Queen Mary School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences

Do Insects Experience Consciousness? New Research Explores the Possibility

🐝 New research from @larschittka.bsky.social and his team suggests insects might have elements of consciousness, from emotion-like states to attention and sleep.

Could bees and flies help us understand the origins of awareness?

Read more: www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

🚨Next week🚨

The Centre for Molecular Cell Biology hosts Prof. Michele Vendruscolo from the University of Cambridge to deliver a seminar about: Expediting Drug Discovery for Undruggable Targets Using AI.

Thursday 4th December, 1-2pm: www.seresearch.qmul.ac.uk/cmcb/events/...

@qmulse.bsky.social

We're really proud of the work happening in our school around disability and neurodiversity support.

Dr Ruth Rose and Dr Tim Fulton have spearheaded a bespoke student-first approach that works in real teaching spaces.

Read the full story here: www.qmul.ac.uk/queenmaryaca...

rbfox1 LoF mutants show disrupted bdnf/trkb2 and crhb/nr3c2 expression and increased cortisol levels during development coupled with signs of allostatic overload in adulthood - Translational Psychiatr... Translational Psychiatry - rbfox1 LoF mutants show disrupted bdnf/trkb2 and crhb/nr3c2 expression and increased cortisol levels during development coupled with signs of allostatic overload in...

New research from our school links a key gene, RBFOX1, to stress and anxiety. 🧠

Zebrafish without this gene showed higher cortisol levels, hyperactivity, and increased anxiety, offering new clues about how genetics shape behaviour and mental health. 🧬

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Chema Martin, wearing a dark blue sweater and green trousers, presents his work in front of a seated audience. Behind him, parts of a slide is visible on a screen. It shows a schematic of a planktonic larva.

It was fantastic welcoming back Chema Martin @chemamd.bsky.social from @qmulsbbs.bsky.social at the Centre today 👏 He shared with us his latest work on spiralian larvae evolution, with fascinating insights on the timing of gene expression during development. Thank you for visiting us!

School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences achieves prestigious gender equality award

Our School @qmulsbbs.bsky.social successfully renewed its Athena Swan Silver Award, recognising its commitment to gender equality! Special thanks to @nadinelavan.bsky.social, Guifen Chen, and all the EDI committee for being the driving forces behind the application 👏

www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

Cracking the Genetic Code of Arrow Worms: How Chaetognaths Got Their Unique Body Plan

New Nature study (co-authored by Queen Mary researchers) reveals that arrow worms evolved unique organs by inventing brand-new genes — not just reusing old ones. 🧬🌊

🔗 www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

@qmulse.bsky.social

Losgna: The Lost Wasp That Rewrote a Genus

A parasitic wasp on a windowsill in Chandigarh turned out to be a brand-new species—and revived a genus lost since the 1960s.

Meet Losgna occidentalis, now officially part of science thanks to museum sleuthing and a global team of collaborators.

Read the full story: www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

Researchers uncover link between ADHD and severe premenstrual disorder in women

A new study led by our researchers finds women with ADHD could be 3x more likely to have PMDD — a severe premenstrual disorder with serious health impacts.

Even undiagnosed ADHD symptoms = higher risk.

Find out more: www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

@agnewblais.bsky.social @qmulse.bsky.social

London Lab Automation Community Meetup #5 - Breaking Material Barriers to Lab Automation · Luma By popular demand, we're diving into the underexplored frontiers of lab automation beyond established high-throughput drug screening pipelines! Join us for an…

Dive into the underexplored frontiers of lab automation beyond established high-throughput drug screening pipelines! Join @qmulsbbs.bsky.social for an evening where Material Science takes centre stage in revolutionizing laboratory processes.

lu.ma/10y82mai

Inaugural Symposium of the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology at QMUL – 2025 First symposium of the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology at QMUL

Join us for an engaging day of scientific exchange
at Inaugural Symposium of the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology!

📅 Monday 30th June, 9am - 6pm

📍 Skeel Lecture Theatre, People's Place, Queen Mary University of London

Find out more and register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inaugural-...

Volant Fossil Vertebrates: Potential for Bioinspired Flight Technology Animal flight is ecologically important and has a long evolutionary history. It has evolved independently in many distantly related clades of animals. Powered flight has evolved only three times in ve...

This comes off the back of a paper I wrote with two colleagues a few years ago on the slightly bigger topic of using extinct flying vertebrates as models for aircraft design: www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...

How pterosaurs can inspire aircraft design Looking back in time could inspire the aircraft innovations of the future.

How pterosaurs can inspire aircraft design ✈️

Dr @davehone.bsky.social wrote for The Conversation UK about how ancient flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs may hold the key to future aircraft and drone design.

theconversation.com/how-pterosau...

It's finally here! Great start of the summer. We got our latest preprint from @chemamd.bsky.social in @qmulsbbs.bsky.social @qmulse.bsky.social, showing evidence of developmental system drift in the specification of dorsoventral (belly vs back) axis in annelids 🪱🪱🪱
#DevBio #EvoDevo

Job alert - We are looking for an Environmental Facility Technician @qmulsbbs.bsky.social to help support file work, experiments, isotope ratio mass spectrometry, gas chromatography etc. Please apply here:

qmul-jobs.tal.net/vx/mobile-0/...

Cellular scaffolding secrets unlocked: scientists discover key to microtubule growth

Ever wonder how your cells build themselves? 🤔 New research from @qmulsbbs.bsky.social & @dundee.ac.uk, out in @pnas.org, reveals the key mechanism behind microtubule growth. It's crucial for understanding cell division and has potential impacts on cancer treatments. www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2...

Arctic, feathered … or just weird: what have we learned since Walking with Dinosaurs aired 25 years ago As the BBC updates its groundbreaking series, a look at some of the recent scientific discoveries

What have we learnt in the past 25 years since the groundbreaking BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs first aired?

That's what this article in the @theguardian.com seeks to explore, featuring SBBS' resident paleontologist, @davehone.bsky.social!

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

This #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, we’re spotlighting (Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais (@agnewblais.bsky.social), whose research is reshaping our understanding of ADHD - looking at how genetic and environmental factors shape its progression, especially in girls and women.

#ADHDResearch #WomenInScience

New research co-authored by @kratina.bsky.social shows how human land use + invasive fish are reshaping rivers — and cutting fishery value by 50%.

Native fish are shrinking. Non-natives are thriving. Ecosystem services are vanishing.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

#Ecology #Biodiversity #Conservation

Queen Mary professor, Yannick Wurm joins ARIA as Programme Director

Exciting news! Prof. @yannickwurm.bsky.social is joining @aria-research.bsky.social as a Programme Director.

He’s diving into big, bold questions—like using AI to predict evolution and unlocking the secrets of superorganisms to inspire medical breakthroughs. 🐜🤖💡

www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

Queen Mary researcher Dr Elena Torlai Triglia awarded prestigious Springboard Award from the Academy of Medical Sciences

Congrats to Dr Elena Torlai Triglia, who has received a prestigious Springboard Award from @acmedsci.bsky.social!

Her research is tackling melanoma head-on by investigating how DNA mutations drive the disease—and could lead to more personalised cancer treatments.🧬🧪

www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

Integrating multiple evidence streams to understand insect biodiversity change Insects dominate animal species diversity yet face many threats from anthropogenic drivers of change. Many features of insect ecology make them a challenging group, and the fragmented state of knowled...

Key insights:
‣ Only 1% of known insect species have reliable population data.
‣ 20% of assessed species are classified as threatened (IUCN).
‣ Most monitoring focuses on Europe and North America, leaving huge gaps in Africa & South America.
#Biodiversity #Conservation

New study reveals critical gaps in insect biodiversity research

99% of insect species lack conservation data. A major study led by @ukceh.bsky.social and @zslofficial.bsky.social, with contributions from Professor Iwan Jones and Dr John Murphy of @qmulrivercomms.bsky.social, highlights urgent gaps in our understanding of global insect populations.

Woolly mice are a first step to resurrecting mammoths, but there’s a very long way to go It will take a lot more genetic science than a few tweaks to hair length to make a mammoth from its closest living relative, the Asian elephant.

Could woolly mice be the key to resurrecting mammoths? Dr @alexdemendoza.bsky.social and Benjamin Tapon, PhD student at @qmulsbbs.bsky.social, break down the science behind one company’s ambitious plan to bring back the woolly mammoth through genetic engineering.
theconversation.com/woolly-mice-...

Which film from the Jurassic Park franchise is your favorite? 🎥

@davehone.bsky.social has his say on this matter and much more as he speaks to the New Scientist about the history of dinosaurs in movies.🦕

Watch the full video: institutions.newscientist.com/video/246977...

📹: New Scientist (2025)

YouTube video by Climate Centre The super computer warming campus

We’re transforming waste heat from our Tier 2 data centre into a #sustainable energy source, providing heating and hot water for campus.
Tim Lee, Lead Engineer: "One of our projects is connected to a residency building and will support 250 student showers 365 days a year."

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Pollination Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the interplay between plants and pollinators.

Our resident bee-expert @larschittka.bsky.social was on BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time earlier today, talking to Melvyn Bragg about pollination! 🐝

Listen to the episode here and find out more about this fascinating topic: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m....

Group arts interventions for depression and anxiety among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Nature Mental Health In this systematic review and meta-analysis of group arts interventions for older adults, the authors found that participation in shared artistic experience was associated with lower levels of depress...

Dr Janelle Jones, senior author: “Arts interventions are accessible, cost-effective, and enjoyable. They offer a way to address mental health challenges that doesn’t rely solely on medication or traditional therapy.”

Read the full study in @nature.com #MentalHealth: www.nature.com/articles/s44...

The art of well-being: group activities shown to ease depression and anxiety in older adults

A new @queenmarycbb.bsky.social, @qmulsbbs.bsky.social study reveals that group arts activities like painting, dancing, or music can significantly reduce #depression and #anxiety in older adults. The effect sizes are comparable to antidepressants or talking therapies. www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2...

Queen Mary Professor Appointed to Prestigious WHO Committee on Tumour Classification

Our very own Dr Giulia De Falco has been appointed to a prestigious @who.int subcommittee on tumour classification—the only UK rep on this global panel! Her work will help keep cancer diagnostics up to date & accessible worldwide.

Find out more: www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/news/it...

#CancerResearch #WHO