Last week, our amazing Patrícia Francisco represented the lab at #NeuroFly2026 in Cologne, presenting our latest work: "Ovary-derived signals align protein appetite with oogenesis." (if you're curious, take a look: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...) It was a great week, with great talks and people.

Thrilled to share that Zita @carvalhosantosz.bsky.social has been selected as a FENS-Kavli Scholar, representing 🇵🇹 in the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence! During the next 4 years she will join a group of 30 scientists to shape the future of neuroscience through collaboration and discovery!

@fkne-scholars.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Welcome to the 15 newly selected #FENSKavliScholars! Representing 12 European countries, they join a network of 30 Scholars across 21 countries and 25 nationalities. 🧠✨With thanks to @fens.org, @kavlifoundation.org, @alleninstitute.org and our partners for supporting FKNE. h1.nu/1t8Lw

Wow! We are now supported by both the company of biologists and EMBO! I am so proud of our organising team!

Junior European Drosophila Investigators@fly-jedi.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Amazing news! The company of biologists @biologists.bsky.social has decided to support our upcoming meeting! We now only have a couple of spots left for the upcoming JEDI #Drosophila meeting. 📍Palmela, Portugal 📅 June 1st to 3rd Register: congressos.mundiconvenius.pt/geral/inseri...

The 1st Metabolism & Physiology Day took place at @gimminstitute.bsky.social . It was a day full of engaging discussions and scientific exchange within the community, sparking new ideas and potential collaborations. We would like to thank Sara Violante, for the amazing expert talk. 🧵

🎉 Exciting news for our lab: we will have open positions soon #PostdoctoralResearcher #ResearchTechnician! If you are interested in #SocialBehaviour, #FearResponses, and #DrosophilaMelanogaster, get in touch with a short CV and a statement of research interests.

Extended registration deadline for our conference (June 1st - 3rd in Palmela, Portugal) to May 15th! Join if you are a Junior #Drosophila PI or senior #postdoc about to transition to independence. Spread the word! 🎬Venue: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P1n... 🔗Registration: fly-jedi.org/meetings/202...

Pousada de Palmela

YouTube video by Pestana Hotel Group

youtube.com

What are the next steps toward understanding how metabolism shapes physiology? In our new Perspective, we explore this through a study from the Schirmeier Lab (doi.org/10.1113/JP28...). The authors show how neuronal PPP regulates redox balance by combining Drosophila genetics and metabolic sensor.

Seeing is believing: metabolic sensors illuminate cell‑specific metabolic requirements

Click on the article title to read more.

physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

‼️ GENTLE REMINDER ‼️
Only 1 week left to register! Don’t miss this opportunity to come together and discuss the hottest topics in Drosophila research! Join us in Pamela to enjoy great science, sun, and of course… pastéis de nata! We can’t wait to see you there!

Zita’s Keynote Speaker Debut! 
Huge thanks to the @drosospain.bsky.social organisers for the invitation!
It has been a blast hearing about all the fantastic work our neighbours are doing!!!

Drosophila Spain@drosospain.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We started the daybtoday at #DrosoSpain2026 with an excellent keynote by @zsantoslab.bsky.social from GIMM Portugal and @fly-jedi.bsky.social on her lab’s most recent results on metabolism and fertility in #Drosophila

What is our research focus? The answer captured in a single picture by Quirky Luísa (ig: quirky.luisa)

GIMM Institute@gimminstitute.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Quirky Luísa brought colour to the fruit flies studied in Zita Carvalho-Santos’ lab! Using this model, the team studies how cellular metabolism and nutrient intake impact fertility and embryo development. Their goal is ultimately contributing to improved reproductive health.

Look at this view! And even better: every attendee gives a talk making this meeting extremely collaborative. This is THE meeting to be for #NewPI #Drosophila researchers - and those who want to connect to them!

Junior European Drosophila Investigators@fly-jedi.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Calling all #Drosophila #NewPI #researchers! A few spots remain for the upcoming JEDI Conference - and you won’t want to miss this! Every attendee gives a talk, making the exchange dynamic, personal, and highly interactive - all at a stunning venue that inspires collaboration and creativity.

🚨🚨 New preprint 🚨🚨 We found that the ovary directly controls protein appetite in Drosophila. Yes — the ovary doesn’t just make eggs… it tells the fly what to eat! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... If you want all the details, click above ☝️ If you just want the fun, GIF-guided overview, keep reading 👇

I finally had some time to improve my poster about staging Drosophila embryos in collaboration with @stramerlab.bsky.social and we would like to share this with the community! You can find it here or at a higher resolution on my portfolio: www.behance.net/gallery/2458... #DrosophilaEmbryogenesis

Calling all #Drosophila #NewPI #researchers! A few spots remain for the upcoming JEDI Conference - and you won’t want to miss this! Every attendee gives a talk, making the exchange dynamic, personal, and highly interactive - all at a stunning venue that inspires collaboration and creativity.

🚨 Book Chapter Alert! Reproduction isn’t just about producing offspring! It’s tightly connected to organismal physiology, environment, and behavior! In this chapter, Zita discusses insect reproductive strategies and provides an overview of the mechanisms controlling oogenesis in fruit flies!

The dynamic relationship between oogenesis and whole-animal physiology

Reproduction is a key determinant of animal fitness, requiring the coordination between internal physiological processes and external environmental cu…

sciencedirect.com