The Company of Biologists

40 years since the Heidelberg genetic screen that revolutionized developmental and cell biology ABSTRACT. Our current understanding of the molecular basis of embryonic development and the shared machinery underlying this remarkable process has its roots in three papers published 40 years ago, wh...

You can read Mark's 2024 @dev-journal.bsky.social Review article here: doi.org/10.1242/dev....

The Company of Biologists 100 logo to the left and QR code to the right. Portrait of Mark Peifer to the left, text to the right 100 extraordinary biologists Mark Peifer Mark Peifer is a recent Company Director and a prolific author, having published in Development, Journal of Cell Science and Biology Open. Mark is a cell and developmental biologist at the University of North Carolina, USA, investigating the epithelial tissues that form the basic architectural unit of our bodies and of those of other animals. #100biologists #biologists100

Our next extraordinary biologist is Mark Peifer, recent @biologists.bsky.social Director and a prolific author, having published in @dev-journal.bsky.social, @jcellsci.bsky.social and @biologyopen.bsky.social. #100biologists
@peiferlabunc.bsky.social

The Company of Biologists 100 logo to the left and QR code to the right. Portrait of Cathy Jackson to the left, text to the right 100 extraordinary biologists Cathy Jackson Cathy Jackson is a Biology Open Deputy Editor and an Editorial Advisory Board member at Journal of Cell Science. Cathy is a Research Director at the Institut Jacques Monod, France, investigating the molecular mechanisms regulating vesicular and lipid trafficking in yeast and mammalian cells. #100biologists #biologists100

We are highlighting Cathy Jackson, @biologyopen.bsky.social Deputy Editor and an Editorial Advisory Board member at @jcellsci.bsky.social, as an extraordinary biologist this week. #100biologists @ijmonod.bsky.social

September in preprints – Cell biology edition - preLights

Happy October 1st!

A good time to share another #CellBio #preprint reading list put together by a team of preLighters: @sristi.bsky.social, Matthew Davies, @vibhasingh.bsky.social, @fadelvalle.bsky.social & Barbora Knotkova.

Check out their picks ⬇️👀
prelights.biologists.com/prelists/sep...

Special Issue: Cell Biology of the Nucleus Guest Editor: Abby Buchwalter Deadline 3 November 2025 Journal of Cell Science call for papers

We're still accepting submissions for our next special issue: Cell Biology of the Nucleus

Guest edited by Abby Buchwalter and JCS Editor Megan King.

Submission deadline: 3 November

Find out more: journals.biologists.com/jcs/pages/nu...

#CellBiology #Nucelus #Cells #Biology #Academia #Research

Imaging with... Cellular Analysis Facility, University of Glasgow - FocalPlane Imaging with... Cellular Analysis Facility, University of Glasgow - Imaging with...

Our Imaging with… series, highlighting microscopy core facilities from around the world, returns with the Cellular Analysis Facility at @uofglasgow.bsky.social. Meet the team, the microscopes, and learn how (and why) you should acknowledge the facility.
focalplane.biologists.com/2025/09/24/i...

Workshop: Novelty, Co-option and Divergence During Gene Network Evolution. Organisers: James Hombría and Antónia Monteiro. 14-17 June 2026, Buxted Park, East Sussex, UK. Early-career researchers apply for funded places.

Calling early-career developmental biologists!

Apply for a funded place at our #Workshop, Novelty, Co-option and Divergence During Gene Network Evolution.

Application deadline: 5 December

www.biologists.com/workshops/ju...

#DevBio #BiologistsWorkshops #Collaboration #Networking

Tree of the Year You voted in your thousands to help us crown this year's Tree of the Year and now we have our winner!

The winner of Woodland Trust's UK Tree of the Year 2025 is the Argyle Street ash in Glasgow, pictured below.

Read about this tree's story and what it means to the community in Glasgow:

www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-...

#Trees #WoodlandTrust #Nature #Conservation #Environment #Community

European Drosophila Research Conference logo

Proud to support the 2025 European Drosophila Research Conference (EDRC) @edrc2025.bsky.social and publish important Drosophila research across our portfolio of journals.

edrc2025alicante.com

#EDRC2025

Saurabh Chand Sagar standing on a cobblestone path beside a waterfront during twilight. They are wearing a beige blazer, white pants, and tan boots, with one hand resting on a chain-link barrier adorned with padlocks. Behind them, calm water reflects the warm lights of large brick buildings and a tall chimney, suggesting a historic dockland or industrial area. The sky transitions from deep blue to orange, indicating sunset. The scene combines architectural charm, soft lighting, and tranquil reflections to create a picturesque urban atmosphere.

We are pleased to share insights from our second winner of our competition for the most sustainable journeys to #biologists100.

Read the blog from Saurabh Chand Sagar about how he minimised carbon emissions whilst travelling.

Read more: www.biologists.com/stories/redu...

#Sustainability

The Company of Biologists 100 logo to the left and QR code to the right. Portrait of James Liao to the left, text to the right 100 extraordinary biologists James Liao James Liao was awarded the 2024 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics for his 2004 JEB study showing that turbulence created by water flow moving past a stationary cylinder can effectively propel both live and dead fish positioned behind it. James’s lab at the University of Florida, USA, investigates biomechanics, neuroscience and movement ecology. #100biologists #biologists100

We are highlighting James Liao, who was awarded the 2024 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics for his 2004 @jexpbiol.bsky.social study, as an extraordinary biologist. #100biologists

preLights is a #preprint highlighting service—supported by @biologists.bsky.social—encouraging #ECRs to highlight and discuss preprints that spark interest or debate within the biological #community. #SciComm

Interested in joining? Our 'call for preLighters' is open for another week! ⬇️👀

Photos of Honor Fell, Karm Bahl, Peter Medawar, Jean Hanson, Irène Manton, Linda Amos, Juan Bonifacino, Chiara Zurzolo, David Stephens, Elif Nur Firat-Karalar. Text: 'First Persons' through the decades - 100 years of notable scientists in Journal of Cell Science

Our ‘First Person’ series was launched in 2017 to highlight the first authors of our Research Articles. In this ‘First Persons through the decades’ article, Amelia Glazier highlights some notable scientists who have published first-author papers in JCS.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...

Yes, this is now possible for all five of our journals.

An additional language abstract in Hawaiian, that has been published in Journal of Experimental Biology.

See an example of an abstract in Hawaiian, published in Journal of Experimental Biology: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Authors can now include a translation of their submitted manuscript’s abstract in their chosen language, which will be published directly following the English language abstract.

We also enable the display of non-Western character author names.

Read more: journals.biologists.com/dmm/pages/news

Lots of illustrated trees. A sample image taken from the Forest of Biologists website.

In our Forest of Biologists we fund the restoration and preservation of ancient woodland and dedicate these trees to our peer reviewers.

There are now over 10,000 trees for peer reviews!

Thank you to all our peer reviewers. Find out more:
forest.biologists.com

#PRW2025 @peerreviewweek.bsky.social

The Company of Biologists celebrates its first Global South Workshop ABSTRACT. In March 2024, The Company of Biologists hosted the first Global South Workshop, dedicated to supporting a wider selection of research communities around the world. The Workshop was hosted a...

To know more about @biologists.bsky.social's first Global South Workshop, read this article: doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

The Company of Biologists 100 logo to the left and QR code to the right. Portrait of Tshepiso Majelantle to the left, text to the right 100 extraordinary biologists Tshepiso Majelantle Tshepiso Majelantle is an early-career researcher and postdoc at Witwatersrand University, South Africa, who attended The Company of Biologists' first Global South Workshop, How Global South Research Can Shape the Future of Comparative Physiology, and is joining the team of Outside JEB writers in 2026. #100biologists #biologists100

Our next extraordinary biologist is Tshepiso Majelantle, early-career researcher and postdoc at Witwatersrand University, South Africa, who attended @biologists.bsky.social's first Global South Workshop in 2024. #100biologists #NPAW2025

To celebrate National Postdoc's theme of communicating your science and research, we share advice and tips from our #SciCommConnect webinar which discussed practical ways to help researchers deliver their message.

Find out more:

thenode.biologists.com/scicommconne...

#LovePostdocs #NPAW2025

Call for papers for JCS Special Issue Text: Special Issue Cell Biology of the Nucleus Guest Editor: Abby Buchwalter Deadline: 3 November 2025 Image of a cell with a heart-shaped nucleus (Image credit: Hoang Anh Le) Journal of Cell Science logo

Call for papers: Cell Biology of the Nucleus

We invite you to submit your latest research to our special issue: Cell Biology of the Nucleus, guest edited by @abbybuch.bsky.social alongside JCS Editor Megan King @luskinglab.bsky.social.
Deadline: 3 November
journals.biologists.com/jcs/pages/nu...

Catch up with authors across the history of Biology Open Contributors to this article. Left to right: Michael Herbert, Albena Dinkova-Kostova, Andrea Paterlini, Daisy Pineda-Suazo, Wim van der Poel.The Company of Biologists is celebrating its 100-year anniv...

To know about Daisy's experience of publishing with @biologyopen.bsky.social, read this Editorial: doi.org/10.1242/bio....

The Company of Biologists 100 logo to the left and QR code to the right. Portrait of Daisy Pineda-Suazo to the left, text to the right 100 extraordinary biologists Daisy Pineda-Suazo Daisy Pineda-Suazo was interviewed for Biology Open’s ‘First Person’ series in 2024 after her first-author publication on the detailed characterisation of digestive enzyme activity in Octopus maya. Daisy is a postdoctoral researcher at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico. #100biologists #biologists100

We are featuring Daisy Pineda-Suazo, who was interviewed for @biologyopen.bsky.social's ‘First Person’ series in 2024 after her first-author publication in the journal, as an extraordinary biologist. #100biologists #NPAW2025

View further interviews and tips from webinar participants Rachel Mckeown @rachelmckeown.bsky.social , Piyush Daga @piyushdaga4892.bsky.social , Vibha Singh and Lina El Hajji @linaelhajji.bsky.social

Introducing Shreya Pramanik - one of the SciCommConnect three-minute talk winners - preLights In June, the Node, preLights and FocalPlane hosted SciCommConnect, a science communication event focussed on learning new scicomm skills and networking with like-minded researchers. As part of the day...

Shreya Pramanik was the joint competition winner. Watch this video on @prelights.bsky.social
as Shreya talks about her current work, career so far and interest in #scicomm.
prelights.biologists.com/news/introdu...

Introducing SciCommConnect three-minute talk winner Oliver Anderson - FocalPlane Introducing SciCommConnect three-minute talk winner Oliver Anderson - News

Oliver Anderson was the joint competition winner. @focalplane.bsky.social caught up with Oliver to find out more about his research and his science communication experience. focalplane.biologists.com/2024/08/07/i...

A key part of the webinar was the three-minute competition in which researchers had just three minutes to not only showcase their research but do so in an accessible and engaging way. Read how they got on and their top tips in this thread.

The webinar was delivered by our community sites @the-node.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social & @focalplane.bsky.social
and guest speakers Jamie Gallagher @jamiebgall.co.uk
and John Wallingford
@jbwallingford.bsky.social

SciCommConnect Science communication, community connections Monday 10 June 2024, 13:00 - 18:00 BST online event Shareable science Jamie Gallagher, science communicator and consultant Three minute research talk competition #DevBiolWriteClub John Wallingford, Principal Investigator at UT Austin, USA Writing sprints the Node, preLights and FocalPlane logos

To celebrate the #NPAW2025 theme of communicating your science and research, we share advice and tips from our #SciCommConnect webinar, which discussed practical ways to help researchers deliver their message. Find out more bit.ly/3K6GeCC #LovePostdocs

Woodland butterflies have declined by 47% since 1990. State of the UK's Woods and Trees Report 2025. Woodland Trust logo. People's Postcode Lottery logo. Postcode Green Trust logo. Image of yellow and brown butterfly.

What’s happening to the UK’s woods?

We’re proud to partner with the Woodland Trust, who have published their State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2025 report, putting woodlands back under the microscope to check up on their health and see what’s changed.

bit.ly/3USkOeC

Image: John Bridges WTML