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Reposted by Sabine Begall

Kai Caspar @nomascus.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

However, this finding proved hard to replicate by other labs and whether mole-rat skin biomechanics are actually special was never even tested. Using cutometry we find: It is not, when compared to laboratory rodent species. (3/8)

Cutometric comparison of subterranean (blue) and surface-dwelling (red) rodent taxa. The higher R8, the greater the skin's ability to recover its initial conformation (elasticity).

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Reposted by Sabine Begall

Kai Caspar @nomascus.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

In any case, the idea of increased skin elasticity in burrowing mammals is not supported. Has elasticity been confused with skin looseness (adherence to underlying muscles) in the past? Perhaps, but whether skin looseness is remarkable in burrowers also needs to be tested (not trivial to do) (7/8)

Ansell's mole-rat, held by a human. Loose skin on the back is obvious. Photo by Sarah M. Wilms.

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Reposted by Sabine Begall

Kai Caspar @nomascus.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Do subterranean mammals have hyper-elastic skin thanks to super-sized hyaluronan (HA) polymers? We challenge this popular idea in a new preprint, presenting the first skin elasticity measurements of burrowing rodents & HA size profiles for Ansell’s mole-rat (1/8) 🧪 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Reposted by Sabine Begall

Kai Caspar @nomascus.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

This has been a fun integrative study very long in the making co-led by @sabinebegall.bsky.social and HA expert Delphine del Marmol (not on Bluesky). Always a pleasure to return to the mole-rats! (8/8)

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Sabine Begall @sabinebegall.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Ig Nobel Euro Show in Essen (@unidue.bsky.social) April, 17th 2026, 7 pm +++ Free admission +++ Tickets are available at weeztix.shop/wqqrv78e Venue: Uni Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen, Meyer-Schwickerath-Straße 1, Audimax (building R14)

weeztix.shop

Shop

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Sabine Begall @sabinebegall.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

New paper out in Communications Biology: lnkd.in/e26wV_Hh Don't get bitten by a (male) mole-rat! Breeding males have stronger bite force than females and non-breeding males. They probably use it to defend reproductive monopoly.

Giant mole-rat (Fukomys mechowii) biting on a metal bite plate of a bite force measuring apparatus.

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Sabine Begall @sabinebegall.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

New paper out in G3 @genetics-gsa.bsky.social academic.oup.com/g3journal/ar... We (@dkfz.bsky.social) present the first genome assembly of Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli) bringing it one step closer to becoming a model species. Ansell's mole-rat is long-lived, cancer resistant and highly social.

academic.oup.com

De novo genome assembly of Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli)

Abstract. Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli) is an African rodent known for its subterranean lifestyle and unique phenotypic traits, including extreme lon

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Sabine Begall @sabinebegall.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Ig Nobel Euro Show 2026 Save the date! April, 17th 2026, 7 pm +++ Further details follow soon Marc Abrahams and a line-up of Ig Nobel prize winners will present their research at the University of Duisburg-Essen (@unidue.bsky.social) in Essen, Germany, free admission special guest: Minkorrekt!

The stinker - inofficial mascot of the Ig Nobel prizes

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Reposted by Sabine Begall

Malkemper-Lab @malkemper-lab.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Our new preprint is now live on bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... We established neuronal recordings in freely moving subterranean mammals, enabling functional studies of brains in extreme ecological niches. 🚀 #neuroscience #molerats #neuropixels

biorxiv.org

Neuronal recordings in head-fixed and freely-moving mole-rats

Mole-rats are subterranean rodents that have evolved remarkable sensory adaptations to life in underground tunnel systems, yet their neural mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Here, we present a pro...

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Reposted by Sabine Begall

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 26/11/2025

Analysis of over 10,000 necropsies reveals that seabirds face a 90% mortality risk after ingesting 23 pieces of plastic, marine mammals after 29 pieces, and sea turtles after 405 pieces, providing quantitative information on plastic pollution impact. In PNAS: ow.ly/GkZZ50XxIBV

A seagull with a plastic bag in its mouth. Stock photo.

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Sabine Begall @sabinebegall.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

New paper out in Mammalian Biology: Walking backwards, as impractical as it may seem, is mastered by the Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli). In this study, we showed that mole-rats can walk backwards and forwards with equal ease. This is likely an adaptation to their subterranean habitat.

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Sabine Begall @sabinebegall.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

I am very happy that I was able to be part of this project (Chapter 7: Subterranean rodents). It took a very long time to get it published (R.I.P Jeanette). Christine Erbe did a wonderful job getting it over the finish line.

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Sabine Begall @sabinebegall.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Die 3. Auflage unseres Lese-Lehrbuchs Evolution ist kürzlich bei SpringerNature erschienen: link.springer.com/book/10.1007.... Mit 781 S. ein ziemlich dicker Schmöker...

link.springer.com

Evolution

Diese Einführung vermittelt einen Überblick über die Grundlagen der Evolution und über die vielfältigen Facetten moderner Evolutionsforschung.

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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 11/09/2024

Do you know which bird I tried to draw here? If you do, apply for one of the postdoc positions we are offering... and if you don't, perhaps apply for the other one! We are looking for life history/theory-ecoevo expertise in birds and "in general". evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldi...

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Jörg Spengler 🇪🇺 @joergspengler.bsky.social · 11/09/2024

Mit dem Rad zur Arbeit macht glücklich. 👍🚲💚 #Verkehrswende #MehrPlatzFürsRad und weniger für’s Auto! 📷 @vcdev.bsky.social

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German Society for Mammalian Biology @mammalbiology.bsky.social · 19/08/2024

1/4 #MammalMonday The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is an intriguing mammal native to Africa, known for its distinctive appearance and unique feeding habits. This nocturnal creature has a long, pig-like snout that it uses to sniff out ants and termites, which make up the majority of its diet. 🦊🌍🐽

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Reposted by Sabine Begall

German Society for Mammalian Biology @mammalbiology.bsky.social · 27/08/2024

1/2 #MammalTudesday The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is a remarkable architect of its environment, renowned for its ability to engineer entire ecosystems through dam-building. Once near extinction due to overhunting, conservation efforts have led to their recovery across Europe 🦊🦤🌍🦫

A beaver sitting on a stone in a small river

photo of a beaver with his orange teeths

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