Comparative studies are essential for uncovering shared and divergent biological principles. Insects, with their extraordinary diversity, rich natural histories, and increasing experimental tractabil…

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Odorant receptors ( Or s) are the interface between an animal’s nervous system and its olfactory environment. In insect genomes, the Or s are often the largest gene family, and their rapid duplication...

Nature Reviews Genetics - In this Comment, the authors argue that understanding the genetic basis of adaptation requires considering the genetic architecture and ecological properties of traits...

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Evidence of a developing track record in publishing work of high academic quality and impact is essential, as is an emerging portfolio (or clear potential) of external research funding. Applicants mus...

Using an integrated single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the adult Drosophila central brain, Allen et al. uncover over 4,000 transcriptionally distinct neuronal subtypes. The authors show that adult ne...

Monogenic expression of odorant receptors (ORs) in individual sensory neurons is a hallmark of olfactory systems in insects and vertebrates. New studies highlight how transcriptional interference and ...

Calcium imaging of taste neurons and the ventral brain provides insight into evolutionary divergence of food choice in Drosophila species, supporting a role of sensorimotor processing in addition to peripheral receptor changes.

Nature - Calcium imaging of taste neurons and the ventral brain provides insight into evolutionary divergence of food choice in Drosophila species, supporting a role of sensorimotor processing in...

The Kaun Lab is hiring new full-time Research Assistants!The position is ideal for someone interested in investigating how changes in gene regulation impact individual variation in addictive substance...

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Odor detection differs fundamentally in vertebrates, which use G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and insects, which employ ion channels. Here, we report the first evidence for a GPCR defining tunin...

A critical bottleneck for equitable access to population-scale molecular diagnostics is the limited availability of rapid, inexpensive point-of-care tests, especially in low- and middle-income countri...

How do diverse brain cells change over evolution? By comparing single-cell transcriptomic atlases from ecologically-distinct drosophilid species, this work identifies changes in the composition and ge...

Dürr et al. develop advanced genetic tools in the host specialist D. sechellia to study its olfactory system neuroanatomy. They show via single-cell labeling, tracing, and quantitative comparison of o...

Developmental temperature tunes brain wiring with consequences for circuit function and animal behavior.

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