Felix was a runner up for the 2025 Sandler Award for best thesis using Drosophila

Yes, by and large. Funnily enough, sister cell types are very different, as they are NotchON and NotchOFF and this difference really affects their identity. So, in the end, cousin cell types (NotchON types from different temporal windows) are more similar than sister ones 🤯

Spatial, temporal and Notch determination of terminal selector expression controls neuronal cell fate in the Drosophila optic lobe - Nature Neuroscience The authors characterized the spatial origin of Drosophila medulla neurons, completing their previous characterization of the temporal and Notch origins of these neurons and allowing them to correlate...

The answer turned out to be "well, it's complicated", but Félix went into it nevertheless. The paper is dense and full of info and I will definitely go back to it very often in the following years! Enjoy!

Spatial, temporal and Notch determination of terminal selector expression controls neuronal cell fate in the Drosophila optic lobe - Nature Neuroscience The authors characterized the spatial origin of Drosophila medulla neurons, completing their previous characterization of the temporal and Notch origins of these neurons and allowing them to correlate...

Félix Simon's paper is out in its final form 😍
When we got into (extreme) detail in the temporal and spatial patterning of neuroblasts, Félix asked a simple question "sure, but how does this translate into neuronal cell fate?". www.nature.com/articles/s41...

May 29th. If you're in Paris, mark your calendars. Lock your pipettes. TELL YOUR cHAIR. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES 🧪🐟

ElmoFire.gif @mads100tist.bsky.social @nkonst4.bsky.social @ijmonod.bsky.social

Looking forward to having Dr. Mad Scientist (AKA Joaquin) grace our humble institute! 🐟🧪

Now also featured in the cover of @devbiol.bsky.social

A H3K27me3 reader complex couples H3K27me3 accumulation to nascent transcription of transposable elements in Paramecium - Genome Biology Background The ability to deposit histone H3K27-trimethyl (me3) marks is essential for transcriptional repression by Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). This is largely attributed to Polycomb repres...

Our latest publication is now out at Genome Biology!
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

We uncover a unique association between a H3K27me3 reader complex and active transcription.
A thread with our key findings: (1/8)

#TEsky #Polycomb #transcription #smallRNAs

Registration is still open for the Young PI Neuroscience Symposium. Whether you're a young PI or a "seasoned" postdoc, you can never invest too much in building community; especially in, let’s say, turbulent times. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Thank *you* @marianneroca.bsky.social for visiting us and for a great seminar. I really enjoyed discussing with you and I’m looking forward to your next steps!

« world leadership goes through investing in research and science »… France is clearly shooting itself in the foot (again) by announcing new major budget cuts with immediate effects on all @cnrs.fr institutes! 😩

New paper from the lab out in Cell Death & Disease
@cddpress.bsky.social @cbm-csic-uam.bsky.social
"Transcription-dependent and -independent functions of Drosophila p53 isoforms in the induction of apoptosis and senescence-associated tumorigenesis.” #p53 #Drosophila Thread 1/9👇👇👇

@jlarsch.bsky.social and I are organising the 2026 CIG Symposium on June 11-12 in Lausanne on "Information transfer: from genes to behaviour", featuring an eclectic set of brilliant scientists. Details and registration here (abstracts by May 1, registration by June 1):

www.unil.ch/fbm/en/home/...

New preprint from us and @emiliapsantos.bsky.social’s #NERC grant, led by Jake Morris, @gadusmo.bsky.social et al

Using an interspecific cross between two #cichlids to think about models of #brainevolution 🐟🧠

Feedback and suggestions welcome! 🙏🏻

🧪

📢 Institut Jacques Monod Seminar

📅 April 10th
📍 Institut Jacques Monod

Invited by @nkonst4.bsky.social Lab, @marianneroca.bsky.social ( @mpinb.mpg.de ) will present the Institut Jacques Monod seminar "From avoidance to attack: Rewiring mechanosensation in nematodes "

➡️ buff.ly/la3VoWj

Deeply honoured to have been awarded a Wellcome Trust Discovery Award to study how competition is encoded in the brain.

This builds on the discoveries of outstanding past/present lab members.

Grateful to mentors/collaborators/colleagues for their support.

We are recruiting postdocs/PhD students.

Do you work with a strange model species and are frustrated by the lack of antibodies for immunos? Here's a web app that does some computational pre-screening for you.
sixpack-abscan.serve.scilifelab.se

📢 Institut Jacques Monod Seminar

📅 March 23rd
📍 Institut Jacques Monod

Invited by he Konstantinides Lab ( @nkonst4.bsky.social), Erin Barnhart ( @columbiauniversity.bsky.social ) will present the Institut Jacques Monod seminar "Organelle dynamics and neuronal form and function"

➡️ buff.ly/rSl5exu

The 2026 Visual System Development GRC and GRS are fast approaching. Jeremy Kay, Kristen Kwan, Robert Johnston, and I have built an exciting program that we hope you will enjoy. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting this summer in beautiful Maine. Register and RT!

Flyer for symposium: https://ctrlepiedit.sciencesconf.org/

Very excited to announce the FIRST symposium on epigenome editing! These tools are becoming widely used in mol bio, ag & therapy. It's time to bring leaders together to discuss this rapidly growing and exciting field. And why not in Paris! Please register & share! (1/2) ctrlepiedit.sciencesconf.org

Very proud of our undergrads Caroline Wong and Elnor Bashir who presented their research at the 67th Annual Drosophila Research Conference in Chicago! 🧪🪰
#Dros26
#scicomm
@umassboston.bsky.social

177 years and we’re still waiting for that day

Final version @nature.com of our paper describing unconventional multicellular development in a choanoflagellate inhabiting an extreme environment. A ton of new data since the first @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social preprint (which we've kept updating).

A brief 🧵 (carried over from the old place)

Young PI Symposium 2026 Visit the post for more.

Last days to register!
Our second keynote speaker is Tomás Ryan @tjryan.bsky.social. He is Professor of Neuroscience at
@tcddublin.bsky.social and Chair of the FENS Advocacy Committee. He will speak about advocacy for neuroscience in Europe.

Join our @fens.org Satellite 👉 youngpisymposium2026.com

Last few days to register for the young PI symposium @young-pi-neuro26.bsky.social
The speaker line-up is 🔥

Young PI Symposium 2026 Visit the post for more.

@tjryan.bsky.social will join the @fens.org satellite @young-pi-neuro26.bsky.social as a keynote speaker. He is Professor of Neuroscience at @tcddublin.bsky.social and Chair of the FENS Advocacy Committee. He will speak about advocacy for neuroscience in Europe. Join us 👉 youngpisymposium2026.com

Have you ever wondered 🤔... Does phenotypic variance respond to environmental perturbation? Does it have a genetic basis? Are mean and variance regulating loci exposed to different selection pressures? These and more questions are explored in our new preprint 🔥

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

🚨Last week to register!!
Noelia Antón Bolaños is one of our amazing keynote speakers. She will tell us all about her journey from Spain to Boston, and starting her lab at @umcutrecht.bsky.social 🛫🌎🛬.

Join our @fens.org Satellite event in Barcelona!

Among the amazing keynote speakers at the
@young-pi-neuro26.bsky.social, a Satellite Event of @fens.org in Barcelona, is Noelia Antón Bolaños 🤩. Noelia will tell us about her journey from Spain to Boston, and now to her lab at @umcutrecht.bsky.social. Register!
youngpisymposium2026.com

The registration is open! Junior #Drosophila PIs, join us for inspiring scientific discussion, contribute a talk and listen to our keynote speaker, Eugenia Chiappe. We meet in Palmela, Portugal from June 1st to 3rd. Register soon as spots are limited!

congressos.mundiconvenius.pt/geral/inseri...