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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Happy #CtenophoreDay! Ctenophores are back. Freshly sampled Mnemiopsis leidyi from Sotra, Norway. These beautiful comb jellies continue to surprise us and are helping reveal new insights into the early evolution of nervous systems. 🌊✨ #CombJellies #Evolution #Neuroscience 1/2

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Anna Ferraioli @annaferraioli.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Happy to see this story finally out! 🎉 Grateful to everyone involved @clytia-vlfr.bsky.social ✨

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

What happens when comb jellies meet live music? 🪼🎶 At UiB Innovation Day on Sep 21st, ctenophores will move, shimmer & “perform” while musicians respond live. I’ll open with a glimpse of their biology - and what it might inspire. In Bergen? Come and join us! www4.uib.no/en/events/ui...

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Laurent Formery @laurentformery.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Fantastic news!!! My project ECHINODEV has been awarded an ERC starting grant 🥳🥳⭐ We will use several echinoderm species to study animal body plan evolution! Reach out if you are interested, we will be looking for PhD students and postdocs 😀

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Luis Alberto Bezares Calderón @lbezarescalderon.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Our team is recruiting a PhD student to investigate the evolution of pressure sensation in Zooplankton! The project will use marine invertebrate larvae to explore the molecular, cellular, and neuronal mechanisms behind this fascinating sensory system. More details here: bit.ly/3TTeF4Q

bit.ly

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Our News & Views article “Body-plan organizer in comb jellies hints at animal ancestry” now published in @nature.com 🎉 We discuss fascinating work revealing organizer activity in comb jellies & the evolution of animal development. rdcu.be/fsLWq @ruthstyfhals.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social

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Luis Alberto Bezares Calderón @lbezarescalderon.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I'm recruiting a postdoc and a research assistant in my lab in the south of France for an HFSP-funded project involving choanos. More info: Postdoc: bit.ly/4xxlJTX Research assistant: (EN) bit.ly/4aOwUha (FR) bit.ly/4vcy3av Please share with any potential applicant. Thx!

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

How ancient are the building blocks of animal sensory systems? Key components of animal sensory systems evolved before animals. We find that choanoflagellates possess diverse & spatially segregated TRP channels, pointing to ancient origins of sensory specialization. doi.org/10.64898/202...

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bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology @biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Diversity and Spatial Segregation of TRP Channels in Choanoflagellates Provide Insight into the Evolutionary Origin of Animal Sensory Systems www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

A fossil nervous system meets modern neurobiology. We found that a living comb jelly preserves neural architecture remarkably similar to those inferred from Cambrian fossils over 500 million years old 🤩. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Karel Mocaer @karel-mocaer.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

We are excited to share that we are hosting a hands-on course on "Electron Microscopy of Marine Environmental Samples" 🔬🌊 📍Naples, Italy 🗓️ 8th-11th of April 2026 If you are interested, check the program below! Registration is open until the 12th of February. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Ira Maegele @iramaegele.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Congrats Inés et al! Beautiful paper 🤩

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

The curious case of the comb jelly, where we described a comb jelly with the ability to reverse its development to an earlier stage of life, is now also available at #spotify 🤩 #ctenophores 🪼⏪ open.spotify.com/episode/6c2O... with @joanjsoto.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social

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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 09/12/2025

How do animals with lifelong growth modulate cell #proliferation? @eudaldpascual.bsky.social @ktgarschall.bsky.social @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social show that starvation induces G1/G0 #CellCycle arrest in Vasa2+/Piwi1+ #SeaAnemone cells; cycle re-entry is TOR-dependent @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/48J2o6P

Top: The phylogenetic position of Nematostella and localization of Vasa2 +/Piwi1+ cells within the juvenile polyp body plan. (A) Simplified phylogenetic tree highlighting the phylogenetic position of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis and other animal taxa relevant for this study. All animal silhouettes are licensed under CC0,1.0 Universal Public domain and taken from https://www.phylopic.org. (B–D) Schematics showing the localization of Vasa2+/Piwi1+ cells in a juvenile polyp, depicted in longitudinal (B) or cross-section (C, D). (E) Schematic representation of the multipotent, Vasa2+/Piwi1+ stem/progenitor cell population and a simplified summary of their germinal and somatic progeny. (F) Schematics of cell cycle phases, highlighting the incorporation of EdU during S-phase (black line) and the phosphorylation of Histone H3 (pH3+) during metaphase. Bottom: Confocal image of two Vasa+/Piwi+ stem-like cells in the inner epithelial folds of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Immunolabelling of mOrange2-Piwi1 fusion protein (yellow) in a transgenic knock-in line combined with nuclear stain (white). Image credit: Paula Miramón-Puértolas.

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Michael Sars Centre @msarscentre.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Congratulations to @inesfournon.bsky.social and @ruthstyfhals.bsky.social on their amazing talks at the very first BIO-Early Career Community Conference at @unibergen.bsky.social ✨ We are proud to support this fantastic initiative that brought our local community of young scientists together 👏

Inés Fournon Berodia, a young woman wearing a beige jacket and burgundy pants, presents a slide on a screen. It reads "Meet the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis" and shows pictures of pink sea anemones half-buried in sand.

Ruth Styfhals, a young woman wearing a green sweater, presents a slide on a screen in front of an audience. The audience is seen from behind at the forefront of the picture. The slide reads "Ctenophores: the oldest animals?" on a bright blue background. On the the left-hand side of the slide, we can see a photograph of a ctenophore or comb jelly - a gelatinous, transparent marine animal.

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Elizabeth Williams @marinvmet.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Interested in a #PhD with neuroendocrine and bioimaging focus? Check out our @swbiodtp.bsky.social project 'Creating a functional map for brain-gut signalling in a simple worm', with @alexdcorbett.bsky.social and CASE partner Cairn Research Ltd. Application deadline Wednesday 3rd December.

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Emily Claereboudt @emclaereboudt.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

It’s such a joy working with these beautiful animals 😍😍 Huge thanks to @alexandrejan.bsky.social for capturing my gorgeous little creatures! Can’t wait to share more cuke science and photos soon — stay tuned! @msarscentre.bsky.social

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Michael Sars Centre @msarscentre.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

We are welcoming a new critter at the Centre - the Norwegian red sea cucumber! These colorful echinoderms will be featured in @emclaereboudt.bsky.social's #MSCActions project on chemosensation 🧪 Of course, they had a moment in the spotlight with our in-house photographer @alexandrejan.bsky.social ✨

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Alexandre Jan @alexandrejan.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Happy #worldjellyfishday 🪼 Here is a juvenile Chrysaora colorata, one of my favourite species of scyphomedusa, native to the Californian coast.

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Emily Claereboudt @emclaereboudt.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Tiny sea cucumbers, big mysteries! 🪱 Out sampling for my MSCA project SensHolo at the @msarscentre.bsky.social, at the University of Bergen, 🇳🇴— exploring how these mini echinoderms sense their world. Plus a few bonus echinoderms! 🌊✨

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Nick Bezio @beziostudio.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Happy Ctenophore day! Its a perfect day to celebrate such a small yet beautifully diverse phyla that comes in a wide array of shapes and colors. #Ctenophoreday

Drawing of various Ctenophore anatomies showing the diversity of the phylum. center/front, top left, and right are lobate ctenophores, center/back is a beroid or nuda ctenophore, center/right is a cydippid or tentacled ctenophore, and bottom/left is a benthic ctenophore

A drawing of the Blood belly comb jelly ctenophore (comb jelly) which is known for its stricking red coloration that helps it live in the deep sea

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Alexandre Jan @alexandrejan.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Happy Ctenophore Day! These glowing ocean drifters look like jellyfish but aren’t! They’re comb jellies, shimmering creatures that light up the sea with rows of beating cilia 💙🌈 Which species can you identify? 👀 Most are raised in @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social lab #CtenophoreDay #CombJelly #Ctenophore

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

HAPPY CTENOPHORE DAY (part II). A full bucket of ctenophores for Ctenophore day - time to shimmer🌈🌊✨ Please watch till end: Mnemiopsis & Pleurobrachia included. Alexandre @alexandrejan.bsky.social filmed and caught this ctenophore at the same time @msarscentre.bsky.social #ctenophores #GoPro

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

HAPPY CTENOPHORE DAY (part I). The fjords around Bergen are full with Mnemiopsis right now. Movie by the amazing @alexandrejan.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social #ctenophores #GoPro

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Anna Ferraioli @annaferraioli.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Excited to share our new work on the 3D architecture of the ctenophore aboral organ! We explored its remarkable cellular diversity and integration with the syncytial nerve net, uncovering connectivity and insights into the evolution of sensory complexes. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Our new paper is out: "The 3D architecture of the ctenophore aboral organ & the evolution of complex integrative centers in animals. We reveal a remarkable cell type diversity, nerve net condensation, a multilayered circuit & gene expression profiles. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #ctenophores

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

The curious case of the comb jelly | Science Sessions | PNAS www.pnas.org/post/podcast... Listen to our podcast where we describe a #ctenophore with the ability to reverse its development to an earlier stage of life. @joanjsoto.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social @pnas.org #rejuvenation

pnas.org

The curious case of the comb jelly

Joan Soto-Angel and Pawel Burkhardt describe a comb jelly with the ability to reverse its development to an earlier stage of life.

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Michael Sars Centre @msarscentre.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

📢Only two weeks left to apply for a Group Leader position at the Centre! Join us in #SunnyBergen to lead exciting marine science 🧪 in a fantastic environment 👏Send your application, and share with your network! 🔗 tinyurl.com/4bwn8u3n @embl.org

tinyurl.com

Group Leader Positions (Researcher I, code 1110) (270380) | University of Bergen

Job title: Group Leader Positions (Researcher I, code 1110) (270380), Employer: University of Bergen, Deadline: Sunday, December 15, 2024

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Alexandre Jan @alexandrejan.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Our ctenophores say hi to Bluesky 👋🏼

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Michael Sars Centre @msarscentre.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

We are hiring Group Leaders! One month left to apply ⏳ Join us in beautiful Bergen for a chance to lead exciting science in a supportive environment! 🌊 🔗 tinyurl.com/4bwn8u3n

tinyurl.com

Group Leader Positions (Researcher I, code 1110) (270380) | University of Bergen

Job title: Group Leader Positions (Researcher I, code 1110) (270380), Employer: University of Bergen, Deadline: Sunday, December 15, 2024

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