Alexei Maklakov
@alexeimaklakov.bsky.social
Biology of Ageing and Life History Evolution, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Obituary:
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
www.nature.com
September 14, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Obituary:
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
We're looking for our next Editor of BTO News! Find out more about the role and apply here➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 😀
📅 Full time, Permanent.
📝 £38,710.00 per annum.
📍 Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid).
Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
📅 Full time, Permanent.
📝 £38,710.00 per annum.
📍 Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid).
Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
September 11, 2026 at 10:55 AM
We're looking for our next Editor of BTO News! Find out more about the role and apply here➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 😀
📅 Full time, Permanent.
📝 £38,710.00 per annum.
📍 Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid).
Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
📅 Full time, Permanent.
📝 £38,710.00 per annum.
📍 Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid).
Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Can sex help save species?
Our new paper in PNAS suggests it can.
lnkd.in/esc4fidf
www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/a...
Implications for evolution and conservation
@mdpointer.bsky.social @nashalselection.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social
Our new paper in PNAS suggests it can.
lnkd.in/esc4fidf
www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/a...
Implications for evolution and conservation
@mdpointer.bsky.social @nashalselection.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social
September 10, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Can sex help save species?
Our new paper in PNAS suggests it can.
lnkd.in/esc4fidf
www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/a...
Implications for evolution and conservation
@mdpointer.bsky.social @nashalselection.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social
Our new paper in PNAS suggests it can.
lnkd.in/esc4fidf
www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/a...
Implications for evolution and conservation
@mdpointer.bsky.social @nashalselection.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Did you know that the cells of old animals contain much less mRNA than the cells of young ones? Let me share with you some results from an ongoing project in the lab, where we are finding that a progressive depletion of total mRNA abundance is a crucial part of aging 1/22
September 5, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Did you know that the cells of old animals contain much less mRNA than the cells of young ones? Let me share with you some results from an ongoing project in the lab, where we are finding that a progressive depletion of total mRNA abundance is a crucial part of aging 1/22
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
An exciting scientific collaboration 🧪 uncovered a gene–environment "collaboration" in colorectal cancer: an inherited MGMT variant predisposes tumors to alkylating DNA damage, red-meat intake amplifies it—and the damage it causes drives oncogenic KRAS mutations.
#EvoDevo
doi.org/10.1158/1055...
#EvoDevo
doi.org/10.1158/1055...
Germline Predisposition to Oncogenic Alkylating Damage in Colorectal Cancer
AbstractBackground:. Red meat consumption is a risk factor for colorectal cancer and has been linked to tumor alkylating DNA damage. rs16906252-T is a cis expression quantitative trait locus variant a...
doi.org
August 27, 2026 at 10:52 PM
An exciting scientific collaboration 🧪 uncovered a gene–environment "collaboration" in colorectal cancer: an inherited MGMT variant predisposes tumors to alkylating DNA damage, red-meat intake amplifies it—and the damage it causes drives oncogenic KRAS mutations.
#EvoDevo
doi.org/10.1158/1055...
#EvoDevo
doi.org/10.1158/1055...
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Nature research paper: Human brain organoids record the passage of time over multiple years
go.nature.com/4xT4Ked
go.nature.com/4xT4Ked
Human brain organoids record the passage of time over multiple years - Nature
Human brain organoids were developed for over five years in culture to demonstrate that brain cells can continue to mature and record the passage of time, following human-specific endogenous programs, even outside the context of the organism.
go.nature.com
August 21, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Nature research paper: Human brain organoids record the passage of time over multiple years
go.nature.com/4xT4Ked
go.nature.com/4xT4Ked
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
🧬🧬🧬It’s all in your DNA: damage in the DNA accumulates and drives aging. Could mending damaged DNA prolong life? News featuring the DREAM master regulator of DNA repair today in @Nature www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?
Inspired by long-lived animals — and human centenarians — researchers are hunting for ways to enhance DNA repair and extend healthspan.
www.nature.com
August 5, 2026 at 6:34 AM
🧬🧬🧬It’s all in your DNA: damage in the DNA accumulates and drives aging. Could mending damaged DNA prolong life? News featuring the DREAM master regulator of DNA repair today in @Nature www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
A massive genomic study has linked mutations in a specific gene to an increased proportion of muscle, decreased levels of belly fat and blood sugar and a reduced risk of conditions including heart disease
go.nature.com/4q03zHc
go.nature.com/4q03zHc
More muscle, less belly fat: mutations to a gene are linked to wide-ranging benefits
Analysis of one million diverse genomes yields mutations associated with lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and other ‘cardiometabolic’ conditions.
go.nature.com
August 5, 2026 at 3:42 PM
A massive genomic study has linked mutations in a specific gene to an increased proportion of muscle, decreased levels of belly fat and blood sugar and a reduced risk of conditions including heart disease
go.nature.com/4q03zHc
go.nature.com/4q03zHc
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
New preprint!
We looked at age-specific preferences for protein and carbohydrate in males and females, where females lay their eggs vs what larvae choose& do best on, & found unexpected parental age effects.
With @eivimeycook.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social Wilfried Haerty& Tracey Chapman
We looked at age-specific preferences for protein and carbohydrate in males and females, where females lay their eggs vs what larvae choose& do best on, & found unexpected parental age effects.
With @eivimeycook.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social Wilfried Haerty& Tracey Chapman
Age-related shifts in dietary and oviposition preferences and steep costs of modest parental ageing in Drosophila melanogaster doi.org/10.32942/X26...
Age-related shifts in dietary and oviposition preferences and steep costs of modest parental ageing in Drosophila melanogaster
This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 2 of this Preprint.
doi.org
August 2, 2026 at 12:02 PM
New preprint!
We looked at age-specific preferences for protein and carbohydrate in males and females, where females lay their eggs vs what larvae choose& do best on, & found unexpected parental age effects.
With @eivimeycook.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social Wilfried Haerty& Tracey Chapman
We looked at age-specific preferences for protein and carbohydrate in males and females, where females lay their eggs vs what larvae choose& do best on, & found unexpected parental age effects.
With @eivimeycook.bsky.social @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social Wilfried Haerty& Tracey Chapman
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Do all traits age together? A long-term study of wild Seychelles warblers shows ageing is surprisingly asynchronous, with some traits senescing while others remain unchanged. doi.org/10.1093/evle...
July 28, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Do all traits age together? A long-term study of wild Seychelles warblers shows ageing is surprisingly asynchronous, with some traits senescing while others remain unchanged. doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Trade-offs Between Intergenerational and Transgenerational Effects: experimental data and demographic simulation model of multigenerational trade-offs in evolution:
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Evolutionary trade-offs between intergenerational and transgenerational fitness effects
Abstract. Intergenerational and transgenerational fitness effects can shape evolutionary processes. Theoretically, however, intergenerational and transgene
academic.oup.com
July 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Trade-offs Between Intergenerational and Transgenerational Effects: experimental data and demographic simulation model of multigenerational trade-offs in evolution:
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Reactivation of mammalian regeneration by turning on an evolutionarily disabled genetic switch | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reactivation of mammalian regeneration by turning on an evolutionarily disabled genetic switch
Mammals display prominent diversity in the ability to regenerate damaged ear pinna, but the genetic changes underlying the failure of regeneration remain elusive. We performed comparative single-cell ...
www.science.org
July 23, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Reactivation of mammalian regeneration by turning on an evolutionarily disabled genetic switch | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Another fantastic GRC Systems Aging conference comes to a close in Maine, USA.
Thank you and congratulations to the chair and vice-chairs for organizing another incredible event, with outstanding science, networking, and discussions.
My favourite conference in the field!
Thank you and congratulations to the chair and vice-chairs for organizing another incredible event, with outstanding science, networking, and discussions.
My favourite conference in the field!
June 20, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Another fantastic GRC Systems Aging conference comes to a close in Maine, USA.
Thank you and congratulations to the chair and vice-chairs for organizing another incredible event, with outstanding science, networking, and discussions.
My favourite conference in the field!
Thank you and congratulations to the chair and vice-chairs for organizing another incredible event, with outstanding science, networking, and discussions.
My favourite conference in the field!
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Sad to hear of the passing of Robert Ricklefs - a giant of Ecology who simultaneously pushed forward big ideas at multiple biological levels yet took time for detailed natural history .. McGill does a nice job summarizing his impressive contributions 🌐🧪 dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/r...
Robert Ricklefs – in memoriam
Robert Ricklefs, a giant of ecology, passed away on Sunday. It is hard to overstate the extensive impact Bob had on the field. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in the US,…
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
June 11, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Sad to hear of the passing of Robert Ricklefs - a giant of Ecology who simultaneously pushed forward big ideas at multiple biological levels yet took time for detailed natural history .. McGill does a nice job summarizing his impressive contributions 🌐🧪 dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/r...
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
Longer human lives may be making an old evolutionary pattern harder to ignore. Late-acting harmful variants and youth-tuned pathways can now shape health on a scale selection never removed. doi.org/hb7fmz
'Selection shadow' may explain why longer lives bring more age-related disease
A review article now published in Nature Reviews Genetics brings together evolutionary theory, comparative genomics and large-scale human genetics to explain why we age and why aging rates differ among individuals and species.
phys.org
June 11, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Longer human lives may be making an old evolutionary pattern harder to ignore. Late-acting harmful variants and youth-tuned pathways can now shape health on a scale selection never removed. doi.org/hb7fmz
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
New preprint from my PhD is out!
We show that loss of miR‑219 disrupts neural border gene programs and prevents neural crest specification.
Excited to finally share it 🚀
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#xenopus #miRNA #genomics
We show that loss of miR‑219 disrupts neural border gene programs and prevents neural crest specification.
Excited to finally share it 🚀
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#xenopus #miRNA #genomics
MicroRNA miR-219 is required for neural border and neural crest development in Xenopus neurulas
Neural crest (NC) multipotent stem cells give rise to many tissues including most of the peripheral nervous system, pigment cells and the craniofacial mesenchyme and skeleton. During gastrulation and ...
www.biorxiv.org
June 12, 2026 at 8:20 AM
New preprint from my PhD is out!
We show that loss of miR‑219 disrupts neural border gene programs and prevents neural crest specification.
Excited to finally share it 🚀
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#xenopus #miRNA #genomics
We show that loss of miR‑219 disrupts neural border gene programs and prevents neural crest specification.
Excited to finally share it 🚀
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#xenopus #miRNA #genomics
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
And the press release is at www.su.se/english/news...
June 3, 2026 at 10:22 AM
And the press release is at www.su.se/english/news...
Reposted by Alexei Maklakov
We took ~750,000 whole genomes and found the putative mechanism by which mitochondrial DNA mutations accumulate with age in blood. Spoiler: we think these mutations arise by replication error and tag age-related clonal hematopoiesis. Read @nature.com broad.io/ob2jft
Mechanism of age-related accumulation of mtDNA mutations in human blood - Nature
Genome-wide analyses indicate that accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations, a hallmark of ageing, may be caused by cryptic replication errors, which act as passenger mutations that eventually become detectable with age owing to age-related somatic mosaicism, rather than oxidative damage.
broad.io
May 31, 2026 at 11:46 PM
We took ~750,000 whole genomes and found the putative mechanism by which mitochondrial DNA mutations accumulate with age in blood. Spoiler: we think these mutations arise by replication error and tag age-related clonal hematopoiesis. Read @nature.com broad.io/ob2jft
Job advert!
There is microbiology lectureship at @biouea.bsky.social with a focus on non-academic impact:
vacancies.uea.ac.uk/vacancies/20...
There is microbiology lectureship at @biouea.bsky.social with a focus on non-academic impact:
vacancies.uea.ac.uk/vacancies/20...
Impact Lecturer in Microbiology (ATR1737) in University of East Anglia | UEA
View details and apply for this Impact Lecturer in Microbiology (ATR1737) vacancy in University of East Anglia. Faculty of Science
School of Biological Sciences
Impact Lecturer in Microbiology...
vacancies.uea.ac.uk
June 3, 2026 at 7:32 AM
Job advert!
There is microbiology lectureship at @biouea.bsky.social with a focus on non-academic impact:
vacancies.uea.ac.uk/vacancies/20...
There is microbiology lectureship at @biouea.bsky.social with a focus on non-academic impact:
vacancies.uea.ac.uk/vacancies/20...