Nicolas Bierne
@couplingdmi.bsky.social
CNRS researcher at @isemevol.bsky.social Montpellier Population Genetics, Evolution, Marine Biology, Transmissible Cancers #PopGen #Hybridization #Introgression #MarEvol #Transcan #MusselsAreCool
Did Thoreau encounter contagious cancer? A new study finds transmissible tumors in catfish--and raises questions about whether they could arise in humans someday. Gift link: nyti.ms/4whfi6v
Deep in This Lake, a Contagious Cancer Is Spreading (Gift Article)
Transmissible tumors have been reported in a handful of animal species, but never before among fish. Is it possible in humans?
nyti.ms
I find this new discovery of a transmissible cancer in catfish fascinating. As it’s described as the fourth example of contagious cancer, let me share this phylogenetic tree of species infected by such rarities.
Nature@nature.com · 2w agoResearchers have discovered a contagious cancer in catfish – just the fourth example of tumour cells that spread naturally from one animal to another go.nature.com/4fsoLR3
Wow! A fourth class of transmissible cancers. CONTAGIOUS FISH MELANOMA, discovered in Lake Memphremagog (Vermont / Quebec) 🎣 🧬 😷 www.nature.com/articles/s41... @uvmvermont.bsky.social
Brown bullhead catfish melanoma represents a novel transmissible cancer - Nature
Whole-genome sequencing analysis of tumour and matched non-tumour host tissues of the brown bullhead catfish reveals a type of naturally occurring transmissible cancer.
nature.com
Hi everyone, I just started a bluesky account to share my work and keep up with the work of others :) ! I am very pleased to share this review on the evolutionary causes behind the existence of meiotic recombination hotspots: doi.org/10.1371/jour... I hope it will be useful to some of you!
Why recombination hotspots?
Meiotic recombination is the process by which DNA is exchanged between parental chromosomes during the production of gametes in eukaryotes. This phenomenon has important implications for fertility, ge...
doi.org
I am excited to present our newest report on a severe outbreak of transmissible cancer in clams in the Pacific Northwest, with a lot of unexpected twists. Led by Sydney Weinandt and Zach Child. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2611852123 1/14
Atlantic to Pacific: Outbreak of bivalve transmissible neoplasia detected in hybridizing soft-shell clams and eDNA in Puget Sound | PNAS
Bivalve transmissible neoplasias (BTNs) are transmissible cancers that have arisen in multiple bivalve species, including Eastern soft-shell clam (...
pnas.org
Looking forward to our next STRiVE seminar by @aruizherrera.bsky.social
STRIVE@strivestn.bsky.social · 3mo ago🧬 Next STRiVE Seminar! Aurora Ruiz-Herrera (UAB) presents: "Structural variation through the lens of the 3D genome". 🗓️ Wed, June 3 | 3pm CEST / 9am EDT ✉️ Zoom link via mailing list: groupes.renater.fr/sympa/subscr... ℹ️ Info: structuralvariantsstn.github.io/about/
Happy to highlight new findings by Vanesa Getseva and Lin Poyraz about the sources of variation in germline mutation rates among humans: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Joint work with Anastasia Stolyarova and @ipsitaagarwal.bsky.social. 1/n
A sibling study of variation in parental mutation rates
People are born with variable numbers of de novo germline mutations (DNMs), depending primarily on the ages of their parents. To explore additional causes, we developed an approach to call DNMs from nucleotide differences between siblings in genomic regions inherited identical by descent from both parents. Applying it to whole genome sequences from 28,985 sibling pairs of diverse genetic ancestries present in the UK Biobank and All of Us datasets, as well as 2,330 trios, we identified >800K autosomal DNMs and characterized mutation phenotypes in 27,645 sets of parents. We found subtle shifts in the mutation spectrum but no differences in total DNM rates among genetic ancestry groups, or between smokers and non-smokers. Testing for associations between parental mutation phenotypes and their burden of loss-of-function and deleterious missense variants in a set of 180 DNA repair and maintenance genes, we discovered that disruptions in REV1 and LIG1 increase germline mutation rates, and thus that rare mutator alleles segregate in population cohorts. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. NIH, R35 GM083098
biorxiv.org
Ever wondered what makes some alleles dominant (A) and others recessive (a) ? In our new paper, we explored how a series of recently discovered "dominance modifiers", genetic elements that have long remained elusive, achieve their regulatory function. journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
Dominance modifiers at the Arabidopsis self-incompatibility locus retain proto-miRNA features and act through non-canonical pathways
Author summary Many plants avoid self-fertilization through a system of self-incompatibility, which allows them to recognize and reject their own pollen. In plants like those in the Arabidopsis family...
journals.plos.org
I gave a PopGen Vienna seminar on Tueaday. I was impressed by the quality and depth of the discussions I had the all day with all the students of the program. Thank you very much. I learned so much from you, far more than I was able to help you with my limited advice #PopGen youtu.be/kAEsLuuLuq0?...
youtu.be
Happy to share this paper with @samyeaman.bsky.social, now published in Molecular Biology and Evolution! Using replicated hybrid zones, we explored patterns of local adaptation and introgression in spruce and found strong signals even at very fine geographical scales! doi.org/10.1093/molb...
Replicated hybrid zones reveal genomic patterns of local adaptation and introgression in spruce
Abstract. Hybridization between species can occur along repeated zones of contact, providing a natural laboratory for studying the interplay between migrat
doi.org
Evergreen debate over the stickleback narrative: recent, rapid, independent. One more piece on the “coupling” side: two timeframes (old adaptation, recent spatial redeployment), not so independent. www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
pnas.org
Why do the chromosomes of cyperids (sedges & rushes) split and fuse so regularly on evolutionary timescales? Is it because they have so many centromeres? Our new preprint, the first major paper of my PhD, addresses this question. 🧵⬇️ 1/12 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Academics often lament that hardly any master’s projects get published. The student moves on. Other research takes priority. No one has time to do the final analyses. Here I tell how one master’s project was, through persistent teamwork, finally carried over the finish line: go.nature.com/4aKs7N3
On the expansion and evolution of a master’s project
Academics often lament that hardly any master’s projects – even the best ones – get published. The student moves on. Other research takes priority. No one has time to do the final analyses. Here I tel...
go.nature.com
Un poste MCF en génomique évolutive / écologie moléculaire à ECOBIOP - Université de Pau #PopGen 👇 urlr.me/rVQmN6
urlr.me
April Fools’ Day is coming early this year, but really, any day is a good day to poke fun at the system. Well done @russcd.bsky.social
Molecular Biology and Evolution@molbioevol.bsky.social · 5mo ago@russcd.bsky.social ushers in a new era of academic metrics with the core-pivotal author index, which assigns all credit to authors that occupy the exact center of the author list, while non-central peripheral authors receive no credit whatsoever. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag026 #evobio #molbio
Un poste MCF en évolution de la biodiversité marine à l'Université de La Réunion UMR Entropie #MarEvol 👇 www.univ-reunion.fr/wp-content/u...
univ-reunion.fr
We are offering a fully funded two-year postdoctoral position focused on sex chromosome evolution and speciation in the *Jaera albifrons* species complex. Please find the advertisement attached. We welcome applications from interested candidates. Join us :-)
David Marques was an amazing speciation genomics researcher, a passionate birder, and a wonderful friend, husband, and father. May he rest in peace. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
David Alexander Marques (1984–2026) - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Speciation genomics researcher, author of the combinatorial theory of speciation and passionate birder
nature.com
New out: A Beginner’s Guide to Structural Variants in Eco-Evolutionary Population Genomics. We outline how to detect and analyse SVs, discuss key challenges, and provide a practical framework for population-level studies A resource for students entering SV research. doi.org/10.1111/mec....
A Beginner's Guide to Structural Variants in Eco‐Evolutionary Population Genomics
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has greatly expanded researchers' ability to study structural variants (SVs), that is, the variation in the presence, number, orientation or position of a DNA sequence. ....
doi.org
I am hiring a Postdoc (18 months contract in Montpellier, France) to study how polyploidy affects sex chromosomes in the plant Silene latifolia, using bioinformatic analyses of RNA-seq and DNA-seq data. Deadline for applications March 24th. euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/412961
Post doc position in Evolutionary biology and bioinformatics
- work environment: This postdoctoral position will be supervised by Aline Muyle and hosted at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM), within the CHANGE department and the Plant ...
euraxess.ec.europa.eu
New work from the lab: Miles @milesroberts.bsky.social tried out machine learning to estimate sweep times to fixation and (spoilers) it didn't really help www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... As always, we'd appreciate any feedback!
biorxiv.org
A huge thank you to Iva and Cynthia @seaprof.bsky.social and the all Riginos lab for inviting me to make a modest contribution to this study. My first coral paper 🌊🪸 🎉 A dream come true 😊. I really encourage you to read it #MustRead Two major take-home messages for hybridization genomics 👇
Cynthia Riginos@seaprof.bsky.social · 6mo agoLed by Iva Popovic, with Katharine Prata, @melissanaugle.bsky.social le.bsky.social, @ilhabyrne.bsky.social habyrne.bsky.social, Sam Howitt, Tom Bridge, Vero Mocellin, Emily Howells, Line Bay & @couplingdmi.bsky.social lingdmi.bsky.social #RRAP #AIMS @uq-cbcs.bsky.social
Led by Iva Popovic, with Katharine Prata, @melissanaugle.bsky.social le.bsky.social, @ilhabyrne.bsky.social habyrne.bsky.social, Sam Howitt, Tom Bridge, Vero Mocellin, Emily Howells, Line Bay & @couplingdmi.bsky.social lingdmi.bsky.social #RRAP #AIMS @uq-cbcs.bsky.social
Bluesky
habyrne.bsky.social
Cynthia Riginos@seaprof.bsky.social · 6mo agoThree-way hybridization of table corals in the Acropora hyacinthus group from the southern Great Barrier Reef results in parallel adaptive introgression. Check out our new preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202... #CoralSky #MarEvol #coral #popgen #consgen #genomics
New paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
Genomic analyses in Drosophila do not support the classic allopatric model of speciation
Abstract. The allopatric model of speciation has dominated our understanding of speciation biology and biogeography since the Modern Synthesis. It is uncon
doi.org
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.
Henry North@henrylnorth.bsky.social · 7mo agoI got to think about lots of cool/scary things working on this: (very) rapid adaptation, introgression of structural variants, invasive species, reproductive isolation, pesticide resistance, the precarity of food production. Grateful to have worked on such a big dataset with amazing collaborators
Excited about our new preprint showing bidirectional adaptive introgression between invasive and native crop pests over ecological timescales www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The collision of two genomes threatens global food security
Human activity alters selection pressures and species' ranges, creating opportunities for hybridisation through secondary contact. Ancient hybridization has enabled adaptive radiation, but its role in...
biorxiv.org
Happy to highlight an essay I wrote together with @marcdemanuel.bsky.social, @natanaels.bsky.social and Anastasia Stolyarova, trying to think through what sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/n
What sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species?
Germline mutation rates per generation are strikingly similar across animals, despite vast differences in life histories. Analogously, in at least one somatic cell type, mutation rates at the end of l...
biorxiv.org
New preprint from the lab on bioRxiv, led by Grace Zhang! Quick summary: Lots of studies have examined costs and benefits associated with resistance. Most focus on a single stressor, leaving unclear how resistance shapes fitness and evolution under multiple interacting stresses.
bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology@biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · 8mo agoContext dependence shapes the evolution of glyphosate and herbivory resistance in Ipomoea purpurea https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.20.695696v1
J'ai été interviewé dans l'émission Soyons Nature sur radio campus Montpellier pour expliquer comment l'analyse de l'ADN révèle l'impact des activités humaines sur la biodiversité et l'évolution des espèces marines. www.radiocampusmontpellier.fr/podcast/soyo...
Soyons Nature - 10/12/25 - Radio Campus Montpellier
Dans cette émission nous recevons Nicolas Bierne, directeur de recherche au CNRS à l'Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier dans l'équipe biologie évolution marine, venu nous parler de la...
radiocampusmontpellier.fr