Melvin Williams
@mlvnwllms.bsky.social
OEB PhD student in the Extavour lab @Harvard 🪰🦗🦠🌱 He/Him🇲🇽🏳️🌈 and interested in all things evolution!
Reposted by Melvin Williams
In a massive backlash against MAGA fascism, Democrats have now swept school board elections in Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio and defeating all terrorist Moms For Liberty candidates in the process. Much more of this please, we have a democracy to rescue. 💙👊
November 23, 2025 at 4:38 AM
In a massive backlash against MAGA fascism, Democrats have now swept school board elections in Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio and defeating all terrorist Moms For Liberty candidates in the process. Much more of this please, we have a democracy to rescue. 💙👊
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Each such discovery is a game changer for our understanding of eukaryote evolution, and this paper is no exception. Meet Solarion, which displays yet again novel types of subcellular structures. Congrats to all authors on a fascinating story. #protistsonsky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rare microbial relict sheds light on an ancient eukaryotic supergroup - Nature
The discovery of an unusual protist named Solarion arienae, which has a mitochondrial genome with some intriguing features, provides insight into the early radiation of eukaryotic groups.
www.nature.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Each such discovery is a game changer for our understanding of eukaryote evolution, and this paper is no exception. Meet Solarion, which displays yet again novel types of subcellular structures. Congrats to all authors on a fascinating story. #protistsonsky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
WOW can not wait to deep dive into this one absolutely insane!!
A global screen for magnetically induced neuronal activity in the pigeon brain www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... - so cool! 🐦🧠
A global screen for magnetically induced neuronal activity in the pigeon brain
How animals detect the Earth’s magnetic field remains a mystery in sensory biology. Despite extensive behavioral evidence, the neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms responsible for magnetic sensin...
www.science.org
November 22, 2025 at 3:23 PM
WOW can not wait to deep dive into this one absolutely insane!!
Reposted by Melvin Williams
A global screen for magnetically induced neuronal activity in the pigeon brain www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... - so cool! 🐦🧠
A global screen for magnetically induced neuronal activity in the pigeon brain
How animals detect the Earth’s magnetic field remains a mystery in sensory biology. Despite extensive behavioral evidence, the neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms responsible for magnetic sensin...
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
A global screen for magnetically induced neuronal activity in the pigeon brain www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... - so cool! 🐦🧠
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Nature research paper: Rewiring an olfactory circuit by altering cell-surface combinatorial code
go.nature.com/3MbCoZT
go.nature.com/3MbCoZT
Rewiring an olfactory circuit by altering cell-surface combinatorial code - Nature
In Drosophila, changing the expression of a small set of cell-surface proteins in just one type of olfactory neuron rewires its connections almost entirely to a new postsynaptic partner neuron type, altering the fly’s odour response and courtship behaviour.
go.nature.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Nature research paper: Rewiring an olfactory circuit by altering cell-surface combinatorial code
go.nature.com/3MbCoZT
go.nature.com/3MbCoZT
Reposted by Melvin Williams
After analyzing the DNA sequences from 357 modern and 22 historic specimens, new research led by @yukihaba.bsky.social and @lindymcbr.bsky.social at @science.org uncovers the true, ancient origin of the "London Underground mosquito."
Ancient origin of an urban underground mosquito
Understanding how life is adapting to urban environments represents an important challenge in evolutionary biology. In this work, we investigate a widely cited example of urban adaptation, Culex pipie...
bit.ly
November 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
After analyzing the DNA sequences from 357 modern and 22 historic specimens, new research led by @yukihaba.bsky.social and @lindymcbr.bsky.social at @science.org uncovers the true, ancient origin of the "London Underground mosquito."
Reposted by Melvin Williams
How do cells adapt morphology to function? In a 🔥 preprint by @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social , with @dudinlab.bsky.social and @amyweeks.bsky.social , we identify a self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit that optimizes the feeding trap structure of the suctorian P. collini. 🧵 tinyurl.com/4k8nv926
November 18, 2025 at 4:15 PM
How do cells adapt morphology to function? In a 🔥 preprint by @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social , with @dudinlab.bsky.social and @amyweeks.bsky.social , we identify a self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit that optimizes the feeding trap structure of the suctorian P. collini. 🧵 tinyurl.com/4k8nv926
Reposted by Melvin Williams
@rorycoleman.bsky.social and I wrote an opinion piece called
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution
The vast diversity of animal behaviors has long inspired ethologists and neuroscientists, but circuit mechanisms driving this variation remain elusive…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:57 AM
@rorycoleman.bsky.social and I wrote an opinion piece called
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Axonal pathfinding of zebrafish retinal ganglion cells forms the optic nerve. Credit to Dr. Matthew Bostock @houartlab.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪
November 16, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Axonal pathfinding of zebrafish retinal ganglion cells forms the optic nerve. Credit to Dr. Matthew Bostock @houartlab.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Seahorses have a unique sex role reversal with male pregnancy involving a brood pouch, an evolutionarily novel organ. This study uses single-cell genomics and in vivo experiments to reveal the cellular basis and molecular mechanism of pouch development and diversity 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of seahorse male pregnancy - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Seahorses have a unique sex role reversal with male pregnancy involving the brood pouch, an evolutionarily novel organ. This study uses single-cell genomics and in vivo experiments to reveal the cellu...
www.nature.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Seahorses have a unique sex role reversal with male pregnancy involving a brood pouch, an evolutionarily novel organ. This study uses single-cell genomics and in vivo experiments to reveal the cellular basis and molecular mechanism of pouch development and diversity 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Right wing fascists would have us believe that hatred of Netanyahu and his government is antisemitic. It isn't, any more than hatred of Trump and his catch-farts is hatred of all Americans. Evil should be called out wherever it appears.
November 14, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Right wing fascists would have us believe that hatred of Netanyahu and his government is antisemitic. It isn't, any more than hatred of Trump and his catch-farts is hatred of all Americans. Evil should be called out wherever it appears.
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Really cool new tech to engineer native gut bacteria inside living animals using mobile CRISPR-associated transposases!
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases
Although metagenomic sequencing has revealed a rich microbial biodiversity in the mammalian gut, methods to genetically alter specific species in the microbiome are highly limited. Here, we introduce ...
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Really cool new tech to engineer native gut bacteria inside living animals using mobile CRISPR-associated transposases!
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Reposted by Melvin Williams
November 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Melvin Williams
v sad to hear Antonio García-Bellido's passing. his work on mitotic clones led to fundamental insights such as compartment boundaries, enabled post-embryonic analysis of lethals, and revealed autonomous vs non-autonomous effects of mutants. and founding father of Spanish DB and Drosophila schools.🪰
The European Drosophila Society #flyEDS extends the condolences on the passing of Antonio García-Bellido, considered the founder of the Spanish school of #Drosophila genetics and an influential figure in developmental biology research worldwide. May he rest in peace.
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
v sad to hear Antonio García-Bellido's passing. his work on mitotic clones led to fundamental insights such as compartment boundaries, enabled post-embryonic analysis of lethals, and revealed autonomous vs non-autonomous effects of mutants. and founding father of Spanish DB and Drosophila schools.🪰
Wow such cool cell biology goin on here
Wound healing is a hallmark feature of all life, including single cells. In a new preprint, Ambika Nadkarni @biochembika.bsky.social investigates a new dimension in cellular wound healing: how cells recover AFTER the wound has been closed
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 10, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Wow such cool cell biology goin on here
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Wound healing is a hallmark feature of all life, including single cells. In a new preprint, Ambika Nadkarni @biochembika.bsky.social investigates a new dimension in cellular wound healing: how cells recover AFTER the wound has been closed
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Wound healing is a hallmark feature of all life, including single cells. In a new preprint, Ambika Nadkarni @biochembika.bsky.social investigates a new dimension in cellular wound healing: how cells recover AFTER the wound has been closed
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
In a new #SciencePolicyForum, researchers review the growing ethical and social concerns related to advances in organoid and assembloid research and call for international collaboration and oversight to monitor and advise this rapidly developing field. https://scim.ag/47KMGY2
The need for a global effort to attend to human neural organoid and assembloid research
A continuing international process is needed to monitor and advise this rapidly progressing field
scim.ag
November 10, 2025 at 5:11 PM
In a new #SciencePolicyForum, researchers review the growing ethical and social concerns related to advances in organoid and assembloid research and call for international collaboration and oversight to monitor and advise this rapidly developing field. https://scim.ag/47KMGY2
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Drosophila Neurobiology: Genes, Circuits & Behavior
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.
meetings.cshl.edu
November 8, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Reposted by Melvin Williams
🧪🔬🧬🎓So #JamesWatson is dead. Should we honor him for his undeniable essential contributions to modern biology?
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
November 8, 2025 at 8:37 AM
🧪🔬🧬🎓So #JamesWatson is dead. Should we honor him for his undeniable essential contributions to modern biology?
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
Reposted by Melvin Williams
We finally made it over here ! And excited to share our new paper on mechanical forces regulating stem cell plasticity in colorectal cancer, involving force transduction via mechanosensitive calcium channels! www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Mechanosensitive calcium channels and integrins coordinate the reprogramming of colorectal cancer cells into a fetal-like state
van der Net et al. show that mechanical interactions with the stromal component collagen
I trigger reprogramming of colorectal cancer cells into a fetal-like state, through
mechanosensitive integrins ...
www.cell.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:33 PM
We finally made it over here ! And excited to share our new paper on mechanical forces regulating stem cell plasticity in colorectal cancer, involving force transduction via mechanosensitive calcium channels! www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
A judge has dismissed a final claim by prominent biologist David Sabatini against his former employer and curtailed Sabatini’s lawsuit directed at the woman who accused him of sexual harassment. https://scim.ag/3JBnQCc
Biologist David Sabatini loses again in legal fight against Whitehead Institute
Judge dismisses final claim against scientist’s former employer and curtails lawsuit against woman who accused him of sexual harassment
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 10:28 PM
A judge has dismissed a final claim by prominent biologist David Sabatini against his former employer and curtailed Sabatini’s lawsuit directed at the woman who accused him of sexual harassment. https://scim.ag/3JBnQCc
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Parental care, and more complex cooperative systems of care, have independently evolved in hundreds of animal lineages. In an article published today, we explore how these behaviors evolve 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭l shorturl.at/g5OPw /1
Convergent evolution of a conserved molecular network underlies parenting and sociality - Nature Reviews Genetics
Kay et al. review evidence that parental care, and more complex social behaviour based on parental care, evolved in multiple species through the repeated co-option of members of a pleiotropic molecula...
shorturl.at
November 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Parental care, and more complex cooperative systems of care, have independently evolved in hundreds of animal lineages. In an article published today, we explore how these behaviors evolve 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭l shorturl.at/g5OPw /1
Reposted by Melvin Williams
New article from the lab out today, in which we discuss how social behavior evolves at the molecular level. From parenting across the animal tree of life to caste systems in social insects, it’s all connected (and, therefore, slowly starts to make sense)…
Parental care, and more complex cooperative systems of care, have independently evolved in hundreds of animal lineages. In an article published today, we explore how these behaviors evolve 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭l shorturl.at/g5OPw /1
Convergent evolution of a conserved molecular network underlies parenting and sociality - Nature Reviews Genetics
Kay et al. review evidence that parental care, and more complex social behaviour based on parental care, evolved in multiple species through the repeated co-option of members of a pleiotropic molecula...
shorturl.at
November 4, 2025 at 4:41 PM
New article from the lab out today, in which we discuss how social behavior evolves at the molecular level. From parenting across the animal tree of life to caste systems in social insects, it’s all connected (and, therefore, slowly starts to make sense)…
Congrats to Mamdani and nyc for his stunning win, what a campaign. Looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes. One thing is clear though, the gop should be very very scared
Zohran Mamdani Wins, Brings Fight to Trump: ‘Turn the Volume Up’
‘To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,’ Mamdani told Trump, declaring victory in the New York City mayoral race amid a blue wave.
zeteo.com/p/zohran-mam...
‘To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,’ Mamdani told Trump, declaring victory in the New York City mayoral race amid a blue wave.
zeteo.com/p/zohran-mam...
Zohran Mamdani Wins, Brings Fight to Trump: ‘Turn the Volume Up’
‘To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,’ Mamdani told Trump, declaring victory in the New York City mayoral race amid a blue wave.
zeteo.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Congrats to Mamdani and nyc for his stunning win, what a campaign. Looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes. One thing is clear though, the gop should be very very scared