Rory Coleman
@rorycoleman.bsky.social
genes, circuits, and behavioral evolution
Assistant Professor of Neural Science & Biology at NYU
thecolemanlab.com
Assistant Professor of Neural Science & Biology at NYU
thecolemanlab.com
Pinned
Rory Coleman
@rorycoleman.bsky.social
· Sep 4
I am thrilled to announce that I just opened my lab at New York University in @nyucns.bsky.social and Biology! Our work will explore the richness of animal behavior, dissecting the genetic and circuit mechanisms that shape its evolution.
Reposted by Rory Coleman
1/ Hello Drosophila-philists and braino-maniacs! 👋🪰🧠🧪
The Caron lab has a new preprint, and it is about 🥁🥁🥁 democracy!
Neuro-democracy, to be precise. So: drop EVERYTHING and listen up — a 🧶!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The Caron lab has a new preprint, and it is about 🥁🥁🥁 democracy!
Neuro-democracy, to be precise. So: drop EVERYTHING and listen up — a 🧶!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 30, 2025 at 5:47 PM
1/ Hello Drosophila-philists and braino-maniacs! 👋🪰🧠🧪
The Caron lab has a new preprint, and it is about 🥁🥁🥁 democracy!
Neuro-democracy, to be precise. So: drop EVERYTHING and listen up — a 🧶!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The Caron lab has a new preprint, and it is about 🥁🥁🥁 democracy!
Neuro-democracy, to be precise. So: drop EVERYTHING and listen up — a 🧶!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Rory Coleman
New
@currentbiology.bsky.social paper from @leslievosshall.bsky.social&@leahhouri.bsky.social: FEMALE mosquitoes control mating, not males, by special genital movement. No elongation = no mating! Plus: male asian tiger mosquitoes can bypass the yellow fever mosquito female control shorturl.at/tsIWH
@currentbiology.bsky.social paper from @leslievosshall.bsky.social&@leahhouri.bsky.social: FEMALE mosquitoes control mating, not males, by special genital movement. No elongation = no mating! Plus: male asian tiger mosquitoes can bypass the yellow fever mosquito female control shorturl.at/tsIWH
A rapidly evolving female-controlled lock-and-key mechanism determines Aedes mosquito mating success
Houri-Zeevi et al. uncover a lock-and-key mating system in mosquitoes, where females
control mating through genital responses to rapidly evolving male structures. Males
of the invasive Asian tiger mos...
www.cell.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 PM
New
@currentbiology.bsky.social paper from @leslievosshall.bsky.social&@leahhouri.bsky.social: FEMALE mosquitoes control mating, not males, by special genital movement. No elongation = no mating! Plus: male asian tiger mosquitoes can bypass the yellow fever mosquito female control shorturl.at/tsIWH
@currentbiology.bsky.social paper from @leslievosshall.bsky.social&@leahhouri.bsky.social: FEMALE mosquitoes control mating, not males, by special genital movement. No elongation = no mating! Plus: male asian tiger mosquitoes can bypass the yellow fever mosquito female control shorturl.at/tsIWH
Reposted by Rory Coleman
The first detailed look at how mosquitoes mate from @leslievosshall.bsky.social's lab reverses the assumption that male mosquitoes control the process, finding that a subtle female behavior dictates whether mating will take place or not. @currentbiology.bsky.social
More here: https://bit.ly/4huwEpL
More here: https://bit.ly/4huwEpL
October 28, 2025 at 4:23 PM
The first detailed look at how mosquitoes mate from @leslievosshall.bsky.social's lab reverses the assumption that male mosquitoes control the process, finding that a subtle female behavior dictates whether mating will take place or not. @currentbiology.bsky.social
More here: https://bit.ly/4huwEpL
More here: https://bit.ly/4huwEpL
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Excited to announce our new pre-print (www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...)!
This collaborative work (co-led by Adriane Otopalik and Gerry Rubin) examines how neuronal circuits regulate social behaviors, like courtship🫶 and aggression🥊, across sexes. #neuroscience #Drosophila #WomenInSTEM 🧪1/
This collaborative work (co-led by Adriane Otopalik and Gerry Rubin) examines how neuronal circuits regulate social behaviors, like courtship🫶 and aggression🥊, across sexes. #neuroscience #Drosophila #WomenInSTEM 🧪1/
October 23, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Excited to announce our new pre-print (www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...)!
This collaborative work (co-led by Adriane Otopalik and Gerry Rubin) examines how neuronal circuits regulate social behaviors, like courtship🫶 and aggression🥊, across sexes. #neuroscience #Drosophila #WomenInSTEM 🧪1/
This collaborative work (co-led by Adriane Otopalik and Gerry Rubin) examines how neuronal circuits regulate social behaviors, like courtship🫶 and aggression🥊, across sexes. #neuroscience #Drosophila #WomenInSTEM 🧪1/
Reposted by Rory Coleman
There is still “an urgent need for donations from the community,” says Eric Lai, president of the Fly Board.
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/community/fl...
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/community/fl...
FlyBase secures funding for year, but future still uncertain
The FlyBase team’s fundraising efforts have proven successful in the short term, but restoration of its federal grant remains uncertain.
www.thetransmitter.org
October 21, 2025 at 6:23 PM
There is still “an urgent need for donations from the community,” says Eric Lai, president of the Fly Board.
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/community/fl...
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/community/fl...
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
October 16, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
Reposted by Rory Coleman
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 Rory Coleman
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
August 21, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint:
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
October 15, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint:
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Computational Ecology and/or Evolution @columbiauniversity.bsky.social.
Deadline to apply September 30.
Reach out if you have questions.
apply.interfolio.com/172496
Deadline to apply September 30.
Reach out if you have questions.
apply.interfolio.com/172496
Apply - Interfolio
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apply.interfolio.com
September 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Computational Ecology and/or Evolution @columbiauniversity.bsky.social.
Deadline to apply September 30.
Reach out if you have questions.
apply.interfolio.com/172496
Deadline to apply September 30.
Reach out if you have questions.
apply.interfolio.com/172496
Reposted by Rory Coleman
New review on how changes in cell type composition in and outside the brain contribute to the evolution of behavior. 🧪
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lihM,LqAZ...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lihM,LqAZ...
September 8, 2025 at 3:41 PM
New review on how changes in cell type composition in and outside the brain contribute to the evolution of behavior. 🧪
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lihM,LqAZ...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lihM,LqAZ...
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Excited to share our latest work on brain evolution, where we dive into the evolution of Cajal-Retzius cells! If you are interested in cell type evolution and cerebral cortex evo-devo, please read on… www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧵 1/7
Evolution of Cajal-Retzius Cells in Vertebrates from an Ancient Class of Tp73+ Neurons
In the developing cerebral cortex, Cajal Retzius (CR) cells are early-born neurons that orchestrate the development of mammalian-specific cortical features. However, this cell type has not been conclu...
www.biorxiv.org
August 25, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Excited to share our latest work on brain evolution, where we dive into the evolution of Cajal-Retzius cells! If you are interested in cell type evolution and cerebral cortex evo-devo, please read on… www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧵 1/7
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Preprint for my PhD. Thanks to Dr. Bai for letting me merge my interests in neuroscience with lab focus on peroxisome. We discover unexpectedly cell type specific peroxisomal import in subset of glia under autonomous circadian regulations. Gratitude to Dr. John Vaughen for his support. Thread soon.
Peroxisomal import is circadian in glia and regulates sleep and lipid metabolism https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.23.661129v1
June 25, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Preprint for my PhD. Thanks to Dr. Bai for letting me merge my interests in neuroscience with lab focus on peroxisome. We discover unexpectedly cell type specific peroxisomal import in subset of glia under autonomous circadian regulations. Gratitude to Dr. John Vaughen for his support. Thread soon.
I am thrilled to announce that I just opened my lab at New York University in @nyucns.bsky.social and Biology! Our work will explore the richness of animal behavior, dissecting the genetic and circuit mechanisms that shape its evolution.
September 4, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I am thrilled to announce that I just opened my lab at New York University in @nyucns.bsky.social and Biology! Our work will explore the richness of animal behavior, dissecting the genetic and circuit mechanisms that shape its evolution.
Reposted by Rory Coleman
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Harvard University lays off fly database team
The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Reposted by Rory Coleman
The Mount Sinai Neuroscience seminars (MSNseminars) committee is now actively accepting applications from postdocs! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
August 13, 2025 at 7:18 PM
The Mount Sinai Neuroscience seminars (MSNseminars) committee is now actively accepting applications from postdocs! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Rory Coleman
How do brain circuits evolve? We started looking for some answers by using synapse-resolution cross-species comparative connectomics on an entire olfactory circuit 👇
bit.ly/44aVm9E
bit.ly/44aVm9E
June 12, 2025 at 11:04 AM
How do brain circuits evolve? We started looking for some answers by using synapse-resolution cross-species comparative connectomics on an entire olfactory circuit 👇
bit.ly/44aVm9E
bit.ly/44aVm9E
Reposted by Rory Coleman
New preprint from lab: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Sexual dimorphism arises not through wholesale transcriptional reprogramming, but via selective sex-specific survival of neurons defined by birth order and shared developmental programs.
A Role for Exaptation in Sculpting Sexually Dimorphic Brains from Shared Neural Lineages
Sex differences in behaviours arise from variations in female and male nervous systems, yet the cellular and molecular bases of these differences remain poorly defined. Here, we take an unbiased, sing...
www.biorxiv.org
June 9, 2025 at 1:12 PM
New preprint from lab: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Sexual dimorphism arises not through wholesale transcriptional reprogramming, but via selective sex-specific survival of neurons defined by birth order and shared developmental programs.
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Join the #VosshallLab as a postdoctoral scientist. Fully funded, right here in New York City @rockefelleruniv.bsky.social
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
Postdoctoral Scientist - Vosshall Lab
Primary Work Address: 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. We have an outstanding opportunity for a Postdoctoral Scientist to joi...
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
June 3, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Join the #VosshallLab as a postdoctoral scientist. Fully funded, right here in New York City @rockefelleruniv.bsky.social
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Flybase lost all of the NIH support overnight - it is a disaster for the community. Please consider donating. I just did! www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
Drosophila Genetic Database
The Drosophila Genetic Database, FlyBase, is on the brink of collapse due to the sudden termination of the FlyBase NIH grant, which includes salaries for 5 literature curators based at the University ...
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk
June 3, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Flybase lost all of the NIH support overnight - it is a disaster for the community. Please consider donating. I just did! www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
Reposted by Rory Coleman
My ongoing request:
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
NSF appears to be terminating hundreds of its grants to Harvard, per internal sources at NSF and at Harvard. At least one division has had all its grants cut.
May 14, 2025 at 2:22 PM
My ongoing request:
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Happy to share my narrative research on young women's experiences of sexual desire has now been published! Findings highlight the strategies women use to navigate desire within inequitable social systems and relationships and embodied desire as a form of resistance @qualpsy.bsky.social
May 16, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Happy to share my narrative research on young women's experiences of sexual desire has now been published! Findings highlight the strategies women use to navigate desire within inequitable social systems and relationships and embodied desire as a form of resistance @qualpsy.bsky.social
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Maps are everywhere in the brain...and finally we've discovered one in the nose! Led by @davidhbrann.bsky.social, we uncovered the logic that specifies the positions of each of the 1,000 sensory neuron subtypes in the nose and aligns their projections to the brain.👇👃see more details below👃👇
A spatial code governs olfactory receptor choice and aligns sensory maps in the nose and brain
Although topographical maps organize many peripheral sensory systems, it remains unclear whether olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) choose which of the ~1100 odor receptors (ORs) to express based upon t...
www.biorxiv.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Maps are everywhere in the brain...and finally we've discovered one in the nose! Led by @davidhbrann.bsky.social, we uncovered the logic that specifies the positions of each of the 1,000 sensory neuron subtypes in the nose and aligns their projections to the brain.👇👃see more details below👃👇
Reposted by Rory Coleman
Happy to see this out now:
Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist: Cell Reports www.cell.com/cell-reports...
In a team effort with @bentonlab.bsky.social 's lab we establish new genetic tools in #drosophila sechellia and compare single central brain neurons.
Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist: Cell Reports www.cell.com/cell-reports...
In a team effort with @bentonlab.bsky.social 's lab we establish new genetic tools in #drosophila sechellia and compare single central brain neurons.
Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist
Dürr et al. develop advanced genetic tools in the host specialist D. sechellia to
study its olfactory system neuroanatomy. They show via single-cell labeling, tracing,
and quantitative comparison of o...
www.cell.com
April 28, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Happy to see this out now:
Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist: Cell Reports www.cell.com/cell-reports...
In a team effort with @bentonlab.bsky.social 's lab we establish new genetic tools in #drosophila sechellia and compare single central brain neurons.
Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist: Cell Reports www.cell.com/cell-reports...
In a team effort with @bentonlab.bsky.social 's lab we establish new genetic tools in #drosophila sechellia and compare single central brain neurons.
Reposted by Rory Coleman
New preprint from my PhD in @amphispacelab.bsky.social is out! 🥳
We investigated the evolution of my favorite gene FoxQ2 across 21 animal phyla, and found three ancient paralogs with a very dynamic history.
More on phylogeny, synteny, and comparative in situs in the 🧵 below!
tinyurl.com/2j96px45
We investigated the evolution of my favorite gene FoxQ2 across 21 animal phyla, and found three ancient paralogs with a very dynamic history.
More on phylogeny, synteny, and comparative in situs in the 🧵 below!
tinyurl.com/2j96px45
Evolutionary dynamics of FoxQ2 transcription factors across metazoans: A tale of three ancient paralogs
FoxQ2 is a highly conserved class of Forkhead-box transcription factors expressed on the anterior side of the body in cnidarians and bilaterians. Despite this conserved expression pattern, recent phyl...
tinyurl.com
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
New preprint from my PhD in @amphispacelab.bsky.social is out! 🥳
We investigated the evolution of my favorite gene FoxQ2 across 21 animal phyla, and found three ancient paralogs with a very dynamic history.
More on phylogeny, synteny, and comparative in situs in the 🧵 below!
tinyurl.com/2j96px45
We investigated the evolution of my favorite gene FoxQ2 across 21 animal phyla, and found three ancient paralogs with a very dynamic history.
More on phylogeny, synteny, and comparative in situs in the 🧵 below!
tinyurl.com/2j96px45