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Rebecca Tarnopol

@tarnopol.bsky.social
576 followers 280 following 58 posts

Pushing flies at UCSF | Functional evolutionary geneticist, interested in toxins/insects/microbes tarnopollab.org

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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Shefali @iamshef.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Hey #Drosophila folks - the #flycross #mentee survey is open for #grad students, #postdoc and #pretenure faculty. ~95 mentors from across the world, with diverse expertise. The co-chairs @shyama13.bsky.social and @jocmcdonald.bsky.social have done a phenomenal work in taking the program forward 🎉
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Rebecca Tarnopol @tarnopol.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Our latest work now on bioRxiv! We found evidence for multiple independent HGTs of the anti-parasitoid effector cdtB in drosophilids, including anciently in the last common ancestor of subgenus Drosophila 👀 You can browse our data here: trnpl.github.io/antiparasito...
trnpl.github.io
Drosophila Phylogeny Explorer
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GEValT @gevaltcrispr.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Meet GEValT! Germline Engineering by Viral transduction! No more injections www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Infectious transgenesis in arthropods
In the last decade, there has been an explosion in the development of in vivo germline genetic editing technologies in arthropods, first pioneered by the Receptor-Mediated Ovary Transduction of Cargo ...
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Noah Whiteman @nkwhiteman.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Fly people: please consider nominating your PhD student who completed their dissertation in any area of Drosophila research between July 2025 and December 2026 for the @genetics-gsa.bsky.social Larry Sandler Award. Nominations due by November 12: genetics-gsa.org/awards/larry...
genetics-gsa.org
Larry Sandler Award - Genetics Society of America
The Larry Sandler Award was established in 1988 by the colleagues, friends, and students of Dr. Larry Sandler after his untimely death in 1987. The award serves to honor Dr. Sandler for his many contr...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Science Magazine @science.org · 05/09/2026
Bird feeders have caused a dramatic evolution of California hummingbirds. ⁠ Learn more on #NationalHummingbirdDay: scim.ag/3YMuQQu
Bird feeders have caused a dramatic evolution of California hummingbirds
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Andrew Dacks @adacks.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Nominations for the GSA Larry Sandler Award are now open! genetics-gsa.org/awards/larry... This award recognizes an outstanding PhD thesis (graduating between 07/2025 and 12/2026) in any area of Drosophila research. Include 1) the thesis abstract, 2) the Nominee's CV and 3) a nomination letter.
genetics-gsa.org
Larry Sandler Award - Genetics Society of America
The Larry Sandler Award was established in 1988 by the colleagues, friends, and students of Dr. Larry Sandler after his untimely death in 1987. The award serves to honor Dr. Sandler for his many contr...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
UC Berkeley MCB @berkeleymcb.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
MCB is hiring Assistant Professors across 3 divisions!: 🧪BBS: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05483 🧬GGED: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481 🦠IMM: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05486 🗓️ Application Deadline: October 19, 2026 🔗 Click the links or scan the QR codes to learn more and apply
MCB is hiring 3 Assistant Professor positions across 3 divisions: 

Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology (BBS); Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development (GGED); and Immunology and Molecular Medicine (IMM)

BBS application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05483

GGED application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481

IMM application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05486
Assistant Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine (IMM). IMM application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05486Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology (BBS). BBS application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05483Assistant Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development (GGED). GGED application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481
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Noah Whiteman @nkwhiteman.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I’m thrilled to share that our search for a tenure-track colleague in my *truly wonderful and collegial* Genetics, Genomics, Evolution and Development Division in the MCB Department at Berkeley @berkeleymcb.bsky.social is live! Please share this broad search widely: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481
aprecruit.berkeley.edu
Assistant Professor -Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development - Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Jeff Groh @jeffgroh.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Avocados come in 2 varieties - A-types start each day female and switch to male midday. B-types do the reverse. In work just published from the last chapter of my PhD, we show this system evolved 40+million yrs ago and is regulated by alleles of 1 transcription factor www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Balanced polymorphism in a floral transcription factor underlies the ancient rhythm of daily sex alternation in avocado | PNAS
In avocado and certain wild relatives in Lauraceae, a highly synchronized daily rhythm of floral sex timing promotes cross-pollination between two ...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
bioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Eukaryotic domestication of a bacterial immune protein following horizontal transfer www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Simons Foundation @simonsfoundation.org · 01/05/2026
Now accepting applications for our 2027 Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution! These awards support students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs to conduct #ecology and #evolution research. Deadline is June 30, 2026: bit.ly/4umYKZd #science
bit.ly
Applications for 2027 Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution Now Open
The Simons Foundation’s Life Sciences division is now accepting applications for its 2027 Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution.
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Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
A bacterial gene acquired by parasitoid wasps contributes to venom secretion against host defence -in @embojournal.org with @rokaslab.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
A bacterial gene acquired by parasitoid wasps contributes to venom secretion against host defence - The EMBO Journal
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important source of gene innovation in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Several genes acquired by hosts of parasitoid wasps via HGT have been reported to prot...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
María H.T. Nguyễn @mariahtnguyen.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Are you curious about animal origins? Want to perturb their genetics to find out more? Now it's a lot cheaper: the FUNR @frutag33.bsky.social Lab's effort to make transfection more accessible for choanos (& relatives) is up now! 🧬 
 A brief 🧵1/5
frutag3.bsky.social
Bluesky
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Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Proposals are due May 18 for this year’s Graduate Research Excellence Grants! Up to $2500 for 1st and 2nd year grad students and up to $3500 for 3rd years and above. Learn more and apply now! www.evolutionsociety.org/content/soci...
Text: Society for the Study of Evolution Graduate Research Excellence Grants, Apply by May 18, 2026.
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Rebecca Tarnopol @tarnopol.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Now that the cat’s out of the bag: Excited to announce I will be starting a research group as a Sandler Fellow this August at UCSF! We will study the evolution of protein toxins at the host-pathogen interface across scales of biological organization. Learn more here: www.tarnopollab.org
tarnopollab.org
Tarnopol Lab
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Rebecca Tarnopol @tarnopol.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Very honored to receive this award from GSA! I have immense gratitude for my advisor @nkwhiteman.bsky.social, labmates, collaborators, mentees, and the fly community, who in many ways potentiated my graduate research. Looking forward to sharing my work at my favorite meeting in my favorite city!
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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 19/02/2026
The #fly community aims to achieve a comprehensive genomic study of the Drosophilidae family. @pankajd.bsky.social @bernardkim.bsky.social @petrovadmitri.bsky.social @darrenobbard.bsky.social present a comparative gene annotation for 301 #Drosophilidae species @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4c3pyrI
Time-calibrated phylogeny of the family Drosophilidae showing major species groups, surrounded by representative adult flies that highlight the remarkable morphological diversity of this model insect group. The composite image was created using Microsoft PowerPoint. Fly photographs were taken by Darren J. Obbard and are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License with permission.
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Are you a Drosophila researcher & member of @genetics-gsa.bsky.social (at any level of training)? Please vote in the Flyboard elections (we have an amazing slate of candidates) before Feb 20, 2026. Please check your email or go to this website to vote: genetics-gsa.org/2026-fly-boa... Pl repost.
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Jeff Groh @jeffgroh.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Did you know there are 2 types of avocado varieties? A-types switch from female to male, B-types male to female, within a single day. This reciprocal sex alternation promotes cross-pollination and has a simple genetic basis. Read more in this recent preprint from the final chapter of my PhD thesis 🥑
biorxiv.org
Balanced polymorphism in a floral transcription factor underlies an ancient rhythm of daily sex alternation in avocado
In avocado and certain wild relatives in Lauraceae, pollination occurs via a synchronized rhythm of floral sex timing between two hermaphroditic flowering types. A-type plants present female-phase flo...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Casey terHorst @ecoevolab.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
The GRFP lives!! (due end of October) www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
nsf.gov
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
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Matt Barber @biobarber.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Excited to share the latest work by outstanding PhD student @kdc509.bsky.social. This was one of our first forays into experimental evolution and uncovered some cool connections between potassium transport and antimicrobial resistance in S. aureus. Major kudos to Killian!
journals.asm.org
Evolution of polyamine resistance in Staphylococcus aureus through modulation of potassium transport | mSphere
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of infectious disease-related deaths globally. Understanding factors that govern adaptation and survival of S. aureus and other pathogens in the host environme...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
FlyBase @flybase.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
FlyBase needs your help! We ask that European labs continue to contribute to Cambridge, UK FlyBase, whereas US and other non-European labs can contribute to US FlyBase. For more information and how to donate: wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...
wiki.flybase.org
FlyBase:Contribute to FlyBase - FlyBase Wiki
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Noah Whiteman @nkwhiteman.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social undergrads, there is still space in this course on the cellular, genetic, and developmental basis of evolution taught by Professor Nicole King and me this Fall. Find out why, as Dobzhansky, said "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution."
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Applications now open for the SSE GREG Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards! These grants provide up to $3500 to expand your dissertation work. Submit your proposal by September 15! www.evolutionsociety.org/content/soci...
Text: Society for the Study of Evolution Graduate Research Excellence Grants. Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards, Deadline: September 15, 5:00 PM Eastern.
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Jessie Perlmutter @jiperlmutter.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
📢 There is a lab technician or lab specialist position available in my lab, starting fall 2025. The position will involve molecular biology, microbiology, drosophila work, and more. Please share with anyone who may be interested and apply here: jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0...
jobs.virginia.edu
Biology Lab Tech 2 or Lab Specialist in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America | Research at University of Virginia
Apply for Biology Lab Tech 2 or Lab Specialist job with University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America. Research at University of Virginia
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Noah Whiteman @nkwhiteman.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Pleased this paper led by Teru Matsunaga at University of Tokyo (former postdoc) and in collaboration with many colleagues is out @official-smbe.bsky.social Molecular Biology & Evolution: doi.org/10.1093/molb.... Palp-expressed Or42a is an isothiocyanate sensor and can drive aversion to ITCs…
doi.org
Odorant receptors mediating avoidance of toxic mustard oils in Drosophila melanogaster are expanded in herbivorous relatives
Abstract. Plants release defense volatile compounds that can deter herbivores. Among them are electrophilic toxins, such as isothiocyanates from mustard pl
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FlyBase @flybase.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
We currently have a call for support that has gone out to European labs, to support FlyBase-UK. We are asking our colleagues from labs in the US and other countries to wait for a similar call to them that will go out in the near future, to support the US sites. We thank you for your patience.
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Get the word out far and wide. New opportunity from the Simons Foundation in the Eco-Evo space. 2026 Simons Graduate Fellowship in Ecology and Evolution Awards, due July 31, 2025, only for incoming PhD students who plan to start their PhDs in Fall 2026. www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
simonsfoundation.org
Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution
The purpose of these awards is to provide support for students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecolo...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
Nicolas Alexandre @nicmalexandre.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
🚨New paper alert!🚨 We show that hummingbird beaks have changed in shape & size since around WWII, driven by the rise of commercialized feeders! 🧵 📄 Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... #ornithology #evolution #GlobalChangeBiology
dx.doi.org
Supplemental Feeding as a Driver of Population Expansion and Morphological Change in Anna's Hummingbirds
Bird beaks are highly adaptable, with the potential to undergo rapid morphological shifts in response to environmental change such as climatic variation or food availability. Anna's Hummingbirds (Cal...
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Reposted by Rebecca Tarnopol
bioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Wolbachia uses ankyrin repeats to target specific fly proteins www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202…
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Darren Obbard @darrenobbard.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
I know you like #Drosophila and I know you like #Genomes - but do you also like #Genes? Coding DNA annotation of 304 species of Drosophilidae! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Comparative gene annotation of 304 species of Drosophilidae
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bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology @biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Genomics and reproductive biology of Leptopilina malgretoutensis Buffington, Lue, Davis & Tracey sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Figitidae): An asexual parasitoid of Caribbean Drosophila www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202…
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Rebecca Tarnopol @tarnopol.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Excited to be in sunny San Diego for my 5th (!) fly meeting #Dros25! I will be giving a poster (329T) tomorrow on some new host-parasitoid experiments — would love to chat with interested folks!
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Rebecca Tarnopol @tarnopol.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Excellent news about an excellent resource from our excellent collaborator!!
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Dan Tracey @hoosierflyman.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Our work on Velvet Ant venom was published online today in Current Biology www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Multiple mechanisms of action for an extremely painful venom
Evolutionary arms races can lead to extremely specific and effective defense mechanisms, including venoms that deter predators by targeting nociceptiv…
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Rebecca Tarnopol @tarnopol.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Excited to share the major work of my dissertation, out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social! We use Drosophila genetics to dissect the evolution of phage-derived toxins that were horizontally transferred to insects and now function as potent anti-parasitoid defenses (1/n): tinyurl.com/2k9ypyxr
sciencedirect.com
Experimental horizontal transfer of phage-derived genes to Drosophila confers innate immunity to parasitoids
Metazoan parasites have played a major role in shaping innate immunity in animals. Insect hosts and parasitoid wasps are excellent models for illumina…
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