Reposted by Rob SteeleJonathan Eisen @phylogenomics.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Wow. Just wow. Did I say wow? 04214
Reposted by Rob SteeleRebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Recent paper where scientists basically conclude “wow we have no idea,” but in the coolest way possible: www.science.org/doi/full/10....science.orgPrototaxites fossils are structurally and chemically distinct from extinct and extant FungiPrototaxites fossils are distinct from Fungi, suggesting that they represent an extinct lineage of eukaryotic life. 323526
Reposted by Rob SteeleSeth Finnegan @sethf.bsky.social · 30/09/2026The UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship program is accepting applications until November 1. If you're a finishing Ph.D student or recent grad interested in coming to Berkeley to work on a project in paleobiology/paleoecology/geobiology please feel free to reach out! ppfp.ucop.edu/info/ppfp.ucop.edu University of California | President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 02334
Reposted by Rob SteeleDevelopment @dev-journal.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Pathway to Independence – an interview with Yamini Ravichandran In this interview, Yamini discusses her work focusing on understanding tissue-scale processes, regeneration and morphogenesis. doi.org/10.1242/dev.... 03113
Rob Steele @robthehoosier.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Our awesome Cnidofest 2026 co-organizers - Celina Juliano and Christy Schnitzler 130
Reposted by Rob SteelePawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Lovely to see several pieces of our ctenophore work featured in this beautiful new story from @quantamagazine.org 🪼 Great piece by @mstarling.bsky.social, also featuring work by @stevehaddock.bsky.social, @arnausebe.bsky.social & @hejnol.bsky.social. www.quantamagazine.org/ctenophores-...quantamagazine.orgCtenophores Aren’t Just Beautiful. They’re Biological Wonders. | Quanta MagazineComb jellies are helping answer fundamental questions in biology, from how the earliest nervous systems evolved to how bioluminescence works. 27532
Reposted by Rob SteeleAngelo Forli @aforli89.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Back from an unforgettable Whitman Fellowship at @mblscience.bsky.social - with neural recordings from the axolotl! 🧠🦎 We’re taking this forward in my lab, and I’m hiring. Interested? Get in touch! Thanks @thorlabs.bsky.social, Coherent and @open-ephys.org for loaning their equipment. More soon! 3297
Reposted by Rob SteeleUC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute @ucscgenomics.bsky.social · 02/09/2026🧪The Brooks Lab is looking for an Assistant Project Scientist! The person hired to this role will engage in the planning and execution of research that uses computational genetics approaches to understand gene regulation and driver mutations in cancer. Apply by Sept 14: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF... 013
Reposted by Rob Steelecnidofest.bsky.social @cnidofest.bsky.social · 02/09/2026This is the last day to register for Cnidofest! We already have a record number of registrants for this meeting, taking place @mblscience.bsky.social September 23-27th! Don't miss out! Come learn about the biology of these amazing animals in a perfect location! www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id...eventsquid.comCnidofest 202609/23/2026 — Woods Hole - Check out all event details and attendee registration right here. 044
Reposted by Rob SteeleCrystal Rogers, PhD @rogerslabucd.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Oooh! Check this out @socdevbio.bsky.social and @ascbiology.bsky.social folks! A job at an amazing university (UCSD) in one of the prettiest cities in California with fantastic colleagues! #DevBio 0105
Reposted by Rob SteeleMagdalena Skipper @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Dolly Parton was a legend - researchers celebrate her advocacy for vaccines, public health, literacy and marginalized communities 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comDolly Parton dies aged 80 – researchers celebrate her contributions to scienceThe country singer was an advocate for vaccines, public health, literacy and marginalized communities. 23212
Reposted by Rob SteeleStowers Institute @stowersinstitute.bsky.social · 21/08/2026🪼Jellyfish and anemones sting using some of the most complex cell-based venom systems in the animal kingdom. @mgstowers.bsky.social Lab postdoc @gelatinoussting.bsky.social is decoding how these stinging cells form, work rooted in 500+ million years of #evolution. 🔗Read more: bit.ly/3SsB74n 0167
Reposted by Rob SteeleMagdalena Skipper @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social · 22/08/202690% of biomedical papers published in December and archived in PubMed now show signs of AI help, according to a new preprint It’s important we realise it but are we really surprised? 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comStaggering 90% of biomedical papers now show signs of AI helpThe figure, which is much higher than previous estimates of Large Language Model use, is for papers published in December and archived in PubMed 33821
Reposted by Rob SteeleSigolène Meilhac @meilhacsigolene.bsky.social · 08/08/2026New publication, new insights into left-right patterning in mice. We revisit the role of the node, from a left-right organiser to one biasing factor among others. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgWnt and Nodal asymmetries stratify mouse laterality phenotypes in the absence of node flowAsymmetry establishment without node flow reveals an alternative symmetry-breaking event in the mesoderm involving WNT signaling. 1218
Reposted by Rob SteeleRebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 24/03/2026Semi-regular reminder: Baby open-ocean octopuses sometimes ride on jellyfish like little hats. 📸 Songda Cai bit.ly/2ZmNZZH 🧪🪼🐙🦑🌿 241192525
Reposted by Rob SteeleAndy Baxevanis @baxevanislab.bsky.social · 20/08/2026New in Cell: Corals didn't invent a new way to house their algal symbionts — they co-opted an old one. The symbiosome turns out to be built from repurposed lysosomal machinery, with one transporter (SLC26A11) essential for symbiosis. 🪸 @pcleves.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...cell.comCo-option of lysosomal machinery shapes the evolution of the intracellular photosymbiosis supporting coral reefsCorals harbor intracellular algal symbionts in specialized organelles that enable them to build diverse reef ecosystems. Corals and other cnidarians have repeatedly evolved this symbiosis through the ... 12410
Reposted by Rob SteeleTobias Warnecke @tobiaswarnecke.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Who needs chromatin anyway...? NOT THIS GUY! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/nbiorxiv.orgChromatin is dispensable for bacterial lifeInside cells, DNA is intimately associated with proteins, forming chromatin. The protein constituents of chromatin vary across the tree of life: histones are the principal building blocks of chromatin... 3231104
Reposted by Rob SteeleJenny Gray @jenny-gray.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Pacific bluefin tuna were once reduced to just 2% of their historical population. Their recovery shows what science-based conservation can achieve and the Aquarium has played an important role. It's another example of the Aquarium's ability to provide global leadership in ocean conservation. 115244
Reposted by Rob SteelePawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Beautiful & absolutely mesmerizing 🤩 0304
Reposted by Rob SteeleDan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Scoop: For nearly a year, NSF has struggled to make new grants. Now we know that it will not catch up. In fact, NSF will award just 6,100 new grants—a 30% y/o/y decline, itself down from a previous avg. of 11,000+. In fact, the last time NSF awarded so few grants was in the early '80s.nature.comExclusive: NSF set to issue lowest number of new grants in four decadesThe US science-funding agency is withholding $1 billion of its budget so that the money can go to a special White House project. 14753471
Reposted by Rob SteeleNature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 20/08/2026Brain organoids exhibit molecular signatures of their developmental age, according to a paper in Nature. The organoids — observed over five years — successfully matured and developed traits resembling those of postnatal brains. go.nature.com/46b6ELi 🧪 0268
Reposted by Rob SteeleMagdalena Skipper @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Exclusive: NSF set to issue lowest number of new grants in four decades www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪 #AcademicSky @nature.com 34850
Reposted by Rob SteeleMBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Adding some deep-sea wonder to your scroll💙✨️ This siphonophore, Erenna richardi, can be identified by the massive clusters of tentilla (the side branches of the tentacle) at the end of the tail (siphosome). In Monterey Bay, this species has been observed at average depths of about 1,100 meters. 4332101
Reposted by Rob SteeleEric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 18/08/2026The dangers of RFK Jr's peptide push Example: "If you have a few precancerous cells lurking indolently in your prostate or breast, injecting a peptide that stimulates human growth hormone might supercharge them into a tumor." gift link wapo.st/4wycy3O 13227118
Reposted by Rob SteeleSue Biggins @suebiggins.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Junior faculty position in Basic Sciences @fredhutch.org! Please repost! 38097
Reposted by Rob SteeleRebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 14/08/2026I’M LITERALLY CRYING! Claude will now be watermarking ALL TEXT using a sophisticated word-choice pattern selection process, a kind of cipher that only a program with the right key can detect. Fellow teachers, editors, press, we can now TRULY test for AI use! Thank you EU! 🇪🇺 Keep up the pressure! 211034
Reposted by Rob SteeleMBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 14/08/2026The bumpy jelly stings with their whole body, no tentacles necessary 🪼✨ This jelly launched decades of discovery at MBARI. Researchers first encountered the bumpy jelly (Stellamedusa ventana) in 1990 while exploring Monterey Bay with the ROV Ventana. Dive in: youtu.be/ifiWUHQEK0g?...youtu.beThe bumpy jelly stings with their whole body, no tentacles necessaryYouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) 14413
Reposted by Rob SteeleHarmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Come be our colleague. I have been in this Division for 27 years (4 as a postdoc and 23 as a PI). It is an amazing place to work, collaborate, and be inspired. If you are applying to be an Assistant or Associate Professor this Fall, don't miss this deadline. 2163152
Reposted by Rob SteeleSte Gen Mo Dem 💙📚 🐕🌳 @stegenmodem.bsky.social · 09/08/2026🤣 @reichard4rep.bsky.social @piperformissouri.bsky.social @mrsdeborahlynn.bsky.social @jbminatra.bsky.social @sheilaharris.bsky.social @fireeyebooks.bsky.social @itistherealjas.bsky.social @unauthorizedbeast.bsky.social @mlipsitt.bsky.social @corrina.sheshed.rocks @lyndapole.bsky.social 1521560
Reposted by Rob SteeleRan Blekhman @blekhman.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Huge faculty recruitment effort at the University of Chicago -- a division-wide, open-rank search looking to hire about 20 faculty across 5 research areas in biology. Come be our colleague! Full announcement: uchicago.app.box.com/s/ckih9zv3rj... 3222232
Reposted by Rob SteeleNoah Whiteman @nkwhiteman.bsky.social · 06/08/2026I’m thrilled to share that our search for a tenure-track colleague in my *truly wonderful and collegial* Genetics, Genomics, Evolution and Development Division in the MCB Department at Berkeley @berkeleymcb.bsky.social is live! Please share this broad search widely: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481aprecruit.berkeley.eduAssistant Professor -Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development - Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now! 0183232
Reposted by Rob Steelecallista yee @csybio.bsky.social · 06/08/2026hiiii everyone! my department @zoology.ubc.ca is hiring an assistant professor in cell and developmental biology! deadline is october 1! academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32408 // please share!!!!!academicjobsonline.orgUniversity of British Columbia, Department of Zoology Job #AJO32408, Assistant Professor in Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CA 16598
Reposted by Rob SteeleNature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 25/07/2026Nature reports how researchers are racing to regrow the thymus, an ephemeral immune organ, in the hope that it will slow ageing. #immunosky 🧪go.nature.comCould this mysterious disappearing organ hold the key to longevity?Researchers are racing to regrow the thymus, an ephemeral immune organ, in the hope that it will slow ageing. 1317
Reposted by Rob SteeleMónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 25/07/2026I love this bold assessment of what is happening to science in the US. If you have not been paying attention, maybe this will help you jump into action!! The Assault On Science Funding Continues | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/blog...science.orgThe Assault On Science Funding Continues 0158
Reposted by Rob Steeleulrichtechnau.bsky.social @ulrichtechnau.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Check the brilliant work by Sanjay Narayanaswamy in Nature Comm. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... He established a scalable Gastruloid protocol and showed that in gastruloids of Nematostella axial polarity and germ layer restoration and sorting depends on a Notch-Wnt signaling feedback loop.nature.comNotch coordinates self-organization of germ layers and axial polarity in sea anemone gastruloids - Nature CommunicationsHere they show that gastruloids made of embryonic cells of the sea anemone Nematostella can robustly regenerate whole organisms. They show that Notch signaling is crucial to sort out the randomly disp... 03111
Reposted by Rob Steeleulrichtechnau.bsky.social @ulrichtechnau.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Great work by PhD student Patricio Ferrer Murguia. His paper reporting the twist mutant in Nematostella is out: doi.org/10.1242/dev.... twist is required to form secondary tentacles, via localized FGFR and mTOR signaling. Later, mutants form stunning epithelial neoplasia with tentacle identity. 02714
Reposted by Rob SteeleAll Kinds Of Nope @woozleweasels.bsky.social · 20/07/2026I had salad for dinner! Mostly croutons and tomatoes... really just one big round crouton covered with tomato sauce...and cheese. FINE, it was a pizza. I ate a pizza. 1173064217
Reposted by Rob SteeleHarmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 20/07/2026I wish I did not have to bring up this old tweet from ‘that other place’ every now and again but here we are (again) and here it is… 936288
Reposted by Rob SteeleMarine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social · 18/07/2026On June 10, Woods Hole had a sweet time celebrating the 75th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s book, The Sea Around Us. 🔗 Full story here: go.mbl.edu/carson-75go.mbl.eduThe MBL Celebrates 75 Years Since Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us | Marine Biological Laboratory“The sea has always challenged the minds and imagination of men and even today it remains the last great frontier of Earth.” – Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us (1951) On June 10, Woods Hole had a sweet time celebrating the 75th anniversary of Rachel Car... 1185
Reposted by Rob SteeleHarmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 18/07/2026Prominent Salk Institute biologist to resign following sexual misconduct investigation | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgProminent Salk Institute biologist to resign following sexual misconduct investigationStaffers complain that Salk allowed circadian rhythms researcher Satchidananda Panda to depart quietly, while the allegations and findings remain under wraps 273
Reposted by Rob SteeleScience Magazine @science.org · 17/07/2026Exclusive: Satchidananda Panda, a prominent biologist known for his work on circadian rhythms, light sensing, and intermittent fasting, will resign next month after 22 years at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. scim.ag/4f9F5Yiscim.agProminent Salk Institute biologist to resign following sexual misconduct investigationStaffers complain that Salk allowed circadian rhythms researcher Satchidananda Panda to depart quietly, while the allegations and findings remain under wraps 23919
Reposted by Rob SteeleMike Connelly @michaeltconnelly.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Happy to share that our manuscript "A chromosome-level reference genome for the colonial marine hydrozoan Podocoryna americana" is now available at G3: doi.org/10.1093/g3jo... Many thanks to @baxevanislab.bsky.social, @pcart.bsky.social, @amkatzer.bsky.social and all the co-authors!doi.orgA chromosome-level reference genome for the colonial marine hydrozoan Podocoryna americanaAbstract. Cnidarians are important models for studying the evolution of animal development, regeneration, cell type differentiation, and allorecognition. T 2269
Reposted by Rob SteelePaulyn Cartwright @pcart.bsky.social · 17/07/2026We are super excited to see this published. Podocoryna is a wonderful jellyfish model. Closely related to the model organism Hydractinia, easy to culture in the lab, and now a high quality genome! 042
Reposted by Rob SteeleGeorge Church @geochurch.bsky.social · 17/07/2026www.nature.com/articles/s41...bsky.appBlueskySocial media as it should be. Find your community among millions of users, unleash your creativity, and have some fun again. 041
Reposted by Rob SteeleCedric Feschotte @cedricfeschotte.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Wrote a short piece on Transposable Elements as catalysts of evolutionary innovation for a forthcoming special issue of @naturerevgenet.bsky.social on, duh, Evolutionary Innovation! www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comTransposable elements as catalysts of evolutionary innovation - Nature Reviews GeneticsIn this Comment, Cedric Feschotte highlights evidence from diverse lineages showing that transposable elements are key drivers of evolutionary innovation, repeatedly introducing regulatory and coding ... 113345
Reposted by Rob SteelePawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 23/05/2026A 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... 521986
Reposted by Rob SteeleMónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Meet a very happy batch of our pet juvenile (~2-3 months) upside down jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana). They need to acquire algal photosymbionts to go from sessile polyp to swimming ephyrae in a process called strobilation 🧪🦠🪸🌊🌿🪼🐙🌎 69516
Reposted by Rob SteeleJacob Pawley 🧽 🦠 🦕 @pawley.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Successfully defended my PhD last Thursday :) Dissertation Title: “Exploring foundations of animals of host–microbe interactions in a freshwater sponge” Lab: @scottnichols.bsky.social #sponge #immunology #symbiosis 3153
Reposted by Rob SteeleDeepa Rajan, PhD @deeparajan.bsky.social · 07/04/2026We discovered a new species! Our paper on Stentor stipatus is now published @wallaceucsf.bsky.social @aralbright.bsky.social 1155
