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Christian R Voolstra

@reefgenomics.bsky.social
1.1K followers 169 following 50 posts

Dedicated Marine Scientist, Reef Genomicist, Computer/Musiq/Travel lover, Dad of 3, Professor of Genetics of Adaptation in Aquatic Systems, President International Coral Reef Society (ICRS), Scientific Coordinator Tara Pacific Expedition

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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
New work: “A neuroevolution-driven agent-based model of coral larvae settlement” We let neural-network controllers evolve the mapping from environmental cues to behavior allowing prediction to altered scenarios.👋 Sarah Wolpold & Sebastian von Mammen @uni-konstanz.de journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
journals.plos.org
A neuroevolution-driven agent-based model of coral larvae settlement
Coral reefs face significant threats due to climate change and human activities, which require innovative approaches to study and protect these ecosystems. Successful settlement is the bottleneck link...
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holobiontbiology.bsky.social @holobiontbiology.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"pattern is observed in all components of the holobiont (host phenotype, epigenome, gene expression, symbiont photosynthetic efficiency, & microbiome composition) & underscores the potential for probiotic therapy" @reefgenomics.bsky.social @peixotoraquel.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Bacterial inoculation elicits changes to the coral epigenome - Nature Communications
Pocillopora verrucosa corals were inoculated with a bacterial pathogen and/or a coral probiotic, then subjected to heat stress. Pathogen inoculation induced epigenetic and gene expression changes that...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Out now: “Advancing Symbiodiniaceae Functional Ecology Through a Trait-Based Framework” We propose 19 traits across 9 core functions to move beyond taxonomy toward functional diversity & resilience. Thanks Luna, Miguel & all co-authors onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Advancing Symbiodiniaceae Functional Ecology Through a Trait‐Based Framework
Symbiodiniaceae dinoflagellates are central to coral reef functioning, supporting primary production, nutrient cycling, calcification, and influencing coral thermal tolerance through intracellular sy...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
very excited about our new article: Can evolution keep up with the Anthropocene? .. or better: how can evolution keep up? we propose a predictive framework to begin to understand what is required to rebuild biodiversity! @uni-konstanz.de
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Universität Konstanz @uni-konstanz.de · 02/03/2026
Preserving corals under ongoing climate change is one of the key challenges of this century – and it could unlock access to a massive natural pharmacy, a study involving #UniKonstanz Christian Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social​ shows. @nature.com​ Full story: t1p.de/8u0f7
Ein Taucher mit Ausrüstung bewegt sich auf Korallenriff, dass von Korrallenbleiche betroffen ist.
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ICRS International Coral Reef Society @icrs.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
What happened during the third global bleaching event and what does it mean for coral reefs worldwide? 👉 Discover more in today’s featured article: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 📩 Do you have a paper you’d like us to highlight? Contact us.
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
How do coral reefs record climate change? And what can they tell us about the future? New bite size video from the DFG SPP 2299 discussing research, future directions, and the big questions shaping the next phase. Check it out: ▶️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUQU... @climatereefs.bsky.social
youtu.be
SPP 2299 Research & Future Directions
YouTube video by Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs
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cnidofest.bsky.social @cnidofest.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Big exciting news! The next Cnidarian Model Systems Meeting, better known as Cnidofest, will be held at the Marine Biological Laboratory from September 23-27, 2026. Mark your calendars!!! After two land-locked meetings, we are returning to an ocean view!!! 🌊🪸 @mblscience.bsky.social
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Tara Coral expedition to the Coral Triangle .. it's on! www.uni-konstanz.de/en/universit... @taraoceans-science.bsky.social
uni-konstanz.de
Expedition to the Coral Triangle
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
the Tara research vessel has left Lorient and is on its way to the coral triangle; official press conference was last week in Paris, see below & here: fondationtaraocean.org/en/expeditio...
fondationtaraocean.org
Coral resistance to global warming: Tara Coral
Ten years after the launch of Tara Pacific and in a context of increasing coral bleaching, the scientific schooner Tara is leaving its home port of Lorient for its next expedition: Tara Coral. For 18 ...
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MaRHE Center @marhecenter.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Just wrapped up the 2nd edition of the CBASS workshop in the Maldives! 🌍 A full week of hands-on work assessing coral thermotolerance amid climate change. 🌡🪸 Huge thanks to @reefgenomics.bsky.social our MaRHE team and all participants. More updates soon — see you in the next edition! 💙
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
new work: UniCor metric->wonder what bacteria associate w/ a variable of interest (sal, temp, stress etc pp)? doi.org/10.1093/isme... - identifies UNIquely CORrelated eNtities (“UNICORNs”) linked to a variable of interest - hierarchy-aware propagation to select features across taxonomic levels
doi.org
UniCor and UniCorP: a novel metric and hierarchical feature selection algorithm for microbial community analysis
Abstract. The rapid advancement of technologies and methods in the life sciences has significantly increased the availability of big data, presenting new c
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Anthony M. Bonacolta @ambonacolta.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A global coral phylogeny reveals resilience and vulnerability through deep time - Nature
The most recent common ancestor of the stony coral Scleractinia dates to about 460 million years ago and was probably a solitary, heterotrophic and free-living organism.
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Maria Elena Martino @memartino.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
The #TMHMS25 has just wrapped up! It’s been four amazing days of stimulating discussions and sharing our science in a wonderfully relaxed and supportive atmosphere. There was a truly genuine sense of community among all participants, which I really cherish. Cheers, to the next one! 🌊
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Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs (SPP 2299) @climatereefs.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Chris Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social kicking off the 2nd day of the #SPP2299 "Meeting & Status Seminar 2025" with a Perspective Lecture on "The future of reefs and reefs of the future"
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Schulenburg Lab Kiel @schulenburglab.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
We are welcoming applications for a full professorship on Molecular and Evolutionary Zoology at Kiel Univerdity, Northern Germany, with fantastic facilities and infrastructure! @uni-kiel.de @crc1182.bsky.social @transevo.bsky.social www.nature.com/naturecareer...
nature.com
W 3 professorship in Molecular and Evolutionary Zoology - Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein (DE) job with Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel | 12844416
Kiel University aims to attract more qualified women to professorship positions. The Institute of Zoology at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
new work: fascinating study demonstrating rapid viral activation & subsequent rapid antiviral innate immunity response by cnidarians under heat stress .. response conserved across symbiotic/non-symbiotic hexacorallia -> link to bleaching!? onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @uni-konstanz.de
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Heat Stress Drives Rapid Viral and Antiviral Innate Immunity Activation in Hexacorallia
The class Hexacorallia, encompassing stony corals and sea anemones, plays a critical role in marine ecosystems. Coral bleaching, the disruption of the symbiosis between stony corals and zooxanthellat...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
New paper: Do corals keep their thermal tolerance in nurseries? #CBASS assays show A. cytherea lose then recover, while A. florida retain tolerance=>To inform restoration, screening should be conducted prior to nursery propagation www.nature.com/articles/s42... @uni-konstanz.de @coralku.bsky.social
nature.com
Species-specific retention vs. recovery of coral thermal tolerance following nursery propagation - Communications Biology
Standardized acute thermal assays (CBASS) of Acropora species reveal that nursery-reared corals either retain or recover thermal tolerance over time, suggesting adaptive traits are...
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MaRHE Center @marhecenter.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
🪸 CBASS Workshop – Maldives 🌡️ 24 Nov–2 Dec ’25 @ MaRHE Center, Magoodhoo Hands‑on CBASS experiments, lectures, snorkeling & SCUBA with Prof. Christian Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social Deadline: 17 Sep ’25 | Limited spots! 🔗 en.unimib.it/news/2nd-edi... #CBASS #CoralReefConservation #MarineWorkshop
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Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs (SPP 2299) @climatereefs.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
SPP 2299 members @thomasfelis.bsky.social @reefgenomics.bsky.social and Christian Wild contributed to a recent article lead by Andrea Grottoli on the "Future of coral bleaching research" url: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
academic.oup.com
Future of coral bleaching research
Abstract. Coral bleaching is the largest global threat to coral reef ecosystem persistence this century. Advancing our understanding of coral bleaching and
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
pumped that CBASSED50 R package now officially released on CRAN cran.rstudio.com/web/packages... ... easy for everyone to install package for R Studio processing! #CBASS #coral #bleaching #ThermalTolerance
cran.rstudio.com
CBASSED50: Process CBASS-Derived PAM Data
Tools to process CBASS-derived PAM data efficiently. Minimal requirements are PAM-based photosynthetic efficiency data (or data from any other continuous variable that changes with temperature, e.g. r...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
pretty amazing how much money publishers make, how they pay little to zero to their reviewers/editors , and how they do not invest better in ensuring fair, transparent, and quality peer-review .. paying your reviewers/editors, entails pathway to identity check: www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
‘It felt very icky’: This scientist’s name was used to write fake peer reviews
Elsevier retracts dozens of journal articles that were published based on “fictitious” reviews
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
And so it begins #OOSC let’s make it count and kick into decisive action!
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
new work: "Spatially restricted coral bleaching"-> why do corals (start to) bleach in one place but not another? what implications does it hold if bleaching susceptibility differs across a colony surface? read on: www.nature.com/articles/s42... thanks to coauthors! @uni-konstanz.de @icrs.bsky.social
nature.com
Spatially restricted coral bleaching as an ecological manifestation of within-colony heterogeneity - Communications Biology
This perspective highlights spatially restricted coral bleaching as an underexplored ecological phenomenon that offers critical insight into within-colony heterogeneity.
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Dr. Wyatt Million @run4coral.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Our new work in Environmental Microbiology on Symbiodiniaceae diversity between reef habitats and across the coral holobiont. Sediment, seawater, and turf algae-associated communities were distinct while the coral mucus and tissue showed nearly identical ITS2 type profiles. tinyurl.com/mr2hasb5
tinyurl.com
Resolving Symbiodiniaceae Diversity Across Coral Microhabitats and Reef Niches
We characterised the Symbiodiniaceae ITS2-based diversity across a tropical coral reef to quantify the connectivity between seawater, turf algae, sediment, coral tissue and coral mucus communities. A...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
OUT NOW 'coral reef microbiome' by Springer Nature link.springer.com/book/10.1007... .. some 2.5 years in the making, jam packed: check out Ch.16 on Assisted Restoration as the sum of approaches required to deliver effective ecological restoration! Many thanks to all contributors @uni-konstanz.de
link.springer.com
Coral Reef Microbiome
This book focuses on Structure, Function and Ecology of the coral microbiome and associated active interventions to conserve and restore coral reefs.
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Don't miss out, October 22-25, 2025: International Symposium – Trends in Marine Host-Microbe Symbioses with an exciting lineup of speakers marinesymbioses.eu/invited-spea...; looking forward to insightful & inspiring discussions; registration: marinesymbioses.eu/register/ @uni-konstanz.de
marinesymbioses.eu
Invited speakers – Trends in Marine Host-Microbe Symbioses Symposium
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Rachel Alderdice @alderdicer.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Interested in current & upcoming #standardization practices to accelerate discoveries of #heatstress impacts on #marine life? Review paper @annualreviews.bsky.social —> shorturl.at/kVuh9 @reefgenomics.bsky.social @amyapprill.bsky.social @uni-konstanz.de
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
new work: deep dive into microbiome differences of coral exhibiting thermally resilient & susceptible phenotypes, long time coming, great team effort @unikonstanz.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #coral #bleaching #microbiome
science.org
Inherent differential microbial assemblages and functions associated with corals exhibiting different thermal phenotypes
Key multidomain microbial members of thermal resistant corals represent putative avenues for conservation strategies.
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
new ms, to all shark lovers out there: distinct bacterial niche habitats within the ‘microbial landscape’ of black-tip reef sharks @unikonstanz.bsky.social kudos to @cpogoreutz.bsky.social & team link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Microenvironments of black-tip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) provide niche habitats for distinct bacterial communities - Coral Reefs
Animal holobionts constitute diverse yet interconnected landscapes of microenvironments that harbor specific bacterial communities with distinct functions. An increasing body of literature suggests a ...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
new ms: Coral thermal tolerance changes seasonally for some species, but not others. Such detail provides insight re. diff. coral ecologies & informs thermal tolerance screenings. Nice use case of CBASS acute thermal assays! Kudos to the team! @unikonstanz.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42...
nature.com
Seasonal changes in coral thermal threshold suggest species-specific strategies for coping with temperature variations - Communications Biology
Seasonal variations of temperature modify coral thermal tolerance threshold for Pocillopora verrucosa species while Acropora spp. remain unchanged when exposed to the same in situ conditions.
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MaRHE Center @marhecenter.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
🔬The first edition of the "CBASS in the Maldives" workshop has just ended, with the collaboration of Prof. Christian Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social and his team. A big thanks to everyone who made this workshop such a success! This is just the start—stay tuned for more updates on coral reefs. 🪸
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ICRS International Coral Reef Society @icrs.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Our thanks to outgoing Officers and Council members. Treasurer Anderson Mayfield; Recording Secretary Anastazia Banaszak; Council Members Nicole Browne, Luis Eduardo Calderon, Sarah Davies, Ilsa Kuffner, Vikash Munbodhe, Kennedy Osuka, Raquel Peixoto, Nikki Traylor-Knowles
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ICRS International Coral Reef Society @icrs.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Congratulations to the new ICRS Officers and Council members. Treasurer John Burt; Recording Secretary Mariana Rocha De Souza; Council Members Amy Apprill, Keisha Bahr, Ranjeet Bhagooli, Javier del Campo, Simon Harding, Maggie Johnson, Karen Neely, Alma Paola Rodriguez-Troncoso.
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
speaking truth to 'power' -> after all the recent bad press that restoration got, a more nuanced view was in order: let's not get lost in absolutes and mind the detail! rdcu.be/d1S5K @natureportfolio.bsky.social @unikonstanz.bsky.social cheers & hugs to my "partners in crime"
rdcu.be
The critical role of coral reef restoration in a changing world
Nature Climate Change - Recent discussions have raised concerns about the long-term effectiveness of coral reef restoration efforts, questioning whether current interventions can effectively...
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
worth a read: www.nature.com/articles/d41... .. bsky as a safe space from digital toxicity ..
nature.com
‘A place of joy’: why scientists are joining the rush to Bluesky
Researchers say the social-media platform — an alternative to X — offers more control over the content they see and the people they engage with.
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
new work: Red Sea Acropora hemprichii draft genome @natureportfolio.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... .. yes, the pretty blue coral :D .. glad to see this out! kudos to coauthors! @unikonstanz.bsky.social @reefprokaryota.bsky.social etc pp
nature.com
A draft genome assembly of the reef-building coral Acropora hemprichii from the central Red Sea - Scientific Data
Scientific Data - A draft genome assembly of the reef-building coral Acropora hemprichii from the central Red Sea
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Tara Polar Station crowdfunding (raise remaining 300k of 21 mio): in any aspect this project is exceptional, paradigm-shifting, groundbreaking .. your chance to contribute www.kisskissbankbank.com/fr/projects/...
kisskissbankbank.com
Tara Polar Station, notre avenir se joue en Arctique ! par Fondation Tara Océan
Contribuez à la finalisation de la première base française dérivante qui étudiera l'Arctique : l'ISS du pôle Nord !
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
.. I was about to post the same thing (the plot thickens, see X :D) .. doi.org/10.1038/s420... similar implications (nutrient cycling at heart of coral-algal symbiosis) as doi.org/10.1371/jour... (primer: doi.org/10.1371/jour...) showing how coral larvae counter heat stress & OA. congratulations!
doi.org
Coral larvae increase nitrogen assimilation to stabilize algal symbiosis and combat bleaching under increased temperature
Rising sea surface temperatures threaten coral-algal symbiosis, impacting reef ecosystems. This study shows that coral larvae alter nutrient metabolism by increasing nitrogen assimilation to maintain ...
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Ariana S Huffmyer @cnidariana.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
A commentary on this work by @reefgenomics.bsky.social summarizes the study nicely! journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
journals.plos.org
Youthful insight: Nitrogen sequestration in larvae provides clues to coral bleaching
Impaired nutrient cycling under thermal stress foregoes coral bleaching, the loss of symbiotic algae. This Primer explores a new study in PLOS Biology which sheds light on how coral larvae avoid bleac...
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Maria Elena Martino @memartino.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
🚨 Exciting news for marine science & microbiology enthusiasts! Don't miss the Trends in Marine Host-Microbe Symbioses Symposium #TMHMS25 now LIVE! 🌊🦠🐟🐠🐙🐚 marinesymbioses.eu 📅 22-25 October 2025 📍 Padua, Italy Incredible line-up of speakers!
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
PSA: pre-print of Symbiodiniaceae chapter for the upcoming coral microbiome book; was super fun to write w/ @parkinsonje.bsky.social & Raquel Peixoto; I find this very accessible & hopefully fun to read, have a look & stay tuned for the upcoming book doi.org/10.31219/osf... @unikonstanz.bsky.social
osf.io
OSF
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
whoa, the last couple of days massive signing up for bsky .. nice, nice .. I hope we can all move away from the digital toxicity of a certain other platform!
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 11/07/2024
of coral, conservation, children books: tune in @quarkswdr.bsky.social where we discussed live with listeners all things coral reefs (German only). direct link: wdrmedien-a.akamaihd.net/medp/podcast... @unikonstanz.bsky.social webpage: www1.wdr.de/mediathek/au...
wdrmedien-a.akamaihd.net
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Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs (SPP 2299) @climatereefs.bsky.social · 03/07/2024
Curious about what the #spp2299 is up to at ECRS2024? You can come along to a number of talks today from SPP 2299 members! Highlights from @reefgenomics.bsky.social, Catarina Martins, and Merlin Weichler from @geomarkiel.bsky.social Stay tuned for posters coming up today!
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Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs (SPP 2299) @climatereefs.bsky.social · 01/07/2024
Join us at the #ECRS2024 in Naples this week and learn more about the research done within the DFG Priority Programme "Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs" (SPP 2299). Visit the 14 talks, 3 posters, and 2 organized sessions by #SPP2299 team members
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Dr Verena Schoepf (she/her) @verenaschoepf.bsky.social · 31/05/2024
📣 Excited to share our new Editorial led by James Reimer and @reefgenomics.bsky.social! "The Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event: Where do we go from here?" Open access: shorturl.at/BCYU9 @icrs.bsky.social @daviesswphd.bsky.social @markeakin.bsky.social @gwoerhe.bsky.social and many others 🦑🧪
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 13/05/2024
wow, just got the researchcom Ecology&Evolution in Germany Leader Award 2nd time in a row (2023&2024) .. world ranking 874->modesty reminder :) .. still happy&feels good @unikonstanz.bsky.social !possible only cos work&publish w/ so many great peeps/minds! research.com/u/christian-...
research.com
Christian R. Voolstra: Ecology and Evolution H-index & Awards - Academic Profile | Research.com
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Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · 26/04/2024
Mit Nadine Zeller im SWR Science Talk über die weltweite Korallenbleiche und der ökologische Kollaps von Korallenriffökosystemen .. und was wir dagegen tun können/müssen! hier anschauen: lnkd.in/eMPXDfgw @unikonstanz.bsky.social
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Universität Konstanz @uni-konstanz.de · 18/04/2024
#UniKonstanz Biologist @reefgenomics.bsky.social interviewed by @3sat.bluesky.com.de "NANO" regarding the announcement of 4th Global Coral Bleaching. View full episode: www.3sat.de/wissen/nano/...
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