We're hiring 4 postdocs at @unibo.it to study nervous system evolution. Seeking expertise in single-cell genomics, molecular or developmental biology in ctenophores, cnidarians, echinoderms, flies or human stem cells. 2+2 yrs contract. Deadline: 26 Aug. Please share! bandi.unibo.it/s/apos7/proc...

Procedura di valutazione comparativa per titoli e colloquio per il conferimento di n. 4 contratti di ricerca presso il Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - SSD BIOS-04/A - GSD...

bandi.unibo.it

📢 JOB ALERT! 📢 I am recruiting a 30-month postdoc to work on modelling the vision of trilobites @hfspo.bsky.social ! If you like 3D data, fossils, and functional morphology, this is the one for you! 📆Deadline 27. Aug Pls contact me with any Qs and share widely! www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...

Hot off the press @official-smbe.bsky.social MBE - a phylum-wide assessment to systematically evaluate, refine, and revise current understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of the #arthropod moulting genetic toolkit! academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...

Evolutionary dynamics of the arthropod moulting machinery

Abstract. Exoskeletons define arthropods, providing support for segmented bodies and appendages while protecting against environmental stress and predation

academic.oup.com

📢 preprint update: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🦀🧬🦐🧬🐝🧬🦋🧬 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐚 #phylogenomics #evolution #biodiversity With Giulia Campli, @marcrr.bsky.social, & @chipman-lab.bsky.social

Convergent gene family evolution underpins repeated transitions to metamorphic development across Pancrustacea

Arthropod developmental modes are highly diverse, ranging from direct development with little morphological change between moults to metamorphic life-stage progressions characterised by profound trans...

biorxiv.org

A new and exciting crop in my vegetable garden: swallowtail caterpillars growing on a rue plant (Ruta chalepensis) I planted especially for them.

A new and exciting crop in my vegetable garden: swallowtail caterpillars growing on a rue plant (Ruta chalepensis) I planted especially for them.

The smallest centipedes have 30 legs, while the largest ever discovered had 382 👀 🐛 Despite the name, no centipede with exactly 100 legs has ever been found. Surprising science explains why!

Take 30 scientists at all career stages, interested in the evolution of gene regulatory networks, lock them in an English country house for 4 days, feed them and give them unlimited amounts of alcohol. What do you get? Probably the most exciting conference I have ever attended. #BiologistsWorkshops

Take 30 scientists at all career stages, interested in the evolution of gene regulatory networks, lock them in an English country house for 4 days, feed them and give them unlimited amounts of alcohol. What do you get? Probably the most exciting conference I have ever attended. #BiologistsWorkshops

It's very difficult to work out the relationships between spiral cleaving phyla. With interesting implications for their origins and the interpretation of Cambrian fossils. Work by @anaserrasilva.bsky.social. Supported by @leverhulme.ac.uk.

Ana Serra Silva@anaserrasilva.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Now officially out in @elife.bsky.social! See how @maxjtelford.bsky.social and myself approached resolving spiralian relationships. doi.org/10.7554/eLif...

At last week’s European conference, a group of “left wing” students ignored or actively boycotted my students and me. Meanwhile, I was hanging out with Egyptian, Iranian, Moroccan and Turkish colleagues. Many European leftist activists don’t really understand the Middle East.

At last week’s European conference, a group of “left wing” students ignored or actively boycotted my students and me. Meanwhile, I was hanging out with Egyptian, Iranian, Moroccan and Turkish colleagues. Many European leftist activists don’t really understand the Middle East.

#EED2026 @marcrr.bsky.social talking about the Bgee database for curated animal gene expression patterns. The database is manually curated, freely available. Collects data from published papers.

Ariel Chipman #EED2026: what is organ identity? (He warned us that this talk "might be a bit rambing" 😅 )

Jerusalem #Pride setting off

A huge thanks to @chipman-lab.bsky.social , my co-author Eviatar, @snsf.ch for funding my PhD, and everyone at Hebrew U who supported this work. Science is a team effort! 🌌✨ #Ecology #LightPollution #Isopods (3/3)

I am absolutely thrilled—my first PhD article is published and making headlines internationally! 🥳🔬 We found that everyday streetlights trigger Armadillo isopods into bizarre, continuous "death spirals." Read the paper in @ecol-evol.bsky.social here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 🧵👇 (1/3)

Gene family evolutionary dynamics reveal convergent genomic signatures in pancrustacean metamorphosis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.06.723392v1

Understanding how #gene family dynamics contribute to the evolutionary transitions in life histories among #arthropods www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

An Increase in Animal Diversity was Facilitated by Ecologically-Driven Brain Complexity Throughout the Cambrian | BioEssays doi.org/10.1002/bies...

An Increase in Animal Diversity was Facilitated by Ecologically‐Driven Brain Complexity Throughout the Cambrian

The Brain-First Hypothesis suggests that the Cambrian transition from animals with simple body plans and simple brains to more complex animals was driven by a selection for brains with increased neur...

doi.org

~ 550–520 mya was a dramatic period in evolution... This asks, what if the brain came first? And gives a different of view the Cambrian Explosion An Increase in Animal Diversity was Facilitated by Ecologically-Driven Brain Complexity Throughout the Cambrian🧪 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

A new theoretical model proposes that the evolution of complex brains played a central role in driving the gradual increase in animal diversity during the Cambrian period. doi.org/hb2j8b

What if the brain came first? Scientist rethinks the Cambrian Explosion

For decades, scientists have sought to explain the so-called "Cambrian Explosion," a pivotal period over 500 million years ago when a remarkable diversity of animal life appeared in the fossil record.

phys.org

It is just over two years since publication of "Organismic Animal Biology". I have gotten very positive feedback in person, but there have been almost no reviews of the book. If you are one of the ~100 people who purchased a copy and liked it, please post a review on your favorite online bookshop.

Ariel Chipman@chipman-lab.bsky.social · 2y ago

ICYMI: My book "Organismic Animal Biology - An Evolutionary Approach" came out earlier this year. If you are teaching an introductory zoology/organismic biology course, this is the textbook you've been waiting for. global.oup.com/academic/cov... More details in the first reply:

It is just over two years since publication of "Organismic Animal Biology". I have gotten very positive feedback in person, but there have been almost no reviews of the book. If you are one of the ~100 people who purchased a copy and liked it, please post a review on your favorite online bookshop.

Ariel Chipman@chipman-lab.bsky.social · 2y ago

ICYMI: My book "Organismic Animal Biology - An Evolutionary Approach" came out earlier this year. If you are teaching an introductory zoology/organismic biology course, this is the textbook you've been waiting for. global.oup.com/academic/cov... More details in the first reply:

New paper published! Another of my "sabbatical papers" - a series of papers that evolved and matured through discussions with colleagues while I was on a six month roaming sabbatical a couple of years ago. This one discusses the #Cambrian #explosion. 1/6 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

An Increase in Animal Diversity was Facilitated by Ecologically‐Driven Brain Complexity Throughout the Cambrian

The Brain-First Hypothesis suggests that the Cambrian transition from animals with simple body plans and simple brains to more complex animals was driven by a selection for brains with increased neur...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Hey you! I am still on the market for jobs this fall! I am an entomologist who specializes in inclusive biology teaching (15+ semesters of collegiate instruction) and a broad array of research skills spanning collection & ID, molecular work (RNAi, Genomics), and phenotyping (behavior, physiology)🧪

a person is holding a green grasshopper in their hand with the word cube visible in the background

Alt: a person is holding a green katydid in their hand, the katydid is waving its front legs around

media.tenor.com

New paper published! Another of my "sabbatical papers" - a series of papers that evolved and matured through discussions with colleagues while I was on a six month roaming sabbatical a couple of years ago. This one discusses the #Cambrian #explosion. 1/6 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

An Increase in Animal Diversity was Facilitated by Ecologically‐Driven Brain Complexity Throughout the Cambrian

The Brain-First Hypothesis suggests that the Cambrian transition from animals with simple body plans and simple brains to more complex animals was driven by a selection for brains with increased neur...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Remember the rock pool from yesterday? Here is what we found under the microscope: Ostracods and ostracod eggs! They seem to be doing some sort of parental care and waving their antennae over the eggs. @jopabinia.bsky.social

Yesterday we had a lab outing to say goodbye to Asya Novikova. Asya has been in the lab (on and off) for over 15 years: as an intern, as a student and as an animal technician. We are sad to see her go, but it is time for her to move on.

New paper led by Ph.D. student Idan @sheizaf.bsky.social Combining citizen science, behavioral ecology, taxonomy of rare species and anthropogenic disturbance. Something for everyone. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....