Dr. Sarah Signor
@signor-molevol.bsky.social
Assistant professor at NDSU. I love all things Drosophila & TEs & Gene regulation. Mostly bioinformatics but you'll find me with a pipette.
When I was a grad student the government paid me to go to Taiwan and try to start collaborating.
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
November 14, 2025 at 5:27 PM
When I was a grad student the government paid me to go to Taiwan and try to start collaborating.
Last night in North Dakota
November 12, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Last night in North Dakota
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
My lab at Indiana University is searching for a *postdoc* and *technician* to contribute to our work studying the evolution of social behavior using fruit flies as a model system. Details below, feel free to email me with any questions! More info on our research: saltzlab.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
My lab at Indiana University is searching for a *postdoc* and *technician* to contribute to our work studying the evolution of social behavior using fruit flies as a model system. Details below, feel free to email me with any questions! More info on our research: saltzlab.com
Best conference for a computational guy looking for an industry job? I can only think of PAG
November 3, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Best conference for a computational guy looking for an industry job? I can only think of PAG
Mystery flies
November 2, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Mystery flies
My awesome grad student Shashank and I wrote this paper trying to look at broader patterns of HT in TEs. HT is happening everywhere! DNA transposons jump further than other classes! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Recent horizontal transfer of transposable elements in Drosophila
Transposable elements (TEs) are genetic elements also known as "jumping genes" that increase their copy numbers within a host through various mechanisms of transposition. TEs can also move between spe...
www.biorxiv.org
October 31, 2025 at 3:58 PM
My awesome grad student Shashank and I wrote this paper trying to look at broader patterns of HT in TEs. HT is happening everywhere! DNA transposons jump further than other classes! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
I had such a great time visiting the University of Minnesota yesterday. Yaniv Brandvein is such a cool scientist and human
October 29, 2025 at 10:43 PM
I had such a great time visiting the University of Minnesota yesterday. Yaniv Brandvein is such a cool scientist and human
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
Transposable elements drive much of naturally occurring genetic lethality in Drosophila melanogaster https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.16.682755v1
October 16, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Transposable elements drive much of naturally occurring genetic lethality in Drosophila melanogaster https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.16.682755v1
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
When transposons jump, genomes diverge - even in cultured cells.
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
October 14, 2025 at 8:34 PM
When transposons jump, genomes diverge - even in cultured cells.
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
What would you say if you saw it in another country? What would you say if you had been told in 2015 that this is where we would be?
To be clear:
LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.
The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.
This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.
LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.
The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.
This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.
Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids
Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.
abcnews.go.com
October 15, 2025 at 11:33 AM
What would you say if you saw it in another country? What would you say if you had been told in 2015 that this is where we would be?
My daughter commandeered my coffee table to keep her recovering brother company 😊
October 11, 2025 at 9:09 PM
My daughter commandeered my coffee table to keep her recovering brother company 😊
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
Join the AAUP and other allied organizations across the nation on October 18 for a day of peaceful and impactful protest as we come together to make clear: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people!
#NoKings #AAUP #AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #DefendHigherEd #Education
#NoKings #AAUP #AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #DefendHigherEd #Education
October 8, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Join the AAUP and other allied organizations across the nation on October 18 for a day of peaceful and impactful protest as we come together to make clear: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people!
#NoKings #AAUP #AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #DefendHigherEd #Education
#NoKings #AAUP #AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #DefendHigherEd #Education
Tonsils coming out today, but he's mostly interested in sperms whales 🤣🤣
October 8, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Tonsils coming out today, but he's mostly interested in sperms whales 🤣🤣
This manuscript was so much fun to write! Who thought we'd find an ongoing invasion in Dmel. TEs are so cool 😎
We discovered an endogenous retrovirus that's still spreading in natural D. melanogaster populations! It was horizontally transferred from D. erecta in Central Africa, so we named it "Kuruka", which means "jump" in Swahili. Read its cool story here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 8, 2025 at 12:44 AM
This manuscript was so much fun to write! Who thought we'd find an ongoing invasion in Dmel. TEs are so cool 😎
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
📣 Our department is hiring an Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Cell and Molecular Biology to join the @weillinstitute.bsky.social PLS spread the word!
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30607
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30607
Cornell University, Molecular Biology & Genetics
Job #AJO30607, WDR-00055221 Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US
academicjobsonline.org
September 23, 2025 at 12:50 PM
📣 Our department is hiring an Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Cell and Molecular Biology to join the @weillinstitute.bsky.social PLS spread the word!
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30607
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30607
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
“Who me? As a tripod fish, I deal with stress and fear by transforming into an eyeless abyssal predatory elder god. What about you?”
🎥 Huge thanks to @frida.yolotzin for letting me use the baby tripod fish video, and @schmidtocean for permission to share the adult video.
🎥 Huge thanks to @frida.yolotzin for letting me use the baby tripod fish video, and @schmidtocean for permission to share the adult video.
September 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
“Who me? As a tripod fish, I deal with stress and fear by transforming into an eyeless abyssal predatory elder god. What about you?”
🎥 Huge thanks to @frida.yolotzin for letting me use the baby tripod fish video, and @schmidtocean for permission to share the adult video.
🎥 Huge thanks to @frida.yolotzin for letting me use the baby tripod fish video, and @schmidtocean for permission to share the adult video.
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
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
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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 Dr. Sarah Signor
New preprint out from the lab, including @rroyaute.bsky.social:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In this we test what we refer to as the "standard model" of behavioral variation.
This was inspired by recent work identifying intra-genotypic variation as a major contributor to "individuality".
1/
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In this we test what we refer to as the "standard model" of behavioral variation.
This was inspired by recent work identifying intra-genotypic variation as a major contributor to "individuality".
1/
Genetic and environmental sources of behavioral individuality: a test of the standard model
Behavioral variation is typically assumed to arise from the combination and interaction of genetic and environmental variation. However, recent work with genetically identical individuals has found th...
www.biorxiv.org
September 8, 2025 at 1:34 AM
New preprint out from the lab, including @rroyaute.bsky.social:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In this we test what we refer to as the "standard model" of behavioral variation.
This was inspired by recent work identifying intra-genotypic variation as a major contributor to "individuality".
1/
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In this we test what we refer to as the "standard model" of behavioral variation.
This was inspired by recent work identifying intra-genotypic variation as a major contributor to "individuality".
1/
Tenure seminar, done!
Time to learn about transposons with @signor-molevol.bsky.social
September 5, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Tenure seminar, done!
From now on I'm measuring stress levels in terms of old coffee cups. Currently at level 8
September 3, 2025 at 8:16 PM
From now on I'm measuring stress levels in terms of old coffee cups. Currently at level 8
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
Germline defence from TEs largely relies on piRNAs. Yet, @divyaselvaraju.bsky.social and I monitored a P-element invasion in Drosophila that was stopped by an internally deleted copy, no host intervention required!
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Many thanks to @rpianezza.bsky.social & @rokofler.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Many thanks to @rpianezza.bsky.social & @rokofler.bsky.social
Rapid emergence of non-autonomous elements may stop P-element invasions in the absence of a piRNA-based host defence
Author summary Transposable elements (TEs) are short, self-replicating DNA sequences found in nearly all genomes. While they can be harmful to their hosts, many organisms have evolved defence systems,...
journals.plos.org
August 28, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Germline defence from TEs largely relies on piRNAs. Yet, @divyaselvaraju.bsky.social and I monitored a P-element invasion in Drosophila that was stopped by an internally deleted copy, no host intervention required!
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Many thanks to @rpianezza.bsky.social & @rokofler.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Many thanks to @rpianezza.bsky.social & @rokofler.bsky.social
Registering a lab server with the university IT department, call if you don't hear from me within three days 🤣
August 25, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Registering a lab server with the university IT department, call if you don't hear from me within three days 🤣
Nooooooooooo
August 22, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Nooooooooooo
Heng Li and his lab are just out here propping up our entire field
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Efficient near telomere-to-telomere assembly of Nanopore Simplex reads
Telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assembly is the ultimate goal for de novo genome assembly. Existing algorithms capable of near T2T assembly all require Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) ultra-long reads w...
doi.org
August 21, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Heng Li and his lab are just out here propping up our entire field
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Signor
holy shit this is a helluva ad from the Democrat running against Joni Ernst in Iowa. worth every second
August 12, 2025 at 8:13 PM
holy shit this is a helluva ad from the Democrat running against Joni Ernst in Iowa. worth every second