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Chris Jiggins

@chrisjiggins.bsky.social
1.4K followers 367 following 1.5K posts

Genomics, insects and evolution. Particularly butterflies, crop pests and black soldier flies. University of Cambridge, St John’s College and Dept Zoology, FRS

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Reposted by Chris Jiggins
Joe Hanly @hanliconius.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I also worked out some kinks in the country- and institute- assignments (mostly variants of 'the Türkiye problem'). The @sangerinstitute.bsky.social effect is wild: 15 genomes per day from the UK (vs 30 genomes per day worldwide):
a list of countries ordered by 'genomes per day' calculated over hte last 30 days. the UK is first with 15.3 genomes a day, follwed by Cina on 3.1, Australia on 2.3, France on 2.2, Germany on 1.6, USA on 0.9 and Canada on 0.57
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Rob Knell @robknell.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If you’re a scientist then you *must* watch The Love Hypothesis on Amazon Prime: a fascinating documentary about what *really* goes on in our labs. This educational clip is likely to feature in stats lectures for years to come. 🧪
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Arnaud Martin @evolvwing.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Such an essential piece. To share with students, trainees, and colleagues all around. (from 7 years ago) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Novelist Cormac McCarthy’s tips on how to write a great science paper
The Pulitzer prizewinner shares his advice for pleasing readers, editors and yourself.
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Western Europe must prevail
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Super cool speciation story in marine midges with complicated breeding patterns associated with lunar cycles. A magic trait?
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Jane @localnotail.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Solidarity with this Piddington resident ♥️✊ #Newsnight
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The Economist @economist.com · 16/09/2026
Having an external locus of control—believing that you are shaped by luck and fate rather than influencing events—can hold individuals back. Register for free to read why children and companies might benefit from developing an internal locus
bit.ly
The quality you should most wish for your children
The benefits of having an internal locus of control
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Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich @gmkov.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The lab is growing 🤩 exciting times ahead
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The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 31/08/2026
The Gabor Medal 2026 is awarded to Professor Sarah Amalia Teichmann FMedSci FRS for fundamental contributions to deciphering the molecular and cellular basis of living systems by combining biophysics, genomics and data science. #RSMedals royalsociety.org/medals-and-prizes/…
A woman in a dark sweater and pink shirt looks seriously at the camera in front of a blurred background.
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Great work by Cian Williams in his fourth year undergrad - predicting the range of an invasive pest in north america informed by genomics of local adaptation in native range - also @henrylnorth.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Genetically informed distribution models refine predictions for the overwintering range of Helicoverpa armigera in North America
The ecological and economic threat posed by invasive pests demands proactive mitigation. Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used in efforts to predict where invasive species might spread af...
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Molecular Biology and Evolution @molbioevol.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Pinheiro de Castro et al. trace the evolution of cyanogenic glucosides biosynthesis in Heliconiini butterflies, providing evidence for the genetic basis of this phenotype and empirical evidence for plasticity-first evolution. 🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/... #societyjournal #evobio #molbio
MBE | Plasticity-first evolution via CYP405 loss shaped chemical defenses in butterflies
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Karin Näsvall @k-nasvall.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
We had a great time visiting Xiao Yutao’s amazing new lab in Hainan, China
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Snailspace @ehwells.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
This is AMAZING
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Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Excellent opportunity here: a 5 year senior research fellowship in Life Sciences (broadly defined) at All Souls College Oxford. Many opportunities to work with the diverse & inclusive community here in @biology.ox.ac.uk here in the brand new Life & Mind Buiilding www.asc.ox.ac.uk/post-doctora...
asc.ox.ac.uk
Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships | All Souls College
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mara lawniczak @marakat.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
The spreadsheet for inputting these suggestions can be found here. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
OPEN for comments - BGE+ breaking the cold chain project
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MPI for Biology Tübingen & Friedrich Miescher Laboratory @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
We are proud to share that Ruth Ley @microbiome.bsky.social , Director of the Department of Microbiome Science, has been elected Fellow of The Royal Society @royalsociety.org . Congratulations!!!
bio.mpg.de
Ruth Ley elected Fellow of the Royal Society
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Sophien Kamoun @kamounlab.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Thanks Chris 🙏 Beautiful work. Somehow I'm finding myself blogging more and more about lepidoptera :) kamounlab.medium.com/postcard-fro...
kamounlab.medium.com
Postcard from Sardinia: a fragile migrant
In an age of growing tension between north and south, one ordinary orange butterfly flutters freely across continents, unbothered by border…
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Nice to see mention of Anna Orteu’s work on genetics of colour and mimicry in Hypolimnas butterflies!
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
🚨Job claxon🚨 4-year #Postdoc available in our lab in @camzoology.bsky.social developing molecular and anatomical approaches to mapping evolutionary changes in the brain, using #Heliconiini butterflies. Come join us, we are nice. 🧪 www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
An immunostaining section through a Heliconius brain. Staining and imaging by Dr Max Farnworth.
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Excited to see this out!
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Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Generalovic et al. studied the genetics of the black soldier fly, finding two highly divergent genetic clusters and signatures of domestication bottlenecks in this key species for the global industry of insects food and feed. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag097 #genome #evolution
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Excited to be awarded a BBSRC grant with @henrylnorth.bsky.social to study pangenomes of hybridising Lepidoptera species
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Voted
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Human-potato coevolution
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Wellcome Sanger Institute @sangerinstitute.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Read ‘Genetic parallelism underpins convergent mimicry coloration in Lepidoptera across 120 million years of evolution' from @york.ac.uk @sangerinstitute.bsky.social @joanameier.bsky.social, et al., in @plosbiology.org ⤵️ journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
No surprise - its Optix and Ivory again - amazing predictability of gene re-use in convergent mimicry phenotypes across amazonian mimicry rings @joanameier.bsky.social @wtf-r-species.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
journals.plos.org
Genetic parallelism underpins convergent mimicry coloration in Lepidoptera across 120 million years of evolution
The repeated evolution of similar phenotypes, or convergent evolution, is widespread in nature, but there are few studies investigating the genetic mechanisms across wide evolutionary timescales. This...
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Matthew Hahn @3rdreviewer.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Wrote a fun little thing on gene tree discordance: authors.elsevier.com/a/1mzPI3QW8S...
authors.elsevier.com
Please wait whilst we redirect you
All content on this site: Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply.
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Nicol Rueda @nicolr.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
If you are researcher or student in Latin America apply for our Biodiversity Genomics course in Colombia from 27th-31st July 2026 (10 days left for registration) biodiversitygenomicslatam.weebly.com
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Roli Roberts @roliroberts.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Back in the noughties when I was an academic, my lab did quite a bit of work on (conserved) alternative transcripts. This study in @plosbiology.org presents compelling evidence that most alternative transcripts are deleterious noise journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
journals.plos.org
Transcript diversity reflects deleterious RNA processing errors shaped by population size in metazoans
Alternative transcription initiation, splicing and polyadenylation generate extensive transcript diversity in eukaryotes, but its evolutionary significance has been disputed. This study analyses 166 t...
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
I am advertising PhD opportunity with Syngenta to discover enzymes using microfluidics - an exciting collaboration with Florian Hollfelder in Biochemistry www.heliconius.zoo.cam.ac.uk/jobs/phd-ica...
heliconius.zoo.cam.ac.uk
PhD iCASE studentship | Insect Evolution and Genomics Group
Exploring biodiversity for biocatalysis solutions We have funding as a BBSRC iCASE project cofunded by SYNGENTA for a PhD in enzyme discover
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Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge @camzoology.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Congratulations to Prof Ed Turner who has won a Pilkington Prize for excellence in teaching! He is recognised for his transformative and innovative teaching, as well as his outstanding outreach work with students from under-represented backgrounds. Read more: bit.ly/4lGKuYw
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Megan Dennis @mydennis.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Excited so share our newest study using a single-library HiFi-CiFi approach to generate chromosome-scale diploid assemblies of two vole genomes, identifying putative drivers of divergent pair-bonding behavior, namely a prairie-vole-specific duplication of Avpr1a gene, led by @mabuelanin.bsky.social
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Joe Hanly @hanliconius.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
I've just had a jaw-to-the-floor moment with this new paper from the Hines lab. They describe a yellow-white switch in bees, which maps to the same TF as the yellow-white switch in Colias butterflies, previously described by the @chriswheat.bsky.social lab. journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
A map of anatolia, indicating the spatial distribution of yellow and white bees. Figure 1 from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-13596-2
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Integration of Speciation (ESEB Special Topic Network) @speciation-network.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
We are thrilled to announce the next ECR (and apparently butterfly)-themed session of the Integration of Speciation seminar, featuring @charlottewright.bsky.social and @thymelicus.bsky.social + careers Q&A with Dr Sally Potter. Find the link on the Ios website & mailing list.
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EFSA Plants @efsa-plants.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
The #PestSurveyCard on Helicoverpa zea is now available! ➡️ link.europa.eu/GHgFVW EFSA ranked Helicoverpa zea among the EU candidate #PriorityPests: ➡️ bsky.app/profile/efsa... @chrisjiggins.bsky.social @migrantmothuk.bsky.social
link.europa.eu
NEW - Helicoverpa zea
Updated 20 February 2026 (Version 1). Taxonomy: insects (HELIZE). Host plants: cereals, fruit-bearing vegetables. Regulation: quarantine pests).
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
This has been a great meeting, lots of exciting new genomics advances #AGBTGM26
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AGBT @agbt.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
EVOLUTIONARY GENOMICS: @chrisjiggins.bsky.social @universitypress.cambridge.org talks about genomes and the network of life at the 2026 AGBT General Meeting. #AGBTGM26 #genomics #evolutionarygenomics
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Rob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Mark Blaxter from @sangerinstitute.bsky.social describes the ambition of the @ebpgenome.bsky.social to #Biology26 in Switzerland
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University of Bristol Biological Sciences @bristolbiosci.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
JOB ALERT! We are excited to announce that we are recruiting three new academics at lecturer level! Click the link below for more info on how to apply, and don’t forget to explore our research themes too! We look forward to receiving your applications! www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
JOB ALERT!

Lecturer in Biological Sciences

Come and join us in the world class Life Sciences Building at the University of Bristol!

Closing date: Sunday 8 MarchJOB ALERT!

Lecturer in Biological Sciences

Interested in our research areas? Click the link in our bio to discover more!

Closing date: Sunday 8 March
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 03/02/2026
A real pleasure to meet George Clarke and hear about his experiences growing up on a council estate. We both know the positive impact social housing can have on families’ lives. That’s why I’m determined to continue delivering more council homes as we build a fairer London for everyone.
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John Peters @johnthejack.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Letter in Times today
Text:

Old adversaries
Sir, Your obituary (Jan 19) of Mr Justice Blofeld rightly referred to his fine sense of humour. When he first sat in Winchester a barrister called Richard Bond stood up to open the first case. Mr Justice Blofeld began to stroke the white ermine on the sleeve of his High Court judge’s robes as if stroking a cat. He then said with a smile: “We meet at last, Mr Bond.”
Sir John Royce
Clifton, Bristol
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MadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
I think we should be talking about this more www.brusselstimes.com/1916422/us-t...
US tech giants allying with European far-right to strip back EU rules
Amid rising EU-US tensions, a new report has accused Big Tech of courting far-right MEPs to weaken the EU's regulatory power on AI and data.

Wednesday, 14 January 2026
By  Ugo A Realfonzo
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NatureBureau @naturebureau.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Our new 416pp #FliesofBritainandIreland covering over 1300 species & with over 1500 photos is now being printed - due mid Feb 2026. You can still pre-order until 31 Jan bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @gailashton.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @georgemcgavin.bsky.social
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Chris Jiggins @chrisjiggins.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
toucan mimicry is cool
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Nicolas Bierne @couplingdmi.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
Two-way native-invasive introgression and structural variants in invasive moth species. Admixture and exchange of adaptive alleles can facilitate adaptation, but this is also true for pests. Amazing work by @henrylnorth.bsky.social, @chrisjiggins.bsky.social and others, with a lot to think about.
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Stephanie Nolen @stephanienolen.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
Eight years ago, the US govt's malaria program took over the fight against the disease in northern Cameroon, one of the worst-affected places in the world, and went at it with all guns blazing. In March, it shut down overnight. I traveled there to see what came next. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/h...
nytimes.com
How Cameroon Fought to Save Its Malaria Program After the U.S. Cut Critical Funding
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Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
Quote: "Using a decade-long time series of 975 genomes from hybridizing native and invasive Helicoverpa moths in Brazil, we demonstrate rapid, bidirectional adaptive introgression of pesticide resistance genes." #bioinvasions
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
"hybridisation has combined H. armigera adaptation to soy with H. zea Cry1Ac resistance, with global consequences for food security. Thus, the collision of genomes can drive rapid anthropogenic adaptation via combinatorial evolution."
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