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Eugenia Zarza

@eugeniazarza.bsky.social
438 followers 447 following 90 posts

Researcher @ECOSUR, Mexico. Interested in studying biodiversity, evolution, bioinformatics; IUCN Iguana Specialist Group

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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 13h
A new preprint about genetic diversity indicators applied in Mexico
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I found interesting insects last weekend: one of the largest butterflies I’ve seen, and the tiniest mantis I’ve seen 🦋🇲🇽
A large Owl butterfly (Caligo)
A tiny mantis standing on my thumb
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
One of my students got me a delicious cold chocolate to celebrate I got promoted to level II in the National System of Researchers 🇲🇽.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
One of my students defended his MSc thesis today! He investigated the gut microbiota of spiny tailed iguanas from southern Mexico.🦎🧬🧪
On the left side a screen showing the title of a presentation. On the right is a nervous student ready to defend his thesis.A cake with an image of a cartoonish Ctenosaura similis and some bacteria.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Happy world lizard day!!
Iguana in a zoo
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The tectonic plates under my feet have been very active! We have had 1473 aftershocks following the M7.1 earthquake on July 17. 😬🌎
Map of Mexico showing earthquake activity in July 2026
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Crazy seismic activity this morning : a strong 7.4 earthquake followed by three aftershocks between 4.5 - 6.5. Too much adrenaline!
A map of Mexico showing the 7.4 earthquake epicentre, near Chiapas and Guatemala
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Happy World Snake Day! Sharing this tiny beautiful blind snake - possibly an introduced Indotyphlops, the smallest snake species (5 - 10 cm) 🧪🌎🐍
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Our latest paper! We compared the genomes of 4 bacteria isolated from earthworms living in vermicompost. They have several genes coding for enzymes that degrade hemicellulose. Very useful for waste management in local coffe and oil palm plantations 🦠🧬🧪 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Comparative genomic analysis of hemicellulose-degrading potential in bacterial isolates from the anterior intestine of Eisenia andrei (Bouché, 1972) - Archives of Microbiology
Earthworms and their associated microbiota can degrade various types of lignocellulosic residues, but the enzymes, carbohydrate-binding modules, and sugar transporters involved in this process remain ...
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Finishing our bioinformatics course at ECOSUR! We got a group of students with a wide range of interests: native bee and earthworm gut microbiota, orchid genetics, bacterial diversity in water 🧬🧪👩🏽‍💻🇲🇽
A group of happy students working on their computersStudents talking about bioinformatics
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
My colleagues from the Iguana Specialist Group created these cool cards with Iguanas from countries playing in the current tournament. Today's match: Galápagos pink land iguana (Ecuador) vs Oaxacan spiny-tailed iguana (Mexico)! 🦎🧪⚽
AI generated image of a Galapagos pink Iguana dressed with the Ecuador national football team's uniformAI generated image of a Oaxacan spiny-tailed iguana dressed with the Mexico national football team's uniform
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Happy to have contributed to this work on metagenomics during the fermenting process of artisinal Mezcal, a culturally important drink in Mexico made with Agave. "Para todo mal mezcal, para todo bien, también" (con moderación 😉) 🧬🧪🦠 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Environmental contributors to bacterially dominated fermenting consortia of artisanal Mezcal - BMC Microbiology
The production of spontaneously fermented beverages worldwide relies on native microorganisms acquired incidentally through cross-contamination from environmental reservoirs. We examined the microbiot...
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
I couldn’t get any closer to this Black iguana male to get a better pic. Can you see the female’s head sticking out from the grass?
A Ctenosaura similis male (Black spiny tailed iguana) on a bench.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Surviving the last meeting of the day after two very busy weeks of marking course work, preparing and submitting CV for an important evaluation and organizing my son’s birthday party … I want my cat’s lifestyle 👩🏽‍🔬
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Happy birthday, David Attenborough! Thanks for narrating this "near miraculous escape" !! 🦎vs 🐍 youtu.be/rGpuxOr3QCc?...
youtu.be
Iguana vs Snakes | 4K UHD | Planet Earth II | BBC Earth
YouTube video by BBC Earth
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Under pressure: the reality of Mexico’s research system www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Under pressure: the reality of Mexico’s research system
Researcher Oscar Xavier Guerrero Gutiérrez speaks out about the unstable conditions that Mexican scientists face — and what can be done to help.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Jamaican Rock Iguana made it to Round 2 of The Indianapolis Zoo Uproar Conservation Challenge! You can vote once each day on each device, but MUST vote for all pairs for your vote to count! 📣Vote at UproarChallenge.com uproar.indianapoliszoo.com 🦎🌎 #IiF #IUCN-ISG
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Happy that we finally produced some data with the @nanoporetech.com Minion in our lab! It took months of admin and logistics. Now we know the path, hope it’s easier next time. This is my student showing some genera that are part of the black iguana microbiome! 🦎🦠🧬🧪
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Reposted by Eugenia Zarza
Chester Zoo Science @chesterzoosci.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Did you know Achoque salamanders have 'superpowers'? www.facebook.com/reel/9090647... Laboratorio de Biología Acuática (who we support) have made a beautiful video about these astonishing but Critically Endangered amphibians. Click to watch! The art starts at 35s in. 🌎🦎
facebook.com
1.1K views · 40 reactions | Proyecto Achoque: Libro de Artista Colectivo Del 08 al 13 de Agosto del 2022, se llevó a cabo el Taller del Libro de Artista Colectivo en el Municipio de Quiroga, Michoacá...
Proyecto Achoque: Libro de Artista Colectivo Del 08 al 13 de Agosto del 2022, se llevó a cabo el Taller del Libro de Artista Colectivo en el Municipio de Quiroga, Michoacán, el cual tuvo como...
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Working hard on International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Lucky to have the opportunity to study lots of animal species, their DNA, and even their bacteria! #11F 🧬🦎🐜🦠🧪👩🏽‍🔬
A female scientist next to a laptop showing DNA sequences. There is an Anteater image on the wall behind her.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Good morning to you too iguana! 🦎🇲🇽
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Feliz día del biólogo y la bióloga! 🧬🦎🦠🦨🕷️🐌🍄🦖🦇🧪👩🏽‍🔬
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Buscamos personas interesad@s en estudiar la biodiversidad de eucariontes con métodos basados en DNA ambiental #eDNA. Consulta la convocatoria de maestría en ECOSUR (México): www.ecosur.mx/posgrado/con... Para más información contacta a Dra. Eugenia Zarza: eugenia.zarza@ecosur.mx 🧪🌎🧬🐟🐜🪲🪱🍄🐭
An AI generated image showing a frog, a butterfly, plants and a cartoonish DNA molecule, with text in spanish, advertising an opportunity to get a masters degree studying environmental DNA in Mexico
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
We´re seeing a similar paradox in Mexico. Green iguanas are native and protected by the environmental law, but there are new populations outside their original range (e.g. Baja California Peninsula). Besides the ecological issues, this confuses the general public. 🦎🌎
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I really enjoyed Costa’s book and learning how Wallace had an impact on many scientific fields. Happy birthday Wallace!
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
I was happy to see my two favourite volcanoes again: Popocatepetl (left, active, 5,393 m, Smoking Mountain in Nahuatl) and Iztaccíhuatl (right, dormant, 5,230 m, White Woman in Nahuatl). However it’s worrying that the glaciers are quickly disappearing 🗻🇲🇽 #climatechange
Two volcanoes from Central Mexico: left Popocatepetl; right Iztaccihuatl.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Merry Christmas from Axolotl lake, Xochimilco 🇲🇽. Sadly very few axolotls are left in the wild. We visited an “ajolotario” and saw these two cute guys. 🌎🐸
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Iguana (Ctenosaura similis) going around campus 🦎
A black spiny-tailed iguana next to some plants
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
My first PhD student graduated! I’m proud of his work on wastewater viral metagenomics! He detected a wide diversity of plant viruses in our tropical region. 🧪🧬🦠🌱
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Went for a run early enough to catch the Tacaná volcano silhouette against the sunrise colours. It is an active volcano but it has been calm for almost 40 years, I hope it continues like that 🌋🇲🇽
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Reposted by Eugenia Zarza
EL PAÍS México @elpaismexico.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
🦋Documental | El Retorno de las Ánimas, una producción dirigida por Nicolás Díaz-Magaloni, se adentra en la comunidad mazahua de Crescencio Morales en México, donde la mariposa monarca representa la llegada de las ánimas dozz.es/7p8un4
dozz.es
Documental | Retorno de las Ánimas |
Esta producción dirigida por Nicolás Díaz-Magaloni se adentra en la comunidad mazahua de Crescencio Morales en México, donde la mariposa monarca representa la llegada de las ánimas
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Day of the Dead altars in the lab, honouring some of the scientists we lost this and past years. 🇲🇽💀🧪👩🏽‍🔬
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Worried about the people in Jamaica. I'm also worried about the only surviving wild population of the critically endangered Jamaica rock iguanas (Cyclura collei), I hope they find a place to hide. 🦎🌎🧪
A close up of a Jamaica rock iguana in the head start facility at Kingston Zoo.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Estamos organizando la primera Olimpiada Nacional de Zoología en México, dirigida a estudiantes de licenciatura de Biología y carreras afines. Más info: instagram.com/olimpiadas.zoo www.facebook.com/share/p/1KYD... 🧪🦎🐟🦊🦉🦋🪱🐸🐜🐌🪸🦣
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Reposted by Eugenia Zarza
Chester Zoo Science @chesterzoosci.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Fewer than 150 achoque may survive in the wild, and we need a way to monitor their health and other factors to better protect them. Good news, though: our scientists have carried out the first ever successful microchipping trial on these salamanders! www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWzV... 🧪🌎🦇
youtube.com
Achoque Salamanders: Microchipping One Of The World’s Rarest Amphibians
YouTube video by IFLScience
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
We had a great time yesterday in the main Science outreach event in our institution, “ECOSUR a Puertas abiertas”, 🇲🇽. We received around 1000 people! My students were super enthusiastic sharing info about eDNA! 🧬🧪👩🏽‍🔬
Posters, pencils magnifier glasses on a tableKids writing and watching images4 persons in front of a sign saying ‘Metabarcoding Detectives se Organismos’4 happy scientists from Mexico
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
I was happy to contribute to this interesting genomic and biochemical study on the powers of Glutamicibacter spp! This strain, isolated from a pristine cenote in Yucatán, is halotolerant and can potentially be used in bioremediation. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 🧪🦠🧬
sciencedirect.com
Sessile culture as a strategy to enhance the production of emulsifying exopolysaccharides by Glutamicibacter sp. XHA18
Pristine environments harbor diverse microbial communities with unique and underexplored metabolic capabilities, including the production of exopolysa…
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
My favourite reptiles: They live in amazing places e.g. Baja California and the Galapagos islands, they’re seed dispersers, some are fragile other very resilient, culturally important but threatened by habitat loss, trafficking, hunting. Today is Iguana awareness day! Photo:IIF 🌎🦎
A poster with images of 11 species of iguanas. Created by the International Iguana Foundation
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Reposted by Eugenia Zarza
Sar Crespi @boron110.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
What we can learn from a mother lode of Mexican mammoths w/ @rpocisv.bsky.social this week on the @science.org podcast Listen here 🎧 www.science.org/content/podc...
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Sharing a video of Catemaco 🇲🇽 for #WorldLakeDay, surrounded by the volcanic Sierra de Los Tuxtlas and some patches of the original rainforest. It’s one of the sampling sites in our eDNA project.
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Reposted by Eugenia Zarza
Adam Markham @adammarkham.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
Here's a really great global/remote job opportunity at IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas. 🌏 #conservation #biodiversity #widlife #nationalparks docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
IUCN WCPA Executive Officer_Call for Applications.docx
Call For Applications Executive Officer — IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Location: Remote; Global About IUCN WCPA IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world’s premier n...
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
three bats outside my office! 🦇
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
We heard howling monkeys for days in Palenque 🇲🇽 and we finally saw one! This national park protects amazing nature and impressive Mayan temples. 🐒
A howling monkey resting on a branch tree in the rainforestMayan temple in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
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Reposted by Eugenia Zarza
Greg Priest @gregpriest.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
The letters by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace had been read before the Linnean Society. OTD in 1858, D abandoned the “Big Species Book” he had been working on and began a short “abstract” of his theory. It would go on to be published as On the Origin of Species. 🌱🐋🧪🧠🗃️ #HistSTM #EvoBio
Darwin’s manuscript of the title page to the Origin. Credit: Darwin Online.
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Very happy that after travelling 368 km (2x) to the ‘local’ Environment and Natural Resources office +3 months wait, my student got his collection permits approved! We’ll catch Ctenosaura similis for his master’s project on spiny-tailed iguana’s gut microbiome. 🧬🧪🦎🌎
A female scientist smiling and holding a young black spiny-tailed iguana with a glove
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Happy #WorldSnakeDay! Here is one of my favorite rattlesnakes, Crotalus catalinensis. I took this pic in Serpentario La Paz last year. However, when I was undergrad I was lucky to volunteer in a project on Santa Catalina Island (Gulf of California) where I saw many of them! 🧪🌎🐍
A rolled rattlesnake
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Happy to be part of this paper! We studied changes in bacterial communities in wetlands in Southern Gulf of Mexico. I didn't get to sample the fantastic 'Pantanos de Centla', but I learnt how salinity and human activities impact microbial diversity. link.springer.com/article/10.1... 🧪🧬💧🌎👩‍💻
link.springer.com
Salinity Is a Key Factor Shaping Bacteriobenthos in Floodplain Lakes of a Neotropical Coastal Wetland - Wetlands
Despite the key role of bacteriobenthos in the biogeochemistry of coastal wetlands, the drivers controlling their diversity, distribution, and assembly at the freshwater-seawater transition remain unc...
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Baby spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis) are growing up!❤️🦎
Young spiny-tailed iguana with bright green coloration and some brown spots
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
A beautiful Dione juno on a Roseodendron donnell-smithii leaf. Although their caterpillars ate our plants, it’s nice to see them around! 🦋🐛
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Eugenia Zarza @eugeniazarza.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Feliz cumpleaños Xin Xin 🐼 !
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