benefits for health and lifespan in mice
Dietary protein is a key regulator of metabolic health in humans and rodents. Many of the benefits of protein restriction are mediated by reduced consumption of dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCA...
www.biorxiv.org
September 17, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Lifelong restriction of dietary valine has sex-specific benefits for health and lifespan in mice
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
#mTOR research field never ceases to amaze, what a tour de force! 👇🏼
mTORC1 senses glutamine and other amino acids through GCN2 | The EMBO Journal www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
mTORC1 senses glutamine and other amino acids through GCN2 | The EMBO Journal www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
mTORC1 senses glutamine and other amino acids through GCN2 | The EMBO Journal
imageimageDuring starvation, individual amino acid levels are thought to be relayed via distinct metabolic sensors, but how mTORC1 senses glutamine remains unclear. This study finds that GCN2 kinase acts as a unifying module in suppression of ...
www.embopress.org
September 2, 2025 at 8:29 AM
#mTOR research field never ceases to amaze, what a tour de force! 👇🏼
mTORC1 senses glutamine and other amino acids through GCN2 | The EMBO Journal www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
mTORC1 senses glutamine and other amino acids through GCN2 | The EMBO Journal www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
New preprint. ATF4 activation is thought to lead to longer lifespans. However, our study shows that suppression rather than activation extends lifespan in the fly. New Qs: how we can target ATF4 or its downstream targets to gain targeted longevity benefits.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
July 18, 2025 at 6:57 PM
New preprint. ATF4 activation is thought to lead to longer lifespans. However, our study shows that suppression rather than activation extends lifespan in the fly. New Qs: how we can target ATF4 or its downstream targets to gain targeted longevity benefits.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
A huge project has analysed more than 1,000 claims about the immunity of Drosophila fruit flies in scientific papers published over some 50 years
go.nature.com/4lxhwJB
go.nature.com/4lxhwJB
Giant study finds a research field that’s mostly reproducible
Researchers assessed more than 1,000 results from fruit-fly immunity research published between 1959 and 2011. The majority of findings look verifiable.
go.nature.com
July 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM
A huge project has analysed more than 1,000 claims about the immunity of Drosophila fruit flies in scientific papers published over some 50 years
go.nature.com/4lxhwJB
go.nature.com/4lxhwJB
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Proudly presenting Simon’s @simonsterson.bsky.social paper on asymmetric apportioning of old mitochondria biasing intestinal stem cells for the Paneth cell linage through aKG-dependent metabolism
@naturemetabolism.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42... @helsinki.fi @metastem.bsky.social 🧵1/8
@naturemetabolism.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42... @helsinki.fi @metastem.bsky.social 🧵1/8
Old mitochondria regulate niche renewal via α-ketoglutarate metabolism in stem cells - Nature Metabolism
Andersson et al. show that intestinal stem cells enriched for old mitochondria are metabolically distinct and have enhanced ability to regenerate the epithelial niche.
www.nature.com
July 14, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Proudly presenting Simon’s @simonsterson.bsky.social paper on asymmetric apportioning of old mitochondria biasing intestinal stem cells for the Paneth cell linage through aKG-dependent metabolism
@naturemetabolism.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42... @helsinki.fi @metastem.bsky.social 🧵1/8
@naturemetabolism.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42... @helsinki.fi @metastem.bsky.social 🧵1/8
Reposted by Mirre Simons
If using Bloomigton #Drosophila Stock Center stocks, pls. acknowledge them & their NIH funding (P40 OD018537). Papers listing this no. are being harvested as evidence. We massively depend on the @bdsc.bsky.social & they need our support in these dire times! @flybase.bsky.social @fly-eds.bsky.social
April 10, 2025 at 6:06 AM
If using Bloomigton #Drosophila Stock Center stocks, pls. acknowledge them & their NIH funding (P40 OD018537). Papers listing this no. are being harvested as evidence. We massively depend on the @bdsc.bsky.social & they need our support in these dire times! @flybase.bsky.social @fly-eds.bsky.social
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Our latest preprint…Adrien Franchet, Yuhong Jin et al @crick.ac.uk show that circulating glutamine drives brain sparing during nutrient restriction. Great collab with labs of Yaël Grosjean and Ian Gilmore.
#metabolism #Drosophila #neuralstemcells
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#metabolism #Drosophila #neuralstemcells
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
April 4, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Our latest preprint…Adrien Franchet, Yuhong Jin et al @crick.ac.uk show that circulating glutamine drives brain sparing during nutrient restriction. Great collab with labs of Yaël Grosjean and Ian Gilmore.
#metabolism #Drosophila #neuralstemcells
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#metabolism #Drosophila #neuralstemcells
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
"More and more people are worried about the long-term effects of contact sports on the brain. In football (soccer), studies have found that repeatedly heading the ball can lead to memory problems and an increased risk of serious brain diseases."
theconversation.com/...
1/4
theconversation.com/...
1/4
Is the risk of brain injury from contact sports being overstated by the media?
How to understand the risks of head injuries in sport – beyond the alarming headlines.
theconversation.com
April 1, 2025 at 6:00 PM
"More and more people are worried about the long-term effects of contact sports on the brain. In football (soccer), studies have found that repeatedly heading the ball can lead to memory problems and an increased risk of serious brain diseases."
theconversation.com/...
1/4
theconversation.com/...
1/4
Version of record in eLife on the trade-off between reproduction and survival (ageing) in birds. Well done Lucy!
Conclusions:
Limited evidence for trade-offs.
Constraints appear in between-species variance only.
Trade-offs may not be inherent to ageing.
elifesciences.org/articles/87018
Conclusions:
Limited evidence for trade-offs.
Constraints appear in between-species variance only.
Trade-offs may not be inherent to ageing.
elifesciences.org/articles/87018
elifesciences.org
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Version of record in eLife on the trade-off between reproduction and survival (ageing) in birds. Well done Lucy!
Conclusions:
Limited evidence for trade-offs.
Constraints appear in between-species variance only.
Trade-offs may not be inherent to ageing.
elifesciences.org/articles/87018
Conclusions:
Limited evidence for trade-offs.
Constraints appear in between-species variance only.
Trade-offs may not be inherent to ageing.
elifesciences.org/articles/87018
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Lovely film about Tim Birkhead's long-term study of Guillemots on Skomer. More than half a century of study of this population: this kind of continuity critical for understanding vitality of these important populations.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
vimeo.com/1063680641/2...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
vimeo.com/1063680641/2...
The Birdman of Skomer
With English captions.
vimeo.com
March 30, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Lovely film about Tim Birkhead's long-term study of Guillemots on Skomer. More than half a century of study of this population: this kind of continuity critical for understanding vitality of these important populations.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
vimeo.com/1063680641/2...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
vimeo.com/1063680641/2...
Latest preprint. We tested the idea that dietary restriction (DR) is an ancient response.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Across Drosophila the lifespan phenotype and the transcriptomic response to DR are conserved. Yet, many genes were Diptera (fly) specific. Mechanisms may not be conserved…
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Across Drosophila the lifespan phenotype and the transcriptomic response to DR are conserved. Yet, many genes were Diptera (fly) specific. Mechanisms may not be conserved…
www.biorxiv.org
March 29, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Latest preprint. We tested the idea that dietary restriction (DR) is an ancient response.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Across Drosophila the lifespan phenotype and the transcriptomic response to DR are conserved. Yet, many genes were Diptera (fly) specific. Mechanisms may not be conserved…
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Across Drosophila the lifespan phenotype and the transcriptomic response to DR are conserved. Yet, many genes were Diptera (fly) specific. Mechanisms may not be conserved…
Latest. Dan tested the importance of Drosophila immune cells by ablating or expanding them using conditional genetics. Turns out no lifespan phenotype, perhaps because there is compensation within the immune cell lineage. More exciting biology to discover.
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Expansion of Drosophila haemocytes using a conditional GeneSwitch driver affects larval haemocyte function, but does not modulate adult lifespan or survival after severe infection
Macrophages are responsible for diverse and fundamental functions in vertebrates. Drosophila blood cells (haemocytes) are dominated by cells bearing a striking homology to vertebrate macrophages (plas...
journals.biologists.com
March 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Latest. Dan tested the importance of Drosophila immune cells by ablating or expanding them using conditional genetics. Turns out no lifespan phenotype, perhaps because there is compensation within the immune cell lineage. More exciting biology to discover.
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Undersea rewilding initiative to restore a kelp forest in West Sussex is celebrating amazing results for marine biodiversity.
Rewilding is needed just as much at sea as on land.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Rewilding is needed just as much at sea as on land.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Kelp forest project in West Sussex having 'remarkable results'
The rewilding project off the West Sussex coast is celebrating its fourth anniversary.
www.bbc.com
March 23, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Undersea rewilding initiative to restore a kelp forest in West Sussex is celebrating amazing results for marine biodiversity.
Rewilding is needed just as much at sea as on land.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Rewilding is needed just as much at sea as on land.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Don't forget to register & submit an abstract for #FusionAging25 in Malta this October! ☀️
ECR grants are also now live💰so visit the conference website for more information on how to apply: bit.ly/4bLiSw6
ECR grants are also now live💰so visit the conference website for more information on how to apply: bit.ly/4bLiSw6
March 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Don't forget to register & submit an abstract for #FusionAging25 in Malta this October! ☀️
ECR grants are also now live💰so visit the conference website for more information on how to apply: bit.ly/4bLiSw6
ECR grants are also now live💰so visit the conference website for more information on how to apply: bit.ly/4bLiSw6
Reposted by Mirre Simons
The reckless termination of grants at NIH continues
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
March 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
The reckless termination of grants at NIH continues
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
🚨New preprint alert!!! We show using #Celegans that mothers control the #ribosome levels of their offspring depending on their diet. Pioneered by fantastic
Sigma Pradhan (not yet on 🟦). #worms biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... 🧵
Sigma Pradhan (not yet on 🟦). #worms biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... 🧵
Intergenerational control of ribosomes under dietary restriction
biorxiv.org
March 10, 2025 at 12:46 PM
🚨New preprint alert!!! We show using #Celegans that mothers control the #ribosome levels of their offspring depending on their diet. Pioneered by fantastic
Sigma Pradhan (not yet on 🟦). #worms biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... 🧵
Sigma Pradhan (not yet on 🟦). #worms biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... 🧵
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Just because they confirmed RFK Jr today, I am resharing this good news:
No cervical cancer cases detected in vaccinated women following HPV immunisation
publichealthscotland.scot/news/2024/ja...
No cervical cancer cases detected in vaccinated women following HPV immunisation
publichealthscotland.scot/news/2024/ja...
No cervical cancer cases detected in vaccinated women following HPV immunisation - News - Public Health Scotland
An exciting new study from PHS, in collaboration with the Universities of Strathclyde and Edinburgh, shows that no cervical cancer cases have been detected in women vaccinated at age 12-13 since the H...
publichealthscotland.scot
February 13, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Just because they confirmed RFK Jr today, I am resharing this good news:
No cervical cancer cases detected in vaccinated women following HPV immunisation
publichealthscotland.scot/news/2024/ja...
No cervical cancer cases detected in vaccinated women following HPV immunisation
publichealthscotland.scot/news/2024/ja...
Reposted by Mirre Simons
Thanks to the more than *1100* members of the scientific community who have signed the letter to insist that the Royal Society remains true to values that we all hold dear but that Musk FRS has ridden roughshod over.
Please keep signing & sharing.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Please keep signing & sharing.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Open letter to the President of the Royal Society – time to stand up for your values
If you wish to show your support for the letter below regarding apparent inaction by the Royal Society in the face of breaches of its code of conduct by Elon Musk FRS, please sign below. I invite anyo...
docs.google.com
February 13, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Thanks to the more than *1100* members of the scientific community who have signed the letter to insist that the Royal Society remains true to values that we all hold dear but that Musk FRS has ridden roughshod over.
Please keep signing & sharing.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Please keep signing & sharing.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...