Melvin Williams
@mlvnwllms.bsky.social
OEB PhD student in the Extavour lab @Harvard 🪰🦗🦠🌱 He/Him🇲🇽🏳️🌈 and interested in all things evolution!
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Really cool new tech to engineer native gut bacteria inside living animals using mobile CRISPR-associated transposases!
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases
Although metagenomic sequencing has revealed a rich microbial biodiversity in the mammalian gut, methods to genetically alter specific species in the microbiome are highly limited. Here, we introduce ...
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Really cool new tech to engineer native gut bacteria inside living animals using mobile CRISPR-associated transposases!
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Non-engrafting donor E. coli + broad-host-range conjugation system + guide-RNA–directed targeting
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#microsky #microbiomesky 🧪
Reposted by Melvin Williams
November 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Melvin Williams
v sad to hear Antonio García-Bellido's passing. his work on mitotic clones led to fundamental insights such as compartment boundaries, enabled post-embryonic analysis of lethals, and revealed autonomous vs non-autonomous effects of mutants. and founding father of Spanish DB and Drosophila schools.🪰
The European Drosophila Society #flyEDS extends the condolences on the passing of Antonio García-Bellido, considered the founder of the Spanish school of #Drosophila genetics and an influential figure in developmental biology research worldwide. May he rest in peace.
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
v sad to hear Antonio García-Bellido's passing. his work on mitotic clones led to fundamental insights such as compartment boundaries, enabled post-embryonic analysis of lethals, and revealed autonomous vs non-autonomous effects of mutants. and founding father of Spanish DB and Drosophila schools.🪰
Wow such cool cell biology goin on here
Wound healing is a hallmark feature of all life, including single cells. In a new preprint, Ambika Nadkarni @biochembika.bsky.social investigates a new dimension in cellular wound healing: how cells recover AFTER the wound has been closed
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 10, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Wow such cool cell biology goin on here
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Wound healing is a hallmark feature of all life, including single cells. In a new preprint, Ambika Nadkarni @biochembika.bsky.social investigates a new dimension in cellular wound healing: how cells recover AFTER the wound has been closed
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Wound healing is a hallmark feature of all life, including single cells. In a new preprint, Ambika Nadkarni @biochembika.bsky.social investigates a new dimension in cellular wound healing: how cells recover AFTER the wound has been closed
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
In a new #SciencePolicyForum, researchers review the growing ethical and social concerns related to advances in organoid and assembloid research and call for international collaboration and oversight to monitor and advise this rapidly developing field. https://scim.ag/47KMGY2
The need for a global effort to attend to human neural organoid and assembloid research
A continuing international process is needed to monitor and advise this rapidly progressing field
scim.ag
November 10, 2025 at 5:11 PM
In a new #SciencePolicyForum, researchers review the growing ethical and social concerns related to advances in organoid and assembloid research and call for international collaboration and oversight to monitor and advise this rapidly developing field. https://scim.ag/47KMGY2
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Drosophila Neurobiology: Genes, Circuits & Behavior
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.
meetings.cshl.edu
November 8, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Reposted by Melvin Williams
🧪🔬🧬🎓So #JamesWatson is dead. Should we honor him for his undeniable essential contributions to modern biology?
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
November 8, 2025 at 8:37 AM
🧪🔬🧬🎓So #JamesWatson is dead. Should we honor him for his undeniable essential contributions to modern biology?
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
No because he was an antisemite, a racist, an eugenecist, a sexist who tried to steal the work of #RosalindFranklin without crediting her. A terrible scientist and human being.
Reposted by Melvin Williams
We finally made it over here ! And excited to share our new paper on mechanical forces regulating stem cell plasticity in colorectal cancer, involving force transduction via mechanosensitive calcium channels! www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Mechanosensitive calcium channels and integrins coordinate the reprogramming of colorectal cancer cells into a fetal-like state
van der Net et al. show that mechanical interactions with the stromal component collagen
I trigger reprogramming of colorectal cancer cells into a fetal-like state, through
mechanosensitive integrins ...
www.cell.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:33 PM
We finally made it over here ! And excited to share our new paper on mechanical forces regulating stem cell plasticity in colorectal cancer, involving force transduction via mechanosensitive calcium channels! www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
A judge has dismissed a final claim by prominent biologist David Sabatini against his former employer and curtailed Sabatini’s lawsuit directed at the woman who accused him of sexual harassment. https://scim.ag/3JBnQCc
Biologist David Sabatini loses again in legal fight against Whitehead Institute
Judge dismisses final claim against scientist’s former employer and curtails lawsuit against woman who accused him of sexual harassment
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 10:28 PM
A judge has dismissed a final claim by prominent biologist David Sabatini against his former employer and curtailed Sabatini’s lawsuit directed at the woman who accused him of sexual harassment. https://scim.ag/3JBnQCc
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Parental care, and more complex cooperative systems of care, have independently evolved in hundreds of animal lineages. In an article published today, we explore how these behaviors evolve 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭l shorturl.at/g5OPw /1
Convergent evolution of a conserved molecular network underlies parenting and sociality - Nature Reviews Genetics
Kay et al. review evidence that parental care, and more complex social behaviour based on parental care, evolved in multiple species through the repeated co-option of members of a pleiotropic molecula...
shorturl.at
November 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Parental care, and more complex cooperative systems of care, have independently evolved in hundreds of animal lineages. In an article published today, we explore how these behaviors evolve 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭l shorturl.at/g5OPw /1
Reposted by Melvin Williams
New article from the lab out today, in which we discuss how social behavior evolves at the molecular level. From parenting across the animal tree of life to caste systems in social insects, it’s all connected (and, therefore, slowly starts to make sense)…
Parental care, and more complex cooperative systems of care, have independently evolved in hundreds of animal lineages. In an article published today, we explore how these behaviors evolve 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭l shorturl.at/g5OPw /1
Convergent evolution of a conserved molecular network underlies parenting and sociality - Nature Reviews Genetics
Kay et al. review evidence that parental care, and more complex social behaviour based on parental care, evolved in multiple species through the repeated co-option of members of a pleiotropic molecula...
shorturl.at
November 4, 2025 at 4:41 PM
New article from the lab out today, in which we discuss how social behavior evolves at the molecular level. From parenting across the animal tree of life to caste systems in social insects, it’s all connected (and, therefore, slowly starts to make sense)…
Congrats to Mamdani and nyc for his stunning win, what a campaign. Looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes. One thing is clear though, the gop should be very very scared
Zohran Mamdani Wins, Brings Fight to Trump: ‘Turn the Volume Up’
‘To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,’ Mamdani told Trump, declaring victory in the New York City mayoral race amid a blue wave.
zeteo.com/p/zohran-mam...
‘To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,’ Mamdani told Trump, declaring victory in the New York City mayoral race amid a blue wave.
zeteo.com/p/zohran-mam...
Zohran Mamdani Wins, Brings Fight to Trump: ‘Turn the Volume Up’
‘To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,’ Mamdani told Trump, declaring victory in the New York City mayoral race amid a blue wave.
zeteo.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Congrats to Mamdani and nyc for his stunning win, what a campaign. Looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes. One thing is clear though, the gop should be very very scared
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Donald Trump is trying to normalize authoritarianism. We cannot let that happen. We cannot take the bait that normalizes things that are fundamentally wrong.
October 31, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Donald Trump is trying to normalize authoritarianism. We cannot let that happen. We cannot take the bait that normalizes things that are fundamentally wrong.
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Do flies feel pain?
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 29, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Do flies feel pain?
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
This is absolutely disgusting and against the will of the people and of the state. We do not want forever dictators that rule as monarchs.
We must fight the current Trump regime in any capacity possible. The will of the people will always win against authoritarianism.
We must fight the current Trump regime in any capacity possible. The will of the people will always win against authoritarianism.
A vehicle of divine providence. So goes our democracy. We are warned.
October 25, 2025 at 1:12 AM
This is absolutely disgusting and against the will of the people and of the state. We do not want forever dictators that rule as monarchs.
We must fight the current Trump regime in any capacity possible. The will of the people will always win against authoritarianism.
We must fight the current Trump regime in any capacity possible. The will of the people will always win against authoritarianism.
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Where did an underground mosquito in London come from? @yukihaba.bsky.social in @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social ’s lab found that it evolved 1,000+ yrs ago, showing how early societies helped it thrive in modern times and imperil our health. @science.org @princeton.edu
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 24, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Where did an underground mosquito in London come from? @yukihaba.bsky.social in @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social ’s lab found that it evolved 1,000+ yrs ago, showing how early societies helped it thrive in modern times and imperil our health. @science.org @princeton.edu
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Static electricity may be key to helping a tiny roundworm latch onto its insect hosts.
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
October 21, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Static electricity may be key to helping a tiny roundworm latch onto its insect hosts.
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
Reposted by Melvin Williams
As Jane Goodall said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” #resist 500womenscientists.org/updates/2025...
In the dark times, be the sun. — 500 Women Scientists
We will never stop fighting for justice. This means standing up for freedom and speaking against injustice and authoritarianism everywhere.
500womenscientists.org
October 16, 2025 at 1:21 PM
As Jane Goodall said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” #resist 500womenscientists.org/updates/2025...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
New paper out! It was an honor to collaborate with the legend Leah Krubitzer on this review to show that paleontologists and neurobiologists working together can only improve our understanding of brain evolution 🧠
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Full access to the paper: rdcu.be/eK167
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Full access to the paper: rdcu.be/eK167
The functional adaptations of mammalian brain structures through a behavioural ecology lens - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
Palaeontologists and comparative neurobiologists share a common interest in the evolution of the mammalian brain, but often fail to realize the benefits of this shared interest. This Review draws thes...
www.nature.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:52 AM
New paper out! It was an honor to collaborate with the legend Leah Krubitzer on this review to show that paleontologists and neurobiologists working together can only improve our understanding of brain evolution 🧠
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Full access to the paper: rdcu.be/eK167
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Full access to the paper: rdcu.be/eK167
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Nobel Prize given for showing the importance of investing in science for innovation and long-term economic growth. Basically the opposite of what the US is doing. 😭
Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Pewter Howitt share economics prize for work that underlines the importance of investing in research and development.
go.nature.com/4hj9NNV
go.nature.com/4hj9NNV
Economics Nobel prize won by researchers who showed how science boosts growth
Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Pewter Howitt share economics prize for work that underlines the importance of investing in research and development.
go.nature.com
October 13, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Nobel Prize given for showing the importance of investing in science for innovation and long-term economic growth. Basically the opposite of what the US is doing. 😭
Reposted by Melvin Williams
Reaffirming the value of model organisms in training scientific minds @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social exactly what we were talking about re your #Celegans background setting you up for creative work in other systems! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 11, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reaffirming the value of model organisms in training scientific minds @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social exactly what we were talking about re your #Celegans background setting you up for creative work in other systems! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Melvin Williams
🎉Congrats to Freeman Hrabowski Scholar @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social on receiving the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award! His research will explore how sense of touch contributes to communal behaviors.
October 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
🎉Congrats to Freeman Hrabowski Scholar @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social on receiving the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award! His research will explore how sense of touch contributes to communal behaviors.
Reposted by Melvin Williams
New preprint! 🐛 Root-knot nematodes hijack root cells, turning them into feeding sites and making plants very sick. Using a cross-species scRNA-seq approach we mapped this process and show how this knowledge can be used to engineer resistant crops.🌱 A summary🧵 :
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
New preprint! 🐛 Root-knot nematodes hijack root cells, turning them into feeding sites and making plants very sick. Using a cross-species scRNA-seq approach we mapped this process and show how this knowledge can be used to engineer resistant crops.🌱 A summary🧵 :
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...