Happy New Year!! 🎉 TiG welcomes 2026 with a new issue! Topics include the ethics of de-extinction, AlphaGenome, DNA-based taxonomies, TEs in cancer, and more: shorturl.at/Zp7zw Thanks to @haraipapilio.bsky.social for the cover image - a female butterfly that may harbor male-killing symbionts!

(1/9) Join us in Bern, Switzerland (8–11 Feb 2026) for our EMBO Workshop on Molecular Mechanisms of Selfish Elements and Strategies! Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof. meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel... #EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents

Molecular mechanisms of selfish elements and strategies

Certain genes, chromosomes, organelles, or entire sets of chromosomes can bias their transmission to the next generation, propagating themselves at the expense of the rest of the genome. Referred to …

meetings.embo.org

"Striking diversity of male-killing symbionts and their mechanisms" by Hiroshi Arai (@haraipapilio.bsky.social), Daisuke Kageyama (@daisukekageyama.bsky.social) & co "Why [and how] do maternally inherited endosymbionts kill male hosts?" Find out here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Our new review paper with @daisukekageyama.bsky.social is out in Trends in Genetics (@cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social)! We summarise the current knowledge on the diversity of male-killing microbes and their mechanisms. Available here: 🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Striking diversity of male-killing symbionts and their mechanisms

Symbiosis is a fundamental characteristic of eukaryotic biology. Arthropods, including insects, often harbor maternally inherited endosymbiotic microb…

sciencedirect.com

New paper out at Biological Reviews!! 🥳🥳 "Infection dynamics of endosymbionts that manipulate arthropod reproduction" onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.70024 A joint effort with Franziska Brenninger (now a postdoc ‪@unibe.ch‬) and @kokkonut.bsky.social‬. (1/5)

Infection dynamics of endosymbionts that manipulate arthropod reproduction

A large proportion of arthropod species are infected with endosymbionts, some of which selfishly alter host reproduction. The currently known forms of parasitic reproductive manipulations are male-ki...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

New preprint ex @bolinabug.bsky.social (+ @daisukekageyama.bsky.social & @scottishwormboy.bsky.social) on the pronounced secondary expansion of Spiroplasma and Rickettsia genomes in lacewings doi.org/10.1101/2025... #symbiosky 1/2

Concerted genome expansion of heritable symbionts in an insect host

Maternally transmitted symbionts represent important components of arthropod biology, acting as both beneficial partners and as reproductive parasites. Their strict vertical transmission greatly reduc...

doi.org

Wolbachia bacteria hijack insect reproduction by killing off males, but it turns out they don’t use the same weapon in every species. New research uncovers species-specific genes with a license to kill.

A license to kill

Bacteria belonging to the Wolbachia family employ distinct genes to kill the male offspring of different insect species.

buff.ly

Our final version of eLife paper (VOR) is now out! (doi.org/10.7554/eLif...). I investigated functions of wmk and Oscar homologs in a native host (moth) with @daisukekageyama.bsky.social and others:))

Prophage-encoded Hm-oscar gene recapitulates Wolbachia-induced male-killing in the tea tortrix moth Homona magnanima

Oscar homologs play a conserved role in Wolbachia-induced male-killing in Lepidoptera but not in other insects, highlighting the evolution of diverse male-killing mechanisms induced by Wolbachia.

doi.org

⭐2025's John Maynard Smith Prize Winner is Hiroshi Arai⭐ Hiroshi will give the JMS Prize Lecture in Barcelona this August at #ESEB2025 @eseb2025.bsky.social Read more about his prize-winning research here: eseb.org/prizes-fundi...

@haraipapilio.bsky.social paper on evolution of Wolbachia MK mechanism through prophage acquisition in molina butterflies - avoiding suppression by the host. Now out! #symbiosky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... With @daisukekageyama.bsky.social @bolinabug.bsky.social and others

Evolution of Wolbachia male-killing mechanism within a host species

Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecolog…

sciencedirect.com

New preprint from @haraipapilio.bsky.social with @bolinabug.bsky.social @daisukekageyama.bsky.social and others not on bluesky #symbiosky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Evolution of Wolbachia male-killing mechanism within a host species

Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecology and evolution of their hosts. Male-killing is a ...

biorxiv.org

Very happy to start the new year with publication of our new work on leaf surface RNA. Plant leaves secrete diverse RNAs that are surprisingly stable on their surfaces. Next question to answer: What do they do? www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....