This video is the culmination of several years attempting to: (1) Figure out best practices for modeling protein-protein interactions; (2) Understand the outputs of programs like AlphaFold and adjacent software including quantitative metrics; and (3) Communicate my thoughts to unwitting victims through workshops. Hopefully, others like me (molecular biologists, geneticists, cell and developmental biologists) may find some value in the content.
My lab group is interested in understanding the genetic and developmental mechanisms behind the evolution of novel phenotypes (evo-devo). I am seeking a curious student interested in biomineralization, evolution, development, and/or molluscs to join my team. We are aiming to understand how the shell of molluscs has evolved into so many different forms by understanding the developmental mechanisms regulating biomineralization via the mantle.
We are a new lab helping to develop a slipper snail model (Crepidula atrasolea) to test fundamental evolution and development questions. As a member of our lab, you will have the freedom to tailor your project to your interests, ideally relating to the genetics, development, or role of the nervous system in shell formation in gastropods. Depending on your project and research goals, you will have the opportunity to learn microinjection, CRISPR, hybridization chain reaction in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, animal husbandry, electron microscopy, and more.
We are a welcoming group that celebrates diverse backgrounds and strives for an inclusive environment for biologists of any background, age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or dis/ability.
In mid-January, we will hear from three of Development’s Pathway to Independence (PI) fellows studying development, evolution and the environment. Chaired by one of Development’s first PI fellows, Priti Agarwal, Principal Investigator of the Organ Mechanobiology Lab at The National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), India. Priti’s group studies the role of physical forces and their interaction with biochemical signals in regulating robust organ morphogenesis and homeostasis using C. elegans.
Wednesday 14 January – 15:00 GMT/UTC
Chee Kiang (Ethan) Ewe (Tel Aviv University) ‘Neuronal oversight of germline small RNAs prevents heat-induced sterility in Caenorhabditis elegans’
Max Farnworth (University of Bristol) ‘How the evolution of spatial foraging shaped centres of cognition in Heliconiini butterflies’
Sonya Widen (IMBA, Vienna BioCenter) ‘“Unpacking” eukaryotic horizontal gene transfer: Mavericks transfer novel “cargo” genes across the globe’
At the speakers’ discretion, the webinar will be recorded to view on demand. To see the other webinars scheduled in our series, and to catch up on previous talks, please visit: thenode.biologists.com/devpres
Earlier this year, The Company of Biologists celebrated its 100-year anniversary with the Biologists @ 100 conference in Liverpool – bringing together researchers across a wide range of disciplines. To capture the spirit of the meeting, our three community sites recruited dedicated conference reporters. For the Node, this was Jen Annoh, who set the stage with an excellent beginner’s guide to scientific conferences.
Jen’s interviews
During the Biologists @ 100 conference, Jen spoke with researchers working on a range of different topics. Here we highlight Jen’s interview with Saroj Saurya, who is working to minimise the environmental impact of her biological research at the University of Oxford.
Saroj Saurya
At Biologists @ 100, The Company of Biologists invited attendees to submit essays on how they made they journey to Liverpool more sustainable, you can read the winning essays below:
On the past 10th of November, Antonio García-Bellido passed away. Widely regarded as the father of the Spanish school of Developmental Biology and one of the most influential figures in this field worldwide, his work focused on uncovering the genetic, cellular, and molecular foundations of animal development, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism.
Among his landmark contributions were the discovery of the concept of “compartments” in the Drosophila wing, transforming our understanding of segmentation and tissue development, the formulation of the selector gene theory, clonal analysis of developing systems, and studies on the genetic control of organ size and shape. These achievements not only revolutionized Developmental Biology in Spain but also marked a turning point internationally, shaping contemporary research and inspiring generations of scientists across the globe.
Antonio served as Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and led the Developmental Genetics Laboratory at the Centre for Molecular Biology (CBM) for decades. He received numerous honours, including the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research, and was elected to prestigious institutions such as the Royal Society of London and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, in addition to several honorary doctorates. Still his legacy goes far beyond these honours: Antonio inspired generations of scientists, many of whom became part of what was known as the “Madrid school” of developmental genetics. His teaching, visionary ideas, and commitment to rigorous experimental approaches defined an era and continue to shape science today.
He leaves behind a path guided by curiosity, scientific rigor, and the power of ideas. We find comfort in knowing that his work lives on in every laboratory, every publication, and every young researcher who, following his example, chooses to dedicate their career to Developmental Biology.
For SEBD, his passing represents the loss of one of our founding members and first president, a mentor who decisively contributed to giving our discipline international visibility and prestige. His figure will remain an ethical, scientific, and human reference. In his honour, the SEBD has asked his closest collaborators and friends to share a few words about Antonio García-Bellido. You can watch their testimonies in this video in Spanish (subtitles can be added if you wish).
The interviewees are identified in the main part of the video, but at the end there are short testimonies where names are not shown. For this reason, we provide a list of these contributors in order of appearance:
Earlier this year, The Company of Biologists celebrated its 100-year anniversary with the Biologists @ 100 conference in Liverpool – bringing together researchers across a wide range of disciplines. To capture the spirit of the meeting, our three community sites recruited dedicated conference reporters. For the Node, this was Jen Annoh, who set the stage with an excellent beginner’s guide to scientific conferences.
Jen’s interviews
During the Biologists @ 100 conference, Jen spoke with researchers working on a range of different topics. Here we highlight three such conversations, where each researcher tells us more about the work they presented at the conference:
Clare Benson (King’s College London, UK) – exploring how lipids behave in skin cells under mechanical stress, revealing how fat molecules adapt to changes in their environment.
Luke Simpson (University of Nottingham, UK) – investigating early embryogenesis and gastrulation, shedding light on the fundamental processes that shape the embryo.
Matthew Stower (University of Oxford, UK) – studying how the embryo is organised, focusing on how cells find themselves in the right place at the right time.
Clare Benson
Luke Simpson
Matthew Stower
These snapshots offer a glimpse into the research (and the people!) celebrated at the meeting.
More Biologists @ 100 content
For further perspectives, check out the excellent coverage from our sister sites and contributors:
Development are currently welcoming applications for our Pathway to Independence (PI) programme, which aims to support a small number of researchers in the fields of developmental biology, stem cells and regeneration as they transition from postdoc to group leader. The PI programme has been developed in consultation with previous cohorts of PI fellows, and will continue to evolve to ensure we provide the most useful support. Currently, selected PI fellows can expect to receive:
A tailored mentorship session with one of our Editors (which could, for example, involve a mock job interview, or help the fellow refine their research proposal).
An in-person meeting in Cambridge including professional leadership training.
Preparation and feedback on preparing a research vision talk.
A growing and supportive peer network with networking opportunities.
Since launching in 2022, the PI programme has supported 24 fellows and you can find out more about them and their research on our website. In addition, all fellows appointed as part of the first cohort in 2023, as well as some from our 2024 cohort, have secured group leader positions. You can learn more about the programme’s success in this Perspective article published in the journal.
This is a competitive scheme. To be eligible, applicants must have a developmental biology, stem cells or regeneration research programme, looking to apply for their first group leader position within the next year or so, and have a publication or preprint from their postdoctoral position to support their job search. We aim to support applicants that have the most to gain to the programme and welcome applicants based anywhere in the world, particularly encouraging applications from outside Europe and North America.
Applications for the PI programme close on Monday 2 February 2026. We aim to inform successful candidates in March 2026. To find applying, and find out more about eligibility and selection, please visit the Pathway to Independence programme page on our grants website. If you have any queries about this initiative, please contact us: devpip@biologists.com.
Development’s PI fellows (left-to-right): (top) Priti Agarwal, Clotilde Cadart, Loic Fort, Jamse Gahan, Leah Greenspan, Thomas Juan, Polina Kameneva and Yuchan Miao; (middle) Marcella Birtele, Martina Cerise, Lydia Djenoune, Girish Kale, Eirini Maniou, Louis Prahl, Keaton Schuster, Clémentine Villeneuve; (bottom) Ethan Ewe, Max Fanworth, Anzy Miller, Joaquín Navajas Acedo, Marlies Oomen, Giulia Paci, Sonya Widen and Toshimichi Yamada.
Development is published by a not-for-profit publishing organisation, The Company of Biologists, whose mission is to support the biological community. We already offer several grants to the research community, including meeting grants to help offset the cost of running conferences and Travelling Fellowships to support early-career researchers visit other laboratories. The PI programme contributes to these charitable activities. Find out more about why the PI programme was launched in this Editorial announcing the initative.
A SciArt Musical Project by Sofia J. Araújo and Laia de la Torre
Musifying Proteins is a SciArt project for scientific and artistic outreach created by Laia de la Torre (biologist, pianist, and composer) and myself, Sofia J. Araújo, a scientist, professor and science communicator. We are united by a shared passion: bringing science to the public in a sensitive, accessible, and inspiring way.
The goal of Musifying Proteins is to introduce the basic biochemistry of life, focusing especially on proteins and their amino acids, through music. At the same time, we aim to help audiences understand musical composition, showing how creative decisions like structure, rhythm, harmony and dynamics can reflect scientific concepts and evoke emotion. Proteins are essential molecules for life: they participate in processes such as digestion, movement, immune defense, and cellular communication. Despite their importance, they are often unfamiliar to the general public. With Musifying Proteins, we want to make them visible and understandable through the universal language of music.
The scientific approach of the project is rigorous yet accessible. Based on my experience in science communication and SciArt projects, I introduce each piece with a short talk explaining what proteins are, how they are formed, their structure, and why they are fundamental to life. We use visual and narrative metaphors to aid understanding while maintaining scientific accuracy.
The musical style of Musifying Proteins is rooted mainly in classical music, with original piano compositions created and performed by Laia. Each piece represents a specific aspect of biochemistry: the amino acid sequence, the three-dimensional folding of a protein, its function, or its interaction with other molecules. Music thus becomes a way to translate science into emotion, and also an opportunity to explain the musical creative process.
The staging of Musifying Proteins combines science and art in an intimate and immersive format. We begin with a brief scientific explanation by Sofia, followed by live piano performance by Laia. The event invites the audience to listen, learn, and feel, creating a unique experience where science is lived through the senses and music is understood from within.
Musifying Proteins is designed for schools, museums, cultural centers, festivals, and outreach spaces. We believe science can move people, and art can educate. With this project, we aim to contribute to a richer, more creative, and more approachable scientific and artistic culture.
This commitment has already led us to exciting milestones. In November, Musifying Proteins was selected as a semi-finalist in Simfonies de Ciència, organized by the ACCC, and voted through to the final. We also participated in the Cicle Ada Lovelace, organized by Centre Cívic Palmira Domènech and talked and played to the public at La Capsa. Both experiences allowed us to bring science and music closer to diverse audiences, reinforcing our mission to connect knowledge and emotion in innovative ways.
A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Sophie Astrof at Rutgers University to study the roles of cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions in cardiovascular development and congenital heart disease, https://sites.rutgers.edu/astrof-lab/. Projects in the lab focus on the role of ECM in regulating the development of SHF-derived progenitors and cardiovascular morphogenesis. The successful candidate will combine genetic manipulation, embryology, cell biology, and confocal imaging to study molecular mechanisms by which cell-ECM interactions and tissue microenvironment regulate cardiovascular development. Interested candidates should send their CV and the names of three references to sophie.astrof@rutgers.edu
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