📣 2026 winner of the JMS Prize:

⭐ Wendy Valencia-Montoya

🐝🌼 "...a tiny insect pollinator must find its rare host plant. How do they find each other? What signals and sensory systems allow them to communicate? And once they meet, how do insects survive feeding on plants packed with neurotoxins..."

The secrets of the sex lives of octopuses, revealed New research reveals how octopuses essentially have a tongue, an arm, a penis and a sperm cell all rolled into one appendage.

More on Pablo et al's study with nice tide pool octopus photos from Anik Grearson :)
wapo.st/47D71zu

Male octopus has ‘sex arm’ that can mate in the dark Scientists found that the male’s hectocotylus, the specialized arm for mating, is lined with receptors that can sense hormones from the female.

A description of Pablo's work, discovery-based science, and how following the unexpected and unusual can lead to new understanding and broad lessons: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Sex at arm’s length? Male octopuses use specialised arm to mate, scientists find Sensory organ in male cephalopod, known as hectocotylus, able to detect female hormone progesterone, even if male cannot see partner Sex might seem an intimate act, but scientists have shed fresh light on how octopuses manage it at arm’s length. Male octopuses use a specialised arm called the hectocotylus to place a package of sperm inside the female’s reproductive system. Continue reading...

Sex at arm’s length? Male octopuses use specialised arm to mate, scientists find

Pablo describes his serendipitous observation following co-housing two octopuses that led to his exploration of the sensory behaviors, molecules, and receptors underlying mating:

Seeing the world through the eyes of an octopus Roy Caldwell leaves behind a wealth of fond memories that speak not only to his research, but also to his collegiality, curiosity, and photographic talent.

cover photo from late Roy Caldwell (UC Berkeley) with nice remembrances here: www.science.org/content/blog...

with nice perspective from Anna Di Cosmo: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Study Reveals Octopus Mating Arm Doubles as a Chemical Sensor - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology A new study (PDF) from the MCB lab of Nicholas Bellono reveals an unexpected sensory mechanism underlying octopus reproduction—showing that a specialized arm used for mating is also […]

Study Reveals Octopus Mating Arm Doubles as a Chemical Sensor 🧠 🧪🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd #sciencecommunication #research
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@nbellono.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu @harvardmed.bsky.social @oistedu.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social

Pablo Villar et al discover male octopus mating arms are sensory organs used to find females, navigate internally to the oviduct & deliver sperm. From behavior to structure, these findings offer a framework for how sensory systems shape reproduction & species barriers
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Headshot of Wendy Valencia-Montoya. Text: Wendy Valencia-Montoya, 2026 Society for the Study of Evolution Dobzhansky Prize.

Congratulations to this year’s Dobzhansky Prize recipient, Dr. Wendy Valencia-Montoya! She will give the Dobzhansky Prize talk at #Evol2026 in Cleveland, OH in June. Learn more about her work: www.evolutionsociety.org/news/display...
@wendyssae.bsky.social

THIS SATURDAY: Science Spotlights at the Harvard Museum of Natural History to Feature MCB’s Rebecka Sepela - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology The Harvard Museum of Natural History will host a special Science Spotlights in-person event on Saturday, April 4, from 2:00–3:30 pm, featuring emerging scientists across Harvard, including MCB’s […]

THIS SATURDAY: Science Spotlights at the Harvard Museum of Natural History to Feature MCB’s Rebecka Sepela www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@harvardmuseums.bsky.social @boschildmuseum.bsky.social @museumofscience.bsky.social @nbellono.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social

Evolutionary Clues Reveal How a Key Hearing Protein Adapted for Function - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology A new study in Current Biology (PDF) sheds light on how a critical protein underlying hearing evolved to perform its specialized role in vertebrate sensory systems—offering a rare […]

Evolutionary Clues Reveal How a Key Hearing Protein Adapted for Function 🧪 🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@nbellono.bsky.social @treyjscott.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social @currentbiology.bsky.social

Evolutionary tuning of an auditory transduction channel Integrating evolutionary analysis, structural modeling, and electrophysiology, Akyuz et al. show that TMC1 and TMC2 arose by gene duplication and evolved specialized extracellular regions. In TMC1, an...

How did our ears evolve to detect tiny vibrations carried by sound? Nurunisa Akyuz and Trey Scott explore how mechanosensitive ion channels evolved alongside the intricate mammalian ear. (Artwork by Lily Soucy).
www.cell.com/current-biol...

Wendy Valencia Montoya Receives Weintraub Graduate Student Award for Groundbreaking Thesis on the Evolution of Sensory Worlds - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology Wendy Valencia Montoya has been named a recipient of the prestigious 2026 Harold M. Weintraub Award in recognition of her doctoral thesis, an ambitious and interdisciplinary body of […]

Wendy Valencia Montoya Receives Weintraub Graduate Student Award for Groundbreaking Thesis on the Evolution of Sensory Worlds 🧠 🧪🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @nbellono.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @basicsci.fredhutch.org @harvardoeb.bsky.social

Congrats to Wendy Valencia-Montoya on a superstar PhD co-advised by Naomi Pierce. By seamlessly integrating molecular biology with ecology + evolution, Wendy truly transformed how our lab approaches science - can’t think of better compliment than that! @harvardmcb.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social

Ryan Nett Awarded 2025–27 George W. Merck Fellowship - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology Ryan Nett, MCB assistant professor, has been named a recipient of the 2025–27 George W. Merck Fellowship. Awarded annually to outstanding tenure-track faculty, the prestigious two-year fellowship prov...

Ryan Nett Awarded 2025–27 George W. Merck Fellowship 🧪 🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @nbellono.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @microbiometcell.bsky.social @cryptogenomicon.bsky.social @jeeyunc.bsky.social @zombiflied.bsky.social

Two MCB-Affiliated Postdoctoral Fellows Awarded Harvard Brain Initiative Fellowships - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology Two postdoctoral researchers affiliated with MCB have been awarded highly competitive Postdoctoral Pioneer Fellowships from the Harvard Brain Initiative (HBI), recognizing innovative projects that spa...

Two MCB-Affiliated Postdoctoral Fellows Awarded Harvard Brain Initiative Fellowships 🧠 🧪🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @sanket-walujkar.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @nbellono.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @harvard.edu

Infrared radiation is an invitation to pollinating insects A new study shows that infrared radiation is a pollination signal, one far older than the vivid colors that later became dominant among flowering plants.

news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

Forget flowers: These ancient plants attract pollinators by getting hot While many modern plants use colorful flowers to attract pollinators, ancient palm-like plants called cycads lure them by heating up and glowing in the infrared.

While many modern plants use colorful flowers to attract pollinators, ancient palm-like plants called cycads lure them by heating up and glowing in the infrared. n.pr/3MuJr08

Great story about Wendy turning a childhood curiosity about beetles and seemingly inconspicuous plants in the Amazon into a fundamental discovery about pollination that spans fieldwork, fossils, and molecules.

A Hot Plant’s Mysterious Signal Makes Beetles Pollinate It

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/s...

Wendy Valencia-Montoya and team uncover thermal infrared as one of the most ancient pollination signals uniting plants and animals. From the field to single proteins.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

These plants can heat themselves up—scientists finally know why Since the time of the dinosaurs, cycad plants may have attracted insects using infrared light. It may be the world's oldest form of pollination.

Artwork by Lily Soucy
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Before Flowers Existed, Ancient Cycad Plants Lured Insects With Heat New research of strange “cycad” plants offers a glimpse into the prehistoric origins of pollination

New research of strange “cycad” plants offers a glimpse into the prehistoric origins of pollination

Pablo Villar and team uncover molecules and receptors underlying octopus mating.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Meet the sensory biologist studying an “invisible” language Dr. Rebecka Sepela’s research is uncovering the role of microbes in creating a chemical language that connects all organisms

www.vox.com/ad/467529/se...

Rebecka Sepela Receives L’Oréal USA For Women in Science Fellowship - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology MCB postdoctoral fellow Rebecka Sepela has been selected as one of the 2025 L’Oréal USA For Women in Science (FWIS) Fellows, a prestigious honor recognizing early-career scientists whose […]

Rebecka Sepela Receives L’Oréal USA For Women in Science Fellowship 🧠 🧪🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@nbellono.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @cryptogenomicon.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social

Anastasiia Sukalskaia Awarded Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowship - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology Postdoctoral fellow Anastasiia Sukalskaia has received a prestigious Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship, which will support her research in the lab of MCB’s Nicholas ...

Anastasiia Sukalskaia Awarded Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowship 🧠 🧪🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @nbellono.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @snsf.ch

Bellono Lab Research Featured on Two September Cell Covers - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology Two recent studies from the MCB lab of Nick Bellono will be featured on the cover of Cell this month, highlighting the lab’s ongoing exploration of unconventional model […]

Bellono Lab Research Featured on Two September Cell Covers 🧠 🧪🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@nbellono.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @zombiflied.bsky.social @microbiometcell.bsky.social @jeeyunc.bsky.social

Sea slugs steal foreign chloroplasts for photosynthesis and starvation resistance. Photo by Anik Grearson. #evolution #symbiosis. #cellbiology. @cellpress.bsky.social