iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Great science and new collaborations at our “Grand challenges on vector-borne diseases” symposium at Institut Pasteur last week: from vector biology and immunity to innovative strategies to curb transmission of viruses, bacteria and parasites. Many thanks to our great speakers !

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Philippe Bastin's Lab @bastinlab.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Great science at our symposium “Grand challenges on vector-borne diseases” @pasteur.fr last week, showing the richness, diversity and creativity of the field, with original strategies to control vector populations and transmission. Many thanks to all speakers for exceptional presentations!

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Institut Pasteur | 130 years of biomedical research @pasteur.fr · 18/05/2026

🦟 Unlocking the black box of virus transmission @merklinglab.bsky.social leads the new Insect Infection and Immunity G5. Her team uses advanced imaging & AI to reveal how viruses spread inside mosquitoes — key to stopping disease transmission. 🔗 www.pasteur.fr/en/research-... #VectorBiology

pasteur.fr

Mosquitoes: unlocking the black box of virus transmission

In 2025, several early-career scientists were selected to lead new research groups at the Institut Pasteur, and Sarah Merkling was one of them. She has led the Insect Infection and Immunity five-year ...

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

🪰 A question for the Drosophila community here - where do you get your "Learning to Fly" poster ? Even tough I work with mosquitoes now, I'd like to have that poster for my office and can't find where to source it ! thank you !

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Super proud of our consortium @ibeidlabex.bsky.social achievements, and so grateful for all the support they provided to me as a postdoc and young PI @pasteur.fr @inserm.fr @santepubliquefrance.fr @anses-fr.bsky.social @cnrs.fr

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Thomas Vial @tompvial.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Kicking off the new year with mosquitoes, metabolomics, & arboviruses! 🥳 🦟Our new preprint is out! We mapped the metabolism of the Aedes aegypti mosquito across its life cycle to find new ways to fight dengue virus. Check it out on: doi.org/10.64898/202... #VectorBiology #Metabolomics #Mosquito

doi.org

Stage-resolved metabolomics reveals the methionine cycle as a key regulator of Aedes aegypti development and dengue virus susceptibility

Developmental transitions in the mosquito Aedes aegypti are central to vector competence and disease transmission, yet the underlying metabolic programs remain poorly defined. Here, we use untargeted ...

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Camille Berthelot @camilleberthelot.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Still looking for our perfect doctoral candidate as part of @evomg-dn.bsky.social - come and join us to work on the evolutionary pressures that shape gene expression and disease in the uterus! Please RT (or is it RB? not sure how our lingo has changed!)

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Institut Pasteur | 130 years of biomedical research @pasteur.fr · 12/11/2025

🦟 Can we "pasteurize" mosquitoes to stop dengue & Zika? Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social uses AI + CRISPR to analyze stomach cells and understand why some mosquitoes spread viruses while others don't. Goal: Make disease-carrying mosquitoes harmless. #Zika #Dengue

pasteur.fr

Sarah Merkling wants to "pasteurize" mosquitoes!

At the Institut Pasteur, Sarah Merkling's research focuses on a topic that is still largely unknown: interactions between mosquitoes and viruses. She boldly devises novel strategies based on state-of-...

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Dr Elodie Chabrol @eloscicomm.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

👩‍🔬J'ai commencé un kit de démarrage "chercheuses en France" go.bsky.app/TBEzKC #FemmesEnScience J'ai besoin de votre aide pour le remplir et donner de la visibilité aux chercheuses que vous connaissez et qui sont sur Bluesky ! ▶️Taguez celles que vous connaissez, je les ajoute !

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Virology lost one of his monuments, David Baltimore. To learn more about him and his contributions, I recommend (re)-listening to this great TWIV episode : www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-10...

microbe.tv

TWiV 100: TWiV catches a big fish | This Week in Virology

Vincent, Alan, and Rich celebrate the 100th episode of TWiV by talking about viruses with Nobel Laureate David Baltimore.

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

@elodiecouderc.bsky.social is on 🔥 this month ! Our review (which the literature really missed, imho) giving an historical perspective on the methods used to study of mosquito-virus interactions in now online at @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social. Check it ou here: www.cell.com/trends/micro...

cell.com

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Athene Donald @athenedonald.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

RIP Margaret Rossiter, who coined the phrase the Matilda Effect (amongst many others), a phenomenon too many women will have seen first hand

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

👏So proud to share @elodiecouderc.bsky.social work on the role of Vago-like genes in mosquito immunity. Please read her thread to get a sneak-peek of our work and find the full study here: rdcu.be/eCPmG

rdcu.be

Aedes aegypti VLG-1 challenges the assumed antiviral nature of Vago genes | BMC Biology

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Our study is now published in @natcomms.nature.com and describes the 1st definitive identification of genetic variants linked to DENV susceptibility in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. (1/3)

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Trends in Parasitology @cp-trendsparasitol.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

David Hall & @vectorimmunity.bsky.social highlight @merklinglab.bsky.social & colleagues’ Cell Genomics article on #mosquito cellular responses in #midgut & #fatbody after #bloodfeeding. #Aedes #aegypti #scRNAseq #Metabolomics @iastateresearch.bsky.social‬ ‬ authors.elsevier.com/a/1lbEr5Eb1x...

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Institut Pasteur | 130 years of biomedical research @pasteur.fr · 30/06/2025

🌈 United for diversity in science 🌈 Researchers from Institut Pasteur joined the 2025 Pride March alongside @institutcurie.bsky.social, Les Cordeliers Research Center, @institutcochin.bsky.social @institutimagine.bsky.social 👩‍🔬 Because diverse labs make better science. #DiversityInScience

4 research institute march together hand in hand for diversity and inclusion in science © Franck Aubry

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Awesome post-doc position available within the @maringerlab.bsky.social ! I can highly recommend applying to @pirbrightinst.bsky.social - Kevin and Trevor are wonderful PI's to be working with !

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European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · 02/06/2025

Planning to apply for #research #funding from the ERC? From the next application rounds, expect changes to the: • proposal structure • evaluation process • extra funding you can request • eligibility for Starting & Consolidator #Grants (from 2027) More 👇 europa.eu/!RPHWvv

europa.eu

Changes to the 2026 and 2027 Work Programmes

With the launch of the competitions for grants under ERC Work Programme 2026 in July of this year, several changes to the submission of applications and the evaluation of proposals will apply. The mai...

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Had the pleasure of listening to @ardemp.bskyverified.social’s lecture yesterday at @pasteur.fr - and seeing a live demonstration of the Piezo tattoo !

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Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · 28/05/2025

Wrapped up a 4 seminar Tour de 🇫🇷 with stops in Lyon, Strasbourg, and Paris (IBPS, Pasteur). Had a blast with fellow scientists across the pond, lots of convo about the current US landscape. You might recognize Jean-Marie Lehn, Jean-Pierre Changeux, and Christine Petit. Also: white asparagus season!

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European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 08/05/2025

Choose Science. Choose Europe. A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call is now open. With a budget of €404.3 million, it will support around 1,650 researchers from Europe and beyond. Apply by 10 September → europa.eu/!fBTMgF

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Had a wonderful time at the #EMBLChromatin meeting in Heidelberg last week with @sumeyye-ozhan.bsky.social who was sponsored by a @pasteur.fr - @events.embl.org travel award ! @sebbaumgarten.bsky.social ;)

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Bill Keyes @thebillkeyes.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Our department (Dev & Stem Cells) @igbmc.bsky.social has an open call for group leaders (all areas of cell biology considered!). Check out website for synergies! Please help spread the word (incl to postdocs in the US!! Strasbourg isn't a bad place to live 😜) @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social @inserm.fr

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Daryl Gohl @darylgohl.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Hey fellow Drosophila researchers - if you haven't heard, the UMGC is offering ultra low-cost genome sequencing! See here to learn more: z.umn.edu/UMGC-MOSS #Dros25

University of Minnesota Genomics Center Model Organism Sequencing Service Flyer. $25 for a 30x Drosophila genome.

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Wolfgang Huber @wkhuber.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Interested in doing a sabbatical at EMBL, at one of its 6 sites in Barcelona, Cambridge, Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg or Rome? Funding call with deadline 15 June, decisions in July. www.embl.org/about/info/s...

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Adriana Guatame-García @adriguatame.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

A friend included this anti-acknowledgement section on her PhD thesis. She also added the proposition: “Systematic bullying and undermining of girls and women in STEM starts early on and is the reason why they do not stay in science and related fields.” Absurd we still need to go through this 🧪👩‍🔬

There have been people less than helpful in my journey here. I wanted to acknowledge those too, bc I know I am not unique in this experience.
No thank you to the physics study assoc that made me sing songs about how women couldn't study physics without sleeping with the professor, the day I stepped into university life. No thank you to the 5th year physics student that decided to assign me a stripper name within the first minute of meeting me in the physics coffee corner in my first year. No thank you to the technician that was responsible for onboarding me on the use of the cluster in my third year who raised his eyebrows and asked me if that meant I was some sort of computer girl. No thank you to the senior researcher that sent me utterly inappropriate texts after a conference, then proceeded to apologise months later by telling me they had not been meant for me anyway so no hard feelings remain hopefully And no thank you to him for attending every conference I've been to since. No thank you to the people who told me that it was surprising that I was doing a PhD since I was a girl. No thank you to the man who mistook me for a coffee lady at a conference, and after having to correct him two times that I did not work there, responded with you should consider it. No thank you to the researcher that asked me what I was wearing underneath my outfit during a conference. No thank you to the physicist who declared to a room full of other physicists that biologists don't know how to design an experiment. No thank you to the people who have called me scary instead of strong and intimidating instead of intelligent.
And finally, no thank you to the exec board of the TU Delft, whose knee-jerk reaction to being held up a mirror about the social safety at the university, was to sue the party holding up the mirror instead of looking at the problems they highlighted.
... You have made me feel like I do not belong in science & I cannot forgive you for that.

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Happy to share our work exploring the genetic basis of dengue susceptibility in Aedes aegypti and revealing the antiviral role of a cytochrome P450. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... It had been a long and wild ride that started back when I was a postdoc within @lambrechtslab.bsky.social ! A thread ⬇️

biorxiv.org

Dengue virus susceptibility in Aedes aegypti linked to natural cytochrome P450 variants

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector for dengue virus (DENV), which infects millions of people annually. Variability in DENV susceptibility among wild Ae. aegypti populations is governed b...

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Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

From reddit: a letter from a postdoc who survived the Bolsonaro years. This is helpful framing for how to science in this administration. 🧪 www.reddit.com/r/labrats/s/...

reddit.com

From the labrats community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the labrats community

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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Countries should be investing more money in science, not less. It’s pretty clear that many young minds will not be interested in becoming scientists if the salaries are not good and the future of this occupation is not certain.

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Institut Pasteur | 130 years of biomedical research @pasteur.fr · 11/02/2025

👩‍🔬 On this #WomenInScience Day 2025, we celebrate the inspiring female scientists at Institut Pasteur! More than researchers, they make science accessible to all. 🌍✨ Find out here what our scientists were recently up to : www.pasteur.fr/en/research-... Let’s continue to amplify their voices 🚀

pasteur.fr

Women scientists: inspiring faces of research at the Institut Pasteur

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025 is an opportunity to shine the spotlight on committed and talented women researchers. In addition to their scientific work, these Institut Past...

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Bea @bealro.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Grateful to celebrate #WomenInScienceDay with the good news that I’ve been awarded a #MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship!🎉This achievement stems from a collaborative effort with @merklinglab.bsky.social🦟and Liliana🗂️ @pasteur.fr. Proud to see the fruitful outcome of #WomenInScience supporting each other 💪👩‍🔬

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Congratulations to @bealro.bsky.social for being awarded a #MCSA postdoctoral fellowship 🎉! We are looking forward to welcoming you to the team and going onto new scientific adventures together! #ForWomenInScience

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Happy International Day of Women & Girls in Science to you all - girls, women & allies that love science and advocate for making it an increasingly diverse and attractive place. Let's imagine a future with more women in science & better research that truly serves and represents us all 💜@unesco.org

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EMBL Events @events.embl.org · 16/01/2025

🪰 🧬 Do you want to enhance your knowledge of Drosophila as a model organism? Then 'Drosophila genetics and genomics' might be the right course for you! Apply now and join us in Heidelberg for lectures and practical sessions delivered by renowned experts 👉 s.embl.org/drg25-01-bl #EMBODrosophila

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Sad to hear about the loss of Pr. Scott Hawley This is a great loss for Science, Education and Drosophila community. My condolences go to Scott’s family, friends, colleagues and students. (1/4)

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Institut Pasteur @pasteur.fr is now on BlueSky ! And there is a Starter Kit to find our community: bsky.app/starter-pack...

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Institut Pasteur | 130 years of biomedical research @pasteur.fr · 14/01/2025

Welcome to the official Bluesky page of the Institut Pasteur! 🔬 Explore with us the frontiers of biomedical research 🧪 Follow us to uncover groundbreaking discoveries 💡 Share knowledge for global health 🌍 Join a community passionate about progress and open science.

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Christoph Bock Lab @ CeMM & MedUni Vienna @bocklab.bsky.social · 18/10/2024

🗨️ WANNA TALK TO YOUR CELLS? Try out CellWhisperer – our new multimodal AI that turns single-cell RNA-seq analysis into a conversation. No coding needed, just chat in plain English. Short walkthrough below. Web app & bioRxiv preprint linked in the thread. Let's dive in! (1/9)

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Sarah Merkling @merklinglab.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Impressive study by Carolina Barillas-Mury's lab : Identification of a dengue 2 virus envelope protein receptor in Aedes aegypti critical for viral midgut infection www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

pnas.org

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

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Ryan (Ry) Warner @ryanhasaquestion.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

“Hundreds of female faculty members at the University of Colorado Boulder will receive backpay as part of a $4.5 million settlement stemming from a class action gender equity lawsuit.” by Jenny Brundin

cpr.org

A $4.5 million settlement means CU Boulder female faculty will receive back pay

The University of Colorado will also conduct equity reviews every three years.

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Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

The strain on scientific publishing: we set out to characterise the remarkable growth of the scientific literature in the last few years, in spite of declining growth in total scientists. What is going on? direct.mit.edu/qss/article/... A 🧵 1/n #AcademicSky #PhDchat #ScientificPublishing #SciPub

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Shaun Cross @shauntcross.bsky.social · 07/11/2024

Made a starter package for vector-borne disease folks! Please feel free to comment if you'd like to be added or see somebody missing. This is just the start and grabbed as many as I could quickly find! 🦟 go.bsky.app/U8D4FV2

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Pride in STEM @prideinstem.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

November 18 is the International Day of LGBQTIA+ People in STEM! Today more than ever we want to stress the importance of communities, building connections, and raising each other up. Let's keep leaving our mark for the betterment of us all! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 #QueerinSTEM prideinstem.org/lgbtstemday/

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