European Researchers’ Night is returning to Heidelberg! On 25 Sept 2026, EMBL and Merck will host a Festival of Science and Curiosity on the EMBL Heidelberg campus, with hands-on science, lab tours, the Curiosity Cube™ mobile science lab, and activities for all ages. www.embl.org/news/connect...

European Researchers’ Night 2026: A festival of science and curiosity | EMBL

EMBL and Merck are bringing back the European Researchers’ Night to Heidelberg on 25 September 2026, with activities for all ages.

embl.org

DEADLINE APPROACHING! ⏰ Apply to Comparative Developmental Biology by July 28. This intensive two-week laboratory course is designed for graduate students in their second or later year of Ph.D studies and post-docs. 🔗 More info here: go.mbl.edu/CDB

Huge thanks to Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo for opening our Developmental Biology series 26/27 @embl.org. Iñaki showed us how studying our closest unicellular relatives is reshaping what we know about animal origins and why exploring the unknown is key to any field. We couldn't have asked for a better start! 🦠

🔥Congrats to Gaurav @gvaidya.bsky.social and Hanh Vu @hanhtkvu.bsky.social @embl.org on their first preprint! Using the planarian Phagocata morgani, they show that temperature acts like a switch controlling a stem cell pool that decides whether a worm remains asexual or develops new sexual organs 🪱

Hanh Vu@hanhtkvu.bsky.social · last mo.

Super excited that the first preprint from the lab is out! Led by an amazing student, Gaurav @gvaidya.bsky.social, jointly supervised with @mwdorr.bsky.social.

🎓Congratulations to Laura Rustarazo-Calvo @laura-rustarazo.bsky.social from the Petridou group @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social who has successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Uncoupling adhesion- and density-driven rigidity transitions triggers epithelial organisation in embryonic tissues”

I am thrilled to share my PhD work with @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social @embl.org: www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... A fun collaboration with Bernat Corominas-Murtra, Adrián Aguirre-Tamaral, @bart-smeets.bsky.social , Jef Vanghel and Tom Belpaire! Read the story in the comments below ⤵️

Double preprint! 👇 Check out our latest studies on timing, heterogeneity and collective behaviour (with a fun tiny bonus on evolution!) 1. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 2. arxiv.org/abs/2605.13234

Cellular timing heterogeneity regulates phase transitions in living matter

Rigidity transitions govern tissue organization in ways reminiscent of inert materials. Yet, living tissues are composed of active units with autonomous timing mechanisms, raising the question whether...

biorxiv.org

Lena Schindler@lena-schindler.bsky.social · last mo.

I am thrilled to share my PhD work with @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social @embl.org: www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... A fun collaboration with Bernat Corominas-Murtra, Adrián Aguirre-Tamaral, @bart-smeets.bsky.social , Jef Vanghel and Tom Belpaire! Read the story in the comments below ⤵️

First pre-print from the lab, a collaborative effort led by Jess Bourn @bournsupremacy.bsky.social, a fantastic PhD in my group. We resolve a key problem in development + evolution: how do we quantify heterochrony and link temporal variation to phenotype? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Quantitative mapping of heterochrony to species-specific phenotypes

The genetic program of animal development is conserved, but its rate of execution varies across species. Heterochrony, shifts in the relative timing of developmental events, generates phenotypic varia...

biorxiv.org

Our beautiful mosaic embryo made it to the cover! 🔥

Nicoletta Petridou@nicolettapetridou.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A very pleasant surprise to see that we got the cover for this paper 🥳 @natphys.nature.com

A very pleasant surprise to see that we got the cover for this paper 🥳 @natphys.nature.com

Nicoletta Petridou@nicolettapetridou.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Here the published version of our work on uncoupling different types of tissue phase transitions during development! Find out more on how contact surface tension-driven rigidity transitions trigger tricellular junction formation and initiate epithelial organization! @natphys.nature.com

✨ At the last DB unit unit seminar @embl.org, Jaroslav Ferenc @jarofrnc.bsky.social a postdoc in the Ikmi group @aikmi.bsky.social, showed how tissue-specific metabolic preferences drive developmental decisions #devbio #nematostella #devmetabolism

🎓 Congratulations to Kristina Mirkes from the Vu group @hanhtkvu.bsky.social @embl.org who has successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Regulatory mechanisms of size-dependent growth dynamics in Schmidtea mediterranea” #DevelopmentalBiology #Planarian #PhDDefense #newdoctor

Unplanned reunion with former @embldbunit.bsky.social labmates @aliseleit.bsky.social and @jorgelazaro.bsky.social at #EED2026!!

Here the published version of our work on uncoupling different types of tissue phase transitions during development! Find out more on how contact surface tension-driven rigidity transitions trigger tricellular junction formation and initiate epithelial organization! @natphys.nature.com

Laura Rustarazo-Calvo@laura-rustarazo.bsky.social · 2mo ago

⚡ Our paper is now out in @natphys.nature.com ! This version now includes a detailed molecular characterisation of the optogenetic perturbations, new insights on the relevance of tricellular junctions for tissue morphology, and beautiful light-sheet timelapses. 🔬 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

✨At this week's DB unit seminar @embl.org, Serena Flori @serenaflori.bsky.social, a postdoc in the Vincent group @floravincent.bsky.social, presented her work on the structural basis of diatom responses to marine heatwaves. You can also check out her paper here: www.cell.com/current-biol...

Glad to see this out in its final form! www.nature.com/articles/s41... What changed since the preprint? Wonderful experiments disentangling the effect of receptor binding vs tissue porosity on Nodal diffusion, plus one of the smoothest review experiences! Thanks @natcellbio.nature.com & reviewers 🙏

Tissue rigidity phase transition shapes morphogen gradients - Nature Cell Biology

Autorino et al. report a feedback loop between Nodal signalling and tissue phase transitions in zebrafish embryos. Nodal alters adhesion, triggering tissue rigidification and reduced porosity, which l...

nature.com

Nicoletta Petridou@nicolettapetridou.bsky.social · last yr.

Here our latest work on how morphogens trigger tissue phase transitions to tune their own length-scales and time-scales - An exciting collaboration with @zhvas.bsky.social @dianakhorom.bsky.social Bernat Corominas-Murtra and heroic experiments by the incredible @cami-autorino.bsky.social @embl.org

✨ This week, Nikki Cannon, a PhD student in the van Gestel group @jordivangestel.bsky.social, presented her work on creating an end-to-end assembly and annotation pipeline for Dictyostelids at the DB unit seminar @embl.org

Many thanks @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social from @embl.org Heidelberg for visiting us @centuri-ls.bsky.social and giving a truly exciting talk on cell division timing and phase transition during embryogenesis 🤩! Developmental biology is really cool 😎

🔥New work from the Crocker group @justinmcrocker.bsky.social @embl.org on the mechanistic and evolutionary basis of dominance from cis-regulatory variation in Drosophila Congratulations to Noa @ottilie.bsky.social and all the authors 🥳

Noa Ottilie Borst@ottilie.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Excited to share my first preprint from my PhD w/ @justinmcrocker.bsky.social. We show that cell type-specific regulatory dominance promotes robustness and evolutionary innovation through interallelic transcriptional hubs, potentially expanding the mutational paths available to diploids. (1/18)

🔥New paper from the Ikmi group @aikmi.bsky.social @embl.org who discovered a "secret" second valve in Nematostella vectensis that acts as a pressure release system. Congratulations to all the authors 🥳

Aissam Ikmi@aikmi.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Now published. Congrats to Soham and all co-authors! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/.... @embl.org

✨ At this week's DB Unit Seminar @embl.org , Levin Riedel, a phD student in the Ikmi group @aikmi.bsky.social, presented his work on the effects of neuropeptides on morphogenesis and development of Nematostella vectensis larvae and polyps.

✨ At this week's DB seminar @embl.org, Jlenia Vitale, a postdoc in the Petridou group @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social, presented her work on the interplay between cell-cell adhesion and mitochondrial activity during tissue phase transitions in Zebrafish and killifish embryos 🐟🔬#DevelopmentalBiology

🔥 Fantatstic work by Antonella Ruggiero and colleagues @embl.org and @szndohrn.bsky.social that opens new doors to understanding the decision-making mechanisms of phytoplankton and the hidden complexity of single-celled life in our oceans #Diatoms #DevelopmentalBiology #SingleCellRNA #Phytoplankton

Antonella@antonellaruggiero.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Did you know diatoms can choose whether to mate? Check out our pre print on the hidden sex life of diatoms!! 👉https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.25.714164v1 More complexity than expected in these tiny organisms..🔬 @embldbunit.bsky.social

Apart from learning, there are also important (and fun) networking activities going on at #EESBioOsc. #SciencePubQuiz

When conference participants take part in a human experiment... How to get a group of humans to spontaneously synchronize their walking behaviours in the absence of "leaders" (watch out for the one who was attempting to cheat the system!) What are the most important cues here? 😏 #EESBioOsc

EMBL Events@events.embl.org · 4mo ago

#EESBioOsc has officially begun First talks of the day by Audrey Mat, Theo Geisel and François Schweisguth about biological rhythms, human synchronization and dynamics in the drosophila eye 🧬

Happening now: poster session at #EESBioOsc. Lots of interesting discussions.. who will win the poster prize? 🧬🔬

Are you a postdoc in the job market? Do you have a cool story in the making? You forgot to have lunch and just run your gel backwards? You can't sleep because of the prospect of applying to 100 places and getting two replies only? Apply! 🧪🐟https://www.germanfishmeeting.org/from-postoc-to-pi

From Postoc to PI Session | German Fish Meeting

germanfishmeeting.org

MadScientist@mads100tist.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Thinking about a promotional image to advertise the "From Postdoc to PI" session at the 1st German Fish Meeting, I came up with:

Great start at #EESBioOsc 👏

EMBL Events@events.embl.org · 4mo ago

#EESBioOsc has officially begun First talks of the day by Audrey Mat, Theo Geisel and François Schweisguth about biological rhythms, human synchronization and dynamics in the drosophila eye 🧬

Exciting news 🎉 Ali, who has been a postdoc in the Aulehla group @embl.org, is heading off to an incredible next chapter. Congratulations Ali on your Emmy-Noether funded group leader position at the Faculty of Biology at the University of Freiburg. We are so proud to have had you with us!

Ali Seleit@aliseleit.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Very happy to announce that I will be joining the Faculty of Biology & @cibss.bsky.social at @uni-freiburg.de as an Emmy-Noether funded group leader. We will tackle the molecular and genetic basis of developmental timing and size control using diverse Oryzias species. We are hiring at all levels !

✨ At last week's DB Unit Seminar @embl.org, Camilla Autorino @cami-autorino.bsky.social, a postdoc in the Petridou Group @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social, presented her work on how tissue rigidity phase transition shapes morphogen gradients in zebrafish embryos 🐟🔬