iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

11/11. A big thanks to all the authors, and especially graduate student Stevie Schauer, who led the work.

Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

10/11. The idea is: that if the pattern or amount of axial muscle activity is altered during a sensitive growth period, that could change the mechanical forces experienced by the vertebral column, making it more vulnerable to progressive curvature.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

9/11. Importantly, these neuronal and behavioral changes were already present before spinal curves started to appear. Our working model is that serotonin may help protect the growing spine by regulating motor output and posture.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

8/11. Looking elsewhere for a cause, we found fewer serotonergic intraspinal neurons in tph2 mutants. That made us think about motor function. Indeed, consistent with some other work, the tph2 mutants spent more time swimming, had longer swim bouts, and took shorter rests between bouts.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

7/11. But we found the Reissner fiber to be normal in tph2 mutants as well.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

6/11. We also checked the Reissner fiber, an thread of protein that runs through the brain ventricles and spinal canal. It is disrupted in many zebrafish scoliosis models, and older work has also linked serotonin to expression levels of the SCO-spondin, the main protein that makes up the fiber.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

5/11. Using the nitroreductase cell ablation system, we ablated the pineal gland in zebrafish through the first several months of life. The result? They did not develop curves. The pineal didn't seem to be the cause of tph2-associated spinal curves.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

4/11. Why might serotonin affect the spine? One possibility was the pineal gland. The pineal uses serotonin to make melatonin, and there is a long history of animal studies linking pineal removal, a surgery called pinealectomy, and melatonin signaling to the development of spinal curves.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

3/11. The spinal phenotype turned out to be quite striking. tph2 mutants develop three-dimensional curves during juvenile growth, even though their vertebrae initially pattern normally. In that way, it's a bit like adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the most common form.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

2/11. After David Prober's lab mentioned that their tph2 zebrafish mutants developed some body curves (Oikonomou et al., 2019), we decided to investigate in more detail. Tph2 is an enzyme that helps make serotonin, a neurotransmitter best known for its roles in the brain and behavior.

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Reposted by Dan Grimes

Alessandro De Simone @desimonelab.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

How is proliferation modulated in regeneration for tissues to reach their right size? We found that, in zebrafish scales, proliferation is shut down by a moving front of osteoblast maturation. The front's dynamics scale with tissue size, ensuring proper osteoblast amplification. tinyurl.com/5e45twx3

tinyurl.com

A moving front of osteoblast maturation scales regenerating zebrafish bone

Successful regeneration recovers lost tissues to their original form. Here, we investigate how proliferation of bone-forming osteoblasts is timely regulated to control tissue size during zebrafish sca...

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

I walked past a group of students running a stall to raise awareness about library closures and ways to support libraries. Mixed emotions. Sad that they have to fight for this, but deeply inspired by their passion.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

As a big soccer fan, I'm so glad to see so many soccer subreddits calling for a stop to linking 'news' from that other place.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Still time to apply for @uoregon.bsky.social Summer Program for Undergraduate Research — a paid 10-week research opportunity this summer for undergrads in the life sciences. Details in the flyer below. Please share.

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Reposted by Dan Grimes

Nathalie Jurisch-Yaksi @nathaliejuya.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Have you ever wondered what role motile #cilia and cerebrospinal fluid (#CSF) play in brain development and physiology? If yes, please check out our latest article now published in Cell Reports and spearheaded by the newly minted Dr D'Gama www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Motile cilia modulate neuronal and astroglial activity in the zebrafish larval brain

The brain uses a specialized system to transport cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), consisting of interconnected ventricles lined by motile ciliated ependymal…

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

Today, I saw daybreak twice. On a short flight I saw the sun come up; a beautiful orange sky. Then we descended and the sun disappeared. The stars came back out. I was at the gate waiting for my next flight when I saw daybreak number 2. I guess the earth really is round!

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

To end on a high note, here's an anti-homophobia campaign that Arsenal players did several years back that I always found funny. (6/6) 🌈 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXtu...

youtube.com

Arsenal stars join anti-homophobia campaign

YouTube video by The Star Isnap

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

You can't avoid politics in football, you just have to decide which side you're on. (5/6)

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

If we keep anti-homophobia campaigns out of football, we're not staying neutral. We're allowing homophobia to thrive in football spaces. That is also a political choice, by the way. (4/6)

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Saying "football shouldn't be political" when it comes to homophobia is just saying "I'm fine with the politics I like but not the ones I don't". (3/6)

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Football is, and always has been, political. Players wear poppies on Remembrance Day, fans sing national anthems before international games, there are anti-racism campaigns and silent moments after deaths and tragedies and their anniversaries. These are all political acts. (2/6)

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

I'm a soccer fan (Arsenal). Recently, the Premier League ran an anti-homophobia campaign where captains wore rainbow armbands. Some refused or altered the message. A common response from fans has been "keep politics out of football [soccer]". Let's unpack why this isn't a serious argument. (1/6)

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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 03/12/2023

There is a human tissue that builds itself up and breaks itself down every 28 days (on average) using non-scarring wound healing and instead of studying that and learning everything we can about it we think it's gross and look for other less relevant models to understand wound healing.

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Paulina Arancibia @pauliarancibia.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

I created this stater pack with women in ecology and evolution. If you want to be added you can comment or DM me, but also please suggest the names of those I am missing 🧪🌎🌐 go.bsky.app/8jFH7cS

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

I would love to read this as I teach EvoDevo, but my institution does not have access. Any chance you could DM me a PDF?

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Thanks for putting these together. Any chance you can include me if there's space?

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Is there any space for me? My lab works on spine morphogenesis in zebrafish.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Would you mind adding me? I work on bone in the context of scoliosis and would love to connect more with others interested in orthopedics.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

I was a regular at Hassan's years ago. Glad to hear they're still going.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

For #FluorescenceFriday, here's the spinal canal of a zebrafish embryo filled with #cilia (cyan).

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

"The overriding ambition (of Biology research) should be to capture meaning, rather than simply catalogue complexity" — from Paul Nurse's charming book What is Life?

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Scoliosis is a common condition in which the spine curves to the side and rotates, often onsetting during adolescence. In our lab, we generate zebrafish with scoliosis-like spinal curves to try to understand the causes of this disease.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

I always liked this quote in defense of basic science: "To feed applied science by starving basic science is like economizing on the foundations of a building so that it may be built higher. It is only a matter of time before the whole edifice crumbles". — George Porter

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

I think it's already happening. I was advised to do this on the CV I recently submitted for promotion to tenure.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 12/04/2024

Many congratulations to Professor Judith Eisen @uoregon.bsky.social for winning the Streisinger Award for "sustained and foundational" work in the zebrafish field. Well deserved!

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 13/02/2024

Hi Erik, please add me to this feed. I'm a professor at University of Oregon: www.grimes-lab.com

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 12/02/2024

Arturo Rosenblueth was a pioneer of cybernetics and, along with Norbert Wiener, had this to say: "The price of metaphor is eternal vigilance". Let's remember that metaphors are useful for thinking and discussing science, but they are not reality.

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Reposted by Dan Grimes

Crystal Rogers, PhD @rogerslabucd.bsky.social · 12/02/2024

Please check out our recent perspective paper, “Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology.” Huge thanks to the 50 scientists who came to California to discuss the future of #DevBio and contributed to the paper, and thanks to NSF for $! journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

journals.biologists.com

Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology

ABSTRACT. The field of developmental biology has declined in prominence in recent decades, with off-shoots from the field becoming more fashionable and highly funded. This has created inequity in disc...

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Reposted by Dan Grimes

Lil (Lillian Fritz-Laylin) @fritzlaylin.bsky.social · 06/02/2024

🧪 My department is hiring! Tenure track faculty position in genetics. Researchers using any eukaryotic model, including fungi and plants are encouraged to apply! We are a broad biology department with strengths across all kingdoms. Join us! Apply by March 1 tinyurl.com/y4evds8p

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James Briscoe @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social · 19/01/2024

Postdocs going on the academic job market this year: there's still time to apply to Development's 'Pathway to Independence' programme: mentoring, training & networking to help with the transition to a PI position. Application deadline 31 Jan: journals.biologists.com/dev/pages/pi...

journals.biologists.com

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 18/01/2024

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 16/01/2024

Thanks Killian. Very interesting!

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 16/01/2024

Random thought: Playing a game, one person says a word and the next person makes a new word by changing only a single letter: E.g. Rain — Raid — Paid — Pain — Gain — Grin — Grit — etc. Can all 4-letter words in the dictionary be connected like this? Do some miss out? How many?

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 15/01/2024

I'm from England, and we say the 3-syllable version.

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 15/01/2024

The Biology Department at the University of Oregon @uoregon.bsky.social is hiring a department head. Apply by Feb 12th if interested, and share with others who might be. Reposts appreciated. careers.uoregon.edu/en-us/job/53...

careers.uoregon.edu

Current Opportunities | UO HR Website

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Dan Grimes @dangrimes.bsky.social · 14/01/2024

And another came down and landed on my neighbor's deck and roof. They're okay. @uoregon.bsky.social is closed for the day. Stay safe everyone!

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