Each panel here shows the dorsal wing surface to the left and the ventral wing surface of the SAME individual to the right. To think that all this incredible surface-specific diversity can be generated by small genomic tinkerings is truly amazing! #Butterflies #pattern #diversity

#AcademicTwitter They have been watching me!😂 #phdlife #phdvoice

Last week I started a postdoc @imperialcollege on engineered living materials and bacterial cellulose. I'm excited for this transition into bioeng and a new phase of learning working with amazing collaborators and industry partners to create applicable biomaterials!

Morphogens in the evolution of size, shape and patterning In this Review, Lewis Mosby, Amy Bowen and @z_hvas @TheCrick @UCL explore how morphogen-mediated patterning evolve and how theory and experiment can be interwoven to bring new perspectives: https://t.co/hDA4S509JJ

I'm very happy and excited to have my image on the cover of the latest @CellReports , featuring my single-cell work on #butterfly wings. The image is an artificially colored scanning electron micrograph of a butterfly wing demonstrating the diversity of scale cell types.

Here is an amazing discovery: Sex determination in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana is caused by heterozogosity at the Masculinzer locus.

It's finally out!! Check out the updated publication to learn more about scale develpment in #butterflies. #SingleCell

Unable to visit the museum in person? Not to worry! Now you can explore the space virtually with a 360 VR tour developed by our digitisation officer Kane and the Sheffield University Digital Learning team https://t.co/04rw0WTZVS

Very creative...A flytastic Christmas season!

A cool "pop-out 3D metrology" technique using Transmission electron microscopy images..and a nice example reconstructing #butterfly scales. Advances in such techniques and computational resources can potentially help image nanoscale features faster and more easily in the future.

A new collaborative paper with the Tian lab showing an abdominal Hox genes locus is a hotspot repeatedly targeted for bumble bee coloration, but a Hox ncRNA is involved:

I had an enjoyable time presenting my work on iridescent scale development at the Cell Biology Forum. #NECB2023

Our topic is broad, and we are looking for articles around the development of any integumentary structure (micro to nanoscale). We are accepting articles of the types Original Research, Systematic Review, Mini Review or Hypothesis and Theory.

#AcademicTwitter Abstract submission deadline to contribute manuscripts to this exciting research topic around the development of biological nanostructures is soon approaching! If your work relates to this topic, do consider submitting. Please RT!🙂 https://t.co/deelEHteTd

Last week to submit a symposium proposal! Your chance to invite your science superheroes 🦸‍♀️🦸🦸‍♂️ or highlight your topic of choice at the upcoming EED!!! Please RT

By using single cell transcriptomics, we could identify candidate genes and investigate their function in generating the immense diversity of cell types on butterfly wings. 8/8 #scRNAseq

When we knocked out a hormone receptor HR38, a particular type of scale i.e. hair-like scales, disappeared and other scales became darker and smaller. 7/8

When we knocked out a gene called senseless, scales on the wing became larger and more yellow in color. 6/8

We also used CRISPR/Cas9 to knockout two genes which were highly expressed in the scale cells. 5/8 #CRISPR

We then analyzed this data and clustered cells into various groups. We identified scale cells on the wing, glandular cells that produce male sex pheromones and sensory cells that help the butterfly perceive mechanical deformations. 4/8

To begin addressing this question, we dissociated a butterfly wing into individual cells and collected transcript data (mRNA) from around 5200 single cells. 3/8 #NGS @10xGenomics