Gökberk Alagöz
@gokberkalagoz.bsky.social
Postdoctoral researcher at MPI-PL, interested in molecular brain evolution and complex trait genetics.
Pinned
Gökberk Alagöz
@gokberkalagoz.bsky.social
· Feb 17
Spatial and single-nucleus transcriptomic profile of a chimpanzee frontal pole
Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, share a vast amount of our genetic code, with the majority of differences found in non-coding regions of the genome. Functional and gene regulatory differenc...
www.biorxiv.org
Excited to share our latest preprint -and the last chapter of my PhD thesis 🥳- on chimpanzee brain transcriptomics! We present the first-ever spatial transcriptomics data from a great ape brain. Thanks to everyone who made this possible! @profsimonfisher.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Comparative Analysis of FOXP2 Expression in the Thalamus of Mice, Rats, and Macaques: Implications for the Evolution of Language Circuits. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.23.689322v1
November 24, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Comparative Analysis of FOXP2 Expression in the Thalamus of Mice, Rats, and Macaques: Implications for the Evolution of Language Circuits. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.23.689322v1
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
🚨RA/PhD position available in evolutionary neurobiology 🚨
Working on a deep dive into circuit changes during mushroom body expansion in Heliconius butterflies @camzoology.bsky.social
- employment benefits
- 4 years funding
- 1000% fun
Deadline: 14/1/2026
Details:
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Working on a deep dive into circuit changes during mushroom body expansion in Heliconius butterflies @camzoology.bsky.social
- employment benefits
- 4 years funding
- 1000% fun
Deadline: 14/1/2026
Details:
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
November 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM
🚨RA/PhD position available in evolutionary neurobiology 🚨
Working on a deep dive into circuit changes during mushroom body expansion in Heliconius butterflies @camzoology.bsky.social
- employment benefits
- 4 years funding
- 1000% fun
Deadline: 14/1/2026
Details:
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Working on a deep dive into circuit changes during mushroom body expansion in Heliconius butterflies @camzoology.bsky.social
- employment benefits
- 4 years funding
- 1000% fun
Deadline: 14/1/2026
Details:
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Putting aside the deeper issues of why this analysis was done and how it has been promoted, the choice to broadcast a tv show before releasing a preprint should make people skeptical of the results. How can one be sure of their scientific claims?
As I told the CNN, without details and data it is not possible to assess the claims.
More importantly, the scientific value of this media campaign, balanced against the possible stigmatization of individuals with these real conditions today, is highly questionable. edition.cnn.com/2025/11/13/s...
More importantly, the scientific value of this media campaign, balanced against the possible stigmatization of individuals with these real conditions today, is highly questionable. edition.cnn.com/2025/11/13/s...
Researchers say they have verified and sequenced Hitler’s DNA – and found a genetic disorder | CNN
Analysis of Adolf Hitler’s DNA reveals he may have had a rare genetic disorder that can delay puberty.
edition.cnn.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Putting aside the deeper issues of why this analysis was done and how it has been promoted, the choice to broadcast a tv show before releasing a preprint should make people skeptical of the results. How can one be sure of their scientific claims?
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Come and join us here in Cambridge! Applications open for a new faculty position, for a researcher in computational and/or theoretical biology, based jointly in Genetics and Mathematics. Happy to answer questions about research, teaching and working here.
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/faculty...
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/faculty...
Faculty Position in Computational Biology
Applications are invited for an Assistant/ Associate Professorship in Computational Biology to commence on 1 April 2026 or shortly thereafter. This is a joint post between the Department of Applied
www.cam.ac.uk
November 11, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Come and join us here in Cambridge! Applications open for a new faculty position, for a researcher in computational and/or theoretical biology, based jointly in Genetics and Mathematics. Happy to answer questions about research, teaching and working here.
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/faculty...
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/faculty...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Which human brain circuits are implicated in neurodevelopmental conditions? We bridged human genetics, spatial transcriptomics and neurodevelopment to discover the convergence of autism-associated genes in the developing human thalamus! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 11, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Which human brain circuits are implicated in neurodevelopmental conditions? We bridged human genetics, spatial transcriptomics and neurodevelopment to discover the convergence of autism-associated genes in the developing human thalamus! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Our new manuscript, led by Emily Corrigan, examines inhibitory neuron diversity across approximately 160 million years of evolutionary divergence, as part of BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) developing brain atlas package: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Conservation and alteration of mammalian striatal interneurons - Nature
An analysis of cell-type diversity in brain samples from a variety of mammalian species, both during development and in adult animals, reveals that the TAC3 initial class of striatal interneurons is c...
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Our new manuscript, led by Emily Corrigan, examines inhibitory neuron diversity across approximately 160 million years of evolutionary divergence, as part of BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) developing brain atlas package: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Our latest collaboration with @rongfan8.bsky.social, spatial triomics to investigate myelin and cortical brain development, and demyelination, spearheaded by Leslie Kirby in our lab @ki.se and Di Zhang in Rong's lab! Check it out @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Spatial dynamics of brain development and neuroinflammation - Nature
A tri-omic atlas of the mouse brain from postnatal day 0 to P21 reveals that layer-specific projection neurons have a role in coordinating axonogenesis and myelination.
www.nature.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Our latest collaboration with @rongfan8.bsky.social, spatial triomics to investigate myelin and cortical brain development, and demyelination, spearheaded by Leslie Kirby in our lab @ki.se and Di Zhang in Rong's lab! Check it out @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
This is 🤯
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation - Nature
NextBrain is an open source, probabilistic atlas of the entire human brain, assembled using artificial-intelligence-enabled registration and segmentation methods to reconstruct the multimodal serial h...
share.google
November 6, 2025 at 5:35 AM
This is 🤯
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
50 years ago, King & Wilson published a foundational paper that underlies the cis-regulatory paradigm (CRP) of #DevoEvo #EvoDevo, i.e., that *almost* all morphological evolution is driven by mutations in regulatory elements, rather than proteins, and it all arose from simple misunderstanding 🧪 🧵
October 29, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
PhD-opening in our ancient genomics lab this year, apply below!
We work on:
📜 Genetic history integrated with archaeology and history
📈 Natural selection and trait genetics
🐺 Evolutionary genomics of dogs and wolves
🦠 Ancient pathogen genomics
💀 Hominin evolution and ancient proteomics
We work on:
📜 Genetic history integrated with archaeology and history
📈 Natural selection and trait genetics
🐺 Evolutionary genomics of dogs and wolves
🦠 Ancient pathogen genomics
💀 Hominin evolution and ancient proteomics
Motivated graduates with backgrounds in biological or biomedical sciences, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and/or computer science are invited to apply to our 4-year fully funded PhD programme.
Apply by 05 November 2025
www.crick.ac.uk/careers-and-...
Apply by 05 November 2025
www.crick.ac.uk/careers-and-...
PhD students
Our PhD programme attracts the brightest scientific minds and is an opportunity for talented people to embark on their career in biomedical research.
www.crick.ac.uk
October 9, 2025 at 3:51 PM
PhD-opening in our ancient genomics lab this year, apply below!
We work on:
📜 Genetic history integrated with archaeology and history
📈 Natural selection and trait genetics
🐺 Evolutionary genomics of dogs and wolves
🦠 Ancient pathogen genomics
💀 Hominin evolution and ancient proteomics
We work on:
📜 Genetic history integrated with archaeology and history
📈 Natural selection and trait genetics
🐺 Evolutionary genomics of dogs and wolves
🦠 Ancient pathogen genomics
💀 Hominin evolution and ancient proteomics
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Come join us for a 4-year PhD on effects of rare gene disruptions involved in speech disorder, investigated in human neuronal models (via gene-editing, tissue culture, brain organoids, high-res microscopy, transcriptomics, epigenomics).
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
October 22, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Come join us for a 4-year PhD on effects of rare gene disruptions involved in speech disorder, investigated in human neuronal models (via gene-editing, tissue culture, brain organoids, high-res microscopy, transcriptomics, epigenomics).
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
A high-coverage genome from a 200,000-year-old Denisovan https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.20.683404v1
October 20, 2025 at 3:33 PM
A high-coverage genome from a 200,000-year-old Denisovan https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.20.683404v1
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
We're excited to be recruiting an NIH funded postdoc to work in the Coop lab at UC Davis. We're specifically interested in candidates who are want to work at the intersection of human genetics, GWAS, and population genetics modeling. Please RT
October 15, 2025 at 3:53 PM
We're excited to be recruiting an NIH funded postdoc to work in the Coop lab at UC Davis. We're specifically interested in candidates who are want to work at the intersection of human genetics, GWAS, and population genetics modeling. Please RT
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
A species of lungfish found in South America has claimed the title of the animal with the biggest genome sequenced so far.
Learn more on #WorldAnimalDay: https://scim.ag/46OMl6v
Learn more on #WorldAnimalDay: https://scim.ag/46OMl6v
October 4, 2025 at 8:54 PM
A species of lungfish found in South America has claimed the title of the animal with the biggest genome sequenced so far.
Learn more on #WorldAnimalDay: https://scim.ag/46OMl6v
Learn more on #WorldAnimalDay: https://scim.ag/46OMl6v
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Köksal et al. introduce the Y-chromosomal ancestral-like reference sequence to improve the detection of evolutionarily informative variants on the Y chromosome, and introduce the tool polaryzer to annotate variants in Y chromosome data
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf222
#evobio #molbio
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf222
#evobio #molbio
Introducing the Y-chromosomal Ancestral-like Reference Sequence—Improving the Capture of Human Evolutionary Information
Abstract. Reference sequences are essential for reproducible genetic analyses but are often chosen without regard to evolutionary relevance within the anal
doi.org
October 2, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Köksal et al. introduce the Y-chromosomal ancestral-like reference sequence to improve the detection of evolutionarily informative variants on the Y chromosome, and introduce the tool polaryzer to annotate variants in Y chromosome data
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf222
#evobio #molbio
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf222
#evobio #molbio
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Jane Goodall, the first primatologist and champion of chimpanzees, we will miss you and the tireless work you have begun, to protect critically endangered chimpanzees and their habitat into the future.
October 1, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Jane Goodall, the first primatologist and champion of chimpanzees, we will miss you and the tireless work you have begun, to protect critically endangered chimpanzees and their habitat into the future.
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
New @maxplanck.de study: We looked for left-right differences of gene expression and cell-type abundances in the brains of MICE 🐭using Xenium @10xgenomics.bsky.social. Possible clues to how functional brain asymmetry is supported !! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Short thread below ⬇️
September 12, 2025 at 7:10 AM
New @maxplanck.de study: We looked for left-right differences of gene expression and cell-type abundances in the brains of MICE 🐭using Xenium @10xgenomics.bsky.social. Possible clues to how functional brain asymmetry is supported !! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Short thread below ⬇️
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
A spatially resolved transcriptomic atlas of the primate amygdala (human, macaque, and baboon) now out in Science Advances (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...). The amygdala contains 32 types of neurons with many neuron types specific to particular subdivisions.
Lots of updates from the preprint!
Lots of updates from the preprint!
Transcriptomic diversity of amygdalar subdivisions across humans and nonhuman primates
Specialized cell types and links to psychiatric disorders are revealed by genetic mapping of primate amygdala neurons.
www.science.org
September 17, 2025 at 7:31 PM
A spatially resolved transcriptomic atlas of the primate amygdala (human, macaque, and baboon) now out in Science Advances (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...). The amygdala contains 32 types of neurons with many neuron types specific to particular subdivisions.
Lots of updates from the preprint!
Lots of updates from the preprint!
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Really proud of huge collaborative efforts from several teams in Translational Neuroscience Division @lieberinstitute.bsky.social w/ labs of @stephaniehicks.bsky.social and @alexisbattle.bsky.social to provide this resource on cell types and spatial organization in nucleus accumbens of human 🧠
(1/10) We’re excited to share our new preprint (doi.org/10.1101/2025...), which uncovers the spatiomolecular landscape of the human nucleus accumbens (NAc), by integrating snRNA-seq with Visium spatial transcriptomics across 10 control donors. 🧠 #NAcLIBD #snRNAseq #10xVisium
September 15, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Really proud of huge collaborative efforts from several teams in Translational Neuroscience Division @lieberinstitute.bsky.social w/ labs of @stephaniehicks.bsky.social and @alexisbattle.bsky.social to provide this resource on cell types and spatial organization in nucleus accumbens of human 🧠
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
@astarr2.bsky.social & Fraser used single-cell RNAseq to determine if abundant cell-types have more conserved gene expression patterns in primates; their findings also argue for a link between the evolution of human cognition and autism.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf189
#evobio #molbio #autism
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf189
#evobio #molbio #autism
September 10, 2025 at 9:56 AM
@astarr2.bsky.social & Fraser used single-cell RNAseq to determine if abundant cell-types have more conserved gene expression patterns in primates; their findings also argue for a link between the evolution of human cognition and autism.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf189
#evobio #molbio #autism
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf189
#evobio #molbio #autism
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
A common cross-species atlas of cortical gray matter https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.08.675002v1
September 9, 2025 at 8:15 AM
A common cross-species atlas of cortical gray matter https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.08.675002v1
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Great new preprint by @suelkeekim.bsky.social N. Sestan and collaborators, probing Human-specific features of the cerebellum by highlighting shared and divergent features across primates — key difference lies in synapse development 🧪🧠🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Human-specific features of the cerebellum and ZP2-regulated synapse development
Understanding the unique features of the human brain compared to non-human primates has long intrigued humankind. The cerebellum refines motor coordination and cognitive functions, contributing to the...
www.biorxiv.org
September 9, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Great new preprint by @suelkeekim.bsky.social N. Sestan and collaborators, probing Human-specific features of the cerebellum by highlighting shared and divergent features across primates — key difference lies in synapse development 🧪🧠🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Gökberk Alagöz
Excited for the upcoming TIBBE online talks &discussions with the amazing @matosches.bsky.social & @pkatz.bsky.social around
How can we define homologous cell types across vertebrates and invertebrates?
Next Wednesday, September 10, 2pm UTC, 4pm Paris 🧠🦎🐣🐭🌊 Join us www.crowdcast.io/c/evolution-...
How can we define homologous cell types across vertebrates and invertebrates?
Next Wednesday, September 10, 2pm UTC, 4pm Paris 🧠🦎🐣🐭🌊 Join us www.crowdcast.io/c/evolution-...
September 4, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Excited for the upcoming TIBBE online talks &discussions with the amazing @matosches.bsky.social & @pkatz.bsky.social around
How can we define homologous cell types across vertebrates and invertebrates?
Next Wednesday, September 10, 2pm UTC, 4pm Paris 🧠🦎🐣🐭🌊 Join us www.crowdcast.io/c/evolution-...
How can we define homologous cell types across vertebrates and invertebrates?
Next Wednesday, September 10, 2pm UTC, 4pm Paris 🧠🦎🐣🐭🌊 Join us www.crowdcast.io/c/evolution-...