Matt Rockman
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wormsrock.bsky.social
Matt Rockman
@wormsrock.bsky.social
2.9K followers 1.5K following 170 posts
Evolutionary zoology & quantitative genetics
Biology Professor, New York University
Posts Replies Media Videos
wormsrock.bsky.social
Mario Cuomo Bridge is now Mahmood Mamdani Bridge, that’s how it works 🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽
November 5, 2025 at 2:50 AM
wormsrock.bsky.social
LFG NYC!
New York City “I Voted” sticker
November 4, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
phylewgenetics.bsky.social
New preprint! We unexpectedly discovered that some Caenorhabditis species delete parts of their somatic genome early in development, which fragments their chromosomes and eliminates key germline genes. Multiple lines of evidence suggest this bizarre process was present in the ancestors of C. elegans
Figure with three panels. Left: phylogenetic tree of Caenorhabditis species, highlighting those with programmed DNA elimination. Middle: plot showing chromosomal locations of eliminated DNA. Right: Images showing DNA fragments being eliminated during early development.
October 28, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
wyomingwormboy.bsky.social
For what it’s worth, The Wyoming Worm lab has funding for 5 years along with exciting projects with solid foundations. We are is still looking for capable, dedicated, and fun-to-work-with lab members at all career stages. davidfay@uwyo.edu

scholar.google.com/citations?us...
October 22, 2025 at 1:28 PM
wormsrock.bsky.social
Another amazing Open House New York weekend full of usually-hidden art
James Turrell sky space at the friends’ school on East 16th St. a glowing blue square in a glowing pink ceiling Giant tile mural in the lobby of the AT&T Building, 1932. Map of the globe, extremely Mercator, reads “telephone wire and radio unite to make neighbors of nations” Tiny sculpture of Cass Gilbert, architect of the Woolworth Building (1913), tucked into a corner of the ceiling in the Woolworth lobby. He’s wearing glasses and holding a model of the building A view of the Woolworth Building (green roof) and the rest of Manhattan from the 60th floor bar at Manahatta. This isn’t part of Open House— just a bar that apparently isn’t crowded on Sunday mornings and has a nice view
October 19, 2025 at 7:14 PM
wormsrock.bsky.social
No Kings filling up Times Square
Crowd with flags and signs in Times Square, looking North Crowd with flags and signs in Times Square, looking South
October 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
gcbias.bsky.social
Congratulations to @jeffgroh.bsky.social on the publication of his paper on an ancient balanced polymorphisms controlling heterodichogamy in two genera of wingnuts. The paper shows the putative turnover & reversal of dominance of a mating type polymorphism
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Distinct haplotypes and reversed dominance at a single-gene balanced polymorphism controlling heterodichogamy in two genera of wingnuts
In the angiosperm mating system of heterodichogamy, two hermaphroditic morphs temporally alternate between male and female flowering phases, promoting…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
maitreya.bsky.social
Incredible new paper from @schacherer.bsky.social et al rdcu.be/eLcTH
From genotype to phenotype with 1,086 near telomere-to-telomere yeast genomes
Nature - A newly compiled atlas of species-wide structural variants and gene-based and graph pangenomes derived from highly complete assemblies of genomes from 1,086 natural isolates enable...
rdcu.be
October 15, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
erickrudianto.bsky.social
This is my first time seeing alive lernanthropid copepod (possibly Lernanthropus latis)!
September 27, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
laurentformery.bsky.social
Sea urchin metamorphosis is maybe one of the most radical event in developmental biology. In just about an hour, these little pluteus larvae completely reorganize their entire body plan.

Very happy that this video got awarded an honorable mention by #NikonSmallWorld 😃
September 26, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
jenncoughlan.bsky.social
We're on a roll: Super proud of this paper lead by Dr. Megan Frayer & GS Hagar Soliman (with a major contrib from GS Pia Schwarz): Introgression and Parental Conflict Shape Repeated Occurrences of Postzygotic Isolation @hybridzones.bsky.social @hagarsoliman.bsky.social @pfschwarz.bsky.social
September 25, 2025 at 9:29 PM
wormsrock.bsky.social
C. elegans is a real animal and we set out to understand how it comes to have its distinctive biogeography. Its ancestral center of diversity is in the higher elevation forests of Hawaii. Its closest relatives are spread across east Asia. Did they travel from Asia? [Preprint 🧵]
September 24, 2025 at 8:33 PM
wormsrock.bsky.social
Preprint teaser!
Keep an eye out for our forthcoming paper on the Caenorhabditis nematodes of Pohnpei, Micronesia, and their implications for biogeography and ecology.
A view of Nan Madol, the temple precinct and seat of government of Pohnpei under the Saudeleur dynasty. The city was built about 700 years ago from massive columns of basalt. The image shows one corner of the Nandauwas, with 25-foot high walls built Lincoln-log-style from the basalt columns. In the foreground is one of the canals that form the streets of Nan Madol.
September 22, 2025 at 2:11 PM
wormsrock.bsky.social
Ithaca is gorges
Gorges. Here’s Lucifer Falls in Treman State Park. Water flows over layers of shale, tree-topped cliffs on each side. Sun glinting off water, backlit foliage, Treman State Park Water flowing through a strikingly linear channel in perfectly horizontal strata of Devonian shale, Buttermilk State Park. Curvy pedestal of rock left by years of erosion in Buttermilk Gorge
September 19, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
braendle.bsky.social
The Braendle Lab in Nice, France is hiring two postdocs to study nematode genetics, evolution, and ecology. Start Jan–Jul 2026. Deadline Nov 30, 2025. Apply: christian.braendle@univ-cotedazur.fr
September 15, 2025 at 10:50 AM
wormsrock.bsky.social
Her name is MOTHER OF EXILES. From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome.

Pictures from a visit yesterday
The Statue of Liberty! A view of the statue's torch-bearing arm, from the windows in the crown. The arm and its clothes are green. Behind it, New York Harbor with some boats. The Verrazano Bridge is in the distance. A view from inside the statue of a metal ladder that leads up to the statue's torch. Off limits! The plaque bearing Emma Lazarus' poem, The New Colossus. The National Park Service is super clear that this is a central part of the meaning of the statue. Here's the poem text: Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
September 8, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
ach-ceneuro.bsky.social
New #postdoc position focused on ALS/FTD available in the Hart lab! Join the collaborative Brown Univ. #neuroscience community! Experience with invertebrate genetics (like #Celegans) and/or neurodegenerative disease is welcome, but not required. Details at apply.interfolio.com/172914
September 4, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
shchurch.bsky.social
The Church Evolution Laboratory (CEL@NYU) will be official as of Sep 1st: shchurch.github.io. We are recruiting at all levels, including a postdoc to work on evolutionary patterns and processes via comparative genomics in Hawaiian Drosophila. Please share widely!
Church Evolution Laboratory
Department of Biology, New York City
shchurch.github.io
August 28, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
stepheniwright.bsky.social
Please share broadly: I am looking for a postdoctoral fellow to work on a collaborative project on the temporal population genomics of invasive Capeweed (using contemporary and herbarium genomics), with ‪‪@shaky-dingo.bsky.social‬ and colleagues
August 27, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
weirdworms.bsky.social
!

Evolution of developmental bias explains divergent patterns of phenotypic evolution in two nematode clades

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Evolution of developmental bias explains divergent patterns of phenotypic evolution in two nematode clades | PNAS
Rates of phenotypic evolution vary across traits, and these evolutionary patterns themselves evolve. Understanding how development contributes to s...
www.pnas.org
August 23, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
iochromaland.bsky.social
Big news! We are recruiting a postdoc to work on tomatillo evolution: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta.... The clade containing tomatillos and its allies (ca 300 spp) has evolved lantern fruits at least 25 times - we want to know why! Join us @rociodeanna.bsky.social & @caschenck-bio.bsky.social
Postdoctoral Fellow in Tomatillo Evolution
jobs.colorado.edu
August 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
johnbcole.com
My colleague Paul VanRaden, who recently retired after a very distinguished 37-year career at USDA is documenting the attacks on the Agricultural Research Service by the people who are supposed to be its stewards. (Shared with permission.)

paulvanraden.com/DefendYourGo...
As recorded by 1 worker who experienced the following while working in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Genomics and Improvement Lab (AGIL) in Beltsville, MD.
paulvanraden.com
July 29, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
evoldir.bsky.social
A PhD position is open at the Teotónio lab in Paris to study genetic assimilation in C. elegans. Applicants with a master's in evolutionary biology are preferred. Apply by 19 Sept 2025. More info: https://www.ibens.bio.ens.psl.eu/?rubrique28 #phd
Henrique Teotónio - IBENS - ENS
Henrique Teotónio - IBENS - ENS
www.ibens.bio.ens.psl.eu
July 9, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Matt Rockman
joanocha.bsky.social
I am thrilled to announce that in January 2026 I will be starting my own lab at NYU Biology! Soon enough I will be recruiting postdocs and students! Please reach out if you are interested with a CV and description of your research interests, or if you know of people who could be interested! 🧬🗽 🦊
June 25, 2025 at 8:10 PM
wormsrock.bsky.social
Beautiful work, proving once again that worms are unbeatable evolutionary models
June 20, 2025 at 10:09 PM