Research Interests: Evolutionary Developmental Biology
Research Topic: Understanding Color Pattern Formation by a Constructive Approach
Shigeyuki grew up in the countryside of Chiba prefecture, Japan, collecting insects and crayfish. As a graduate student, he belonged to a research group which studies social insects, and traveled to many countries to collect samples. During his observation of various organisms, he came up with a question as to how a unique trait specific to particular organisms (novelty) evolves. Using multiple species of fruit flies with various traits and characteristics, we can study the mechanism of pattern formation and its mode of evolution. In the Hakubi project, Shigeyuki studies how patterns are controlled, using fruit fly species with different wing color patterns. When we have a full understanding of the mechanism of pattern formation, we should be able to draw a picture on a fly wing using genetic manipulation.