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Simona Kralj Fišer

@simonakraljfiser.bsky.social
240 followers 277 following 32 posts

Evolution, sexual selection, sexual size dimorphism, reproductive biology, animal personalities, quantitative genetics, maternal effects. Spiders. Love all kind of animals, travelling, cooking, hikes and more. www.simonakraljfiser.com

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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
#ISBE2026 was great for my work, and bliss for my heart and soul. Grateful for the science, but even more for the people 💛. Thank you 🙏
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Mario Vallejo-Marin @nicrodemo.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
PhD Position at Uppsala University. Sophie Karrenberg’s Lab. the project is about sex chromosome evolution in plants. Come join us! Deadline 22 July. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
uu.se
PhD position in evolutionary genomics - Uppsala University
PhD position in evolutionary genomics, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University
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Max-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · 04/04/2026
Not all #eggs are the same: birds‘ eggs have an incredible range of different sizes, colors, patterns and shapes. 🪺 🤩 Happy #Easter, everyone!
Bird eggs with different sizes, colors, patterns and shapes.
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Sarah Primate @langurlover.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
😀 Look at that cute little creature in the photo!
phys.org
Bioluminescent bacterial partner proves essential for squid development
The Hawaiian bobtail squid, a small, multi-colored native of coastal waters in Hawai'i, uses bioluminescence to camouflage itself and evade predators. However, the costume change is only possible thro...
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Andrew D Wilson @adw.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Wikipedia now has higher standards than all universities
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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Are you looking for a PhD position, hoping to learn sexual selection theory from one of the true experts in the field? Lehtonen's work is awesome - Look at this and apply! ats.talentadore.com/apply/doctor...
ats.talentadore.com
Doctoral Researcher in Theoretical Evolutionary Biology (1-2 positions)
The Department of Biological and Environmental Science is seeking to recruit Doctoral Researcher in sexual selection theory (1-2 positions) starting 1.9.2026, or as soon as possible after that for a m...
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Behavioral Ecology @behavecol.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Earwig mothers employ a suite of hygienic behaviors to defend their nest against microbial threats #Insect #Hygiene #MaternalCare doi.org/10.1093/behe...
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Travis McEnery @travismcenery.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Ever wonder what happens to spiders in winter? Here ypu go! youtu.be/mzzfJLQGV8A
youtu.be
How Spiders Survive Winter is Cooler Than You Think
YouTube video by Travis McEnery
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Prof Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
😂
One on left is a black dog and above it the words “Reality”. Below it is “I chased a squirrel” 

One the right is a black dog and above it says “LinkedIn”. Below it says, 

Proud to announce that I effectively executed a rapid-response squirrel displacement strategy to mitigate potential yard intrusions.

Humbled by the unwavering support of my family and local stakeholders.

This experience reinforced the importance of vigilance, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Looking forward to scaling this impact in future engagements.
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Matt Kustra @matt-kustra.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
New paper out in @funecology.bsky.social y.social: Warm waters undermine cryptic female choice! We find ovarian fluid only has a positive effect on sperm function at colder temperatures and that sneaker males have faster sperm than dominant nesting males at warmer temperatures. (1/3)
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Warm waters undermine cryptic female choice
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Florian Altermatt @florianaltermatt.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
#Biodiversität studieren! 🐟 🍃 🦐 🧬 🌍 🔬 🦠 📽️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERdy... BSc & MSc Studienprogramme "Biodiversität" @UZH 👩‍🎓 vermitteln umfassendes wissenschaftliches Verständnis der Muster, Prozesse & Funktionen der biologischen Vielfalt. Starker interdisziplinären Fokus 🎯📈 📚
youtube.com
Discover the Biodiversity degree program at UZH!
YouTube video by Universität Zürich
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Jonathan Birch @birchlse.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
I've been working for ages on a comprehensive revamp of the Stanford Encyclopedia Entry on "Animal Consciousness", with new sections on non-Western perspectives, methodological challenges and evolutionary big pictures, and it's out today: plato.stanford.edu/entries/cons.... Hope you find it useful!
Animal Consciousness (first paragraph of the article).
First published Sat Dec 23, 1995; substantive revision Tue Jan 13, 2026.

Is there something it’s like to be an octopus, a bee, a snail? For much of the twentieth century, research into animal cognition tended to avoid questions of consciousness, following the lead of human neuroscience, where such questions were also marginalized (see the entries on animal cognition, methods in comparative cognition). However, the growing profile of consciousness science since 2000 has brought the topic of consciousness back into the scientific mainstream (see the entry on the neuroscience of consciousness), and this has led to resurgent interest in studying conscious experience in other animals.
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Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Small RNA molecules in sperm can transmit information about a father's environment, influencing early embryonic development and potentially affecting offspring health without altering DNA.
phys.org
Tiny RNA molecules in sperm can have big impact on health of babies
Mounting evidence from research on nematodes to mice indicate that a father's environment, such as what he eats or if he is exposed to stress or toxicants, can lead to metabolic and behavioral disorders in his offspring.
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Review was 3 days overdue. I carved out ~4 hours during the holidays to finish it. Submission status on upload: editorial decision already made; no longer available for review 😲. How is your day?
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Perran Ross @perran.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
The long-held belief that only female mosquitoes bite may not be true after all. Very excited to have had the opportunity to contribute to this study showing that male mosquitoes can also bite and feed on blood. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Hugo Darras @hugodarras.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Apply for a PhD position in the Pan lab @miyapan.bsky.social at MPI Biology 🇩🇪 to study the molecular mechanisms and evolution of sex determination in haplodiploid insects 🐜🐝.
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British Arachnological Society @britishspiders.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
The semi-aquatic, internationally Vulnerable Fen Raft Spider Dolomedes plantarius overwinters as immature stages, including sub-adults. They're torpid in very cold weather and rarely seen in winter. Today, they have been out and about @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Redgrave & Lopham Fen #ClimateChange
Immature Fen Raft Spider Dolomedes plantarius in hunting pose on 9th December
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Rob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function. www.idiv.de/majority-of-... #biodiversity
idiv.de
Majority of local insect biomass decline linked to species loss
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function.
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Rob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
If you are working on developing a consortium to respond to the upcoming call HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 Understanding and tackling the decline of insects ... please get in touch www.sib.swiss/environmenta...
sib.swiss
Environmental Bioinformatics
Focus on the group's mission To protect and restore the environment that sustains humankind we need to understand it. The Environmental Bioinformatics Group, led by Robert W...
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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
Here is a Youtube video describing our new research. Enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rWG...
youtube.com
Osmooka aphana: new spider genus and species discovered in Madagascar
YouTube video by EZ lab
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Communications Biology @commsbio.nature.com · 04/12/2025
🕷️🥬The discovery of chemosensory sensilla with different distributions on the body appendages and between the sexes of a cursorial spider, combined with evidence of olfactory mate attraction, provides insights into chemical communication in spiders. @uhl-lab.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42...
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ERGA - European Reference Genome Atlas @ergabiodiv.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
🕷️🕸️ New Reference genome available: Leviellus thorelli, a orb-weaving spider - a key resource for comparative studies of the #genomic basis of orb web and silk #evolution. 🔗https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-365 #Spider #genomics #genomes for #biodiversity @cnag-eu.bsky.social
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Stefano Mammola @stefanomammola.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
🕷️🌍🕸️ Spiders aren't creepy crawlies—they're ecosystem heroes! From pest control to biotech inspiration to key figures in our collective culture, a new review reveals the many services spiders provide: 🔗 doi.org/10.1111/brv.... (drawing by @jmalumbresolarte.bsky.social)
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
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ESA Journals @esajournals.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
🆕 in "Ecology": Who spreads more disease - males or females? At least in water fleas, it depends on temperature 📄The sicker sex is plastic: Thermal plasticity determines sex biases in pathogen transmission doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Some possible forms of sex-specific plasticity in each infection component and how they may lead to non-intuitive predictions for sex-biases in pathogen transmission. Using a horizontally transmitted pathogen as an example, transmission capacity through each sex depends on the sex-specific differences in host susceptibility, pathogen loads, and death rates. Hypothetically, each component could have a unique form of sex-specific plasticity – susceptibility might be plastic only for males (i.e., sex-specific), equally plastic in both sexes in the same direction (i.e., equivalent), and equally plastic in both sexes but in opposing directions (i.e., divergent). Yet considering overall disease spread would suggest a strong male-bias in transmission in environment 1, but no bias at all in environment 2,  and that this shift in the extent of the ‘sicker sex’ (in regard to the sex where pathogen transmission is highest) would be underpinned entirely by plasticity in male transmission only.
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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
New publication! Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females. www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
ezlab.si
Extreme silk toughness in Caerostris spiders is limited to adult females
Spider silks are protein fibers, renowned for their remarkable intrinsic mechanical properties. Dragline or major ampullate (MA) silk is particularly noteworthy for its combination of high tensile str...
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Gabriele Uhl @uhl-lab.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Here comes Carolina's first paper on the effects of winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in wasp spiders. Thanks go to all coauthors for their various contribution that made this work possible!🧪🕷 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #climatechange
Experimental setup for testing the effect of different winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in the wasp spider.
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Science Magazine @science.org · 26/11/2025
A specialized appendage responds to female sex hormones, allowing male octopuses to find their sex organs in the dark. scim.ag/4roFry3
scim.ag
‘Superarm’ helps male octopuses deliver sperm to females
Specialized appendage responds to female sex hormones, allowing males to find sex organs in the dark
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CristinaTuni @cristinatuni.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
New study from @michellebeyer.bsky.social published in Animal Behaviour: Silk of females performing maternal care elicits reduced courtship responses in male spiders.
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Flora Graham @floragraham.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Anyone interested in learning about why journals make a proactive effort to increase women's participation in the peer review process should take the time look at some actual evidence about why this is needed. Ditto journalists covering such a story. Do some reporting! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Women are credited less in science than men - Nature
The difference between the number of men and women listed as authors on scientific papers and inventors on patents is at least partly attributable to unacknowledged contributions by women scientists.
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Professor John R. Hutchinson @johnrhutchinson.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
How the elephant lost his tail
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Anthony Cunningham @sqferryman.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Louvre robbery. French police release image of suspect.
The character Feathers McGraw from the film "The Wrong Trousers".
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ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Meet our plenary speaker Renata Sousa-Lima! Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), Renata ‘s research focuses on bioacoustics of aquatic mammals and has pioneered the field of ecoacoustics and soundscape ecology in Brazil.
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Science Magazine @science.org · 13/10/2025
Male mice that exercise can pass their newly gained fitness on to male offspring. If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. scim.ag/47igpZm
scim.ag
Well-exercised male mice appear to pass fitness to their male offspring
Surprising epigenetic effect relies on snippets of RNA packaged within sperm
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ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
This week members of the @isbe2026 Local Organizing Committee are sharing their own favourite impressions of the host city! Discover Turin through their eyes!
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ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Start planning your stay in Turin! Accommodation can be easily booked directly on our website ➡️ isbe2026.com/accommodation/
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Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Sperm microRNAs have been shown to transmit the metabolic and endurance benefits of paternal exercise to offspring, highlighting a molecular pathway for intergenerational health adaptation.
medicalxpress.com
Sperm microRNAs may enable transmission of exercise benefits from fathers to children
In a recent study published in Cell Metabolism, a research paper provides the first evidence that sperm microRNAs act as carriers of epigenetic information, enabling the intergenerational transmission of paternal exercise capacity and metabolic health, thereby exerting profound effects on offspring development.
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Behavioral Ecology @behavecol.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Divergent alternative mating tactics in convergent male reproductive morphs #AlternativeReproductiveTactic #Insect #Bioacoustics doi.org/10.1093/behe...
media.tenor.com
a close up of a cricket walking on the ground .
ALT: a close up of a cricket walking on the ground .
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Martina Pavlek @mpavlek.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Postdoc position available at Ruder Boskovic Institute in Zagreb, in the field of genomics and NGS data processing. Check out the call: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/376320
euraxess.ec.europa.eu
Contest point 7 – Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Evolutionary Genetics. Fixed-term contract: 2 years and 4 months Number of positions: 1
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Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 25/09/2025
Does sexual dimorphism reflect sexual antagonism? Covariation of female fitness with brothers’ sexual traits and their female homologues in neriid flies #ProcB #OpenAccess royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
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ZooKeys @zookeys.pensoft.net · 24/09/2025
Our journal congratulates @ortizmovliavc.bsky.social l for her award at @35theca2025.bsky.social ! Her work, “Winter warming increases metabolic stress and mortality in an overwintering spider,” got her a free publication in a @pensoft.net journal. zookeys.pensoft.net/news/993
zookeys.pensoft.net
PhD student Carolina Ortiz Movliav wins Best Oral Presentation at European Congress of Arachnology
Carolina Ortiz Movliav, a PhD student at the University of Greifswald, has won the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 35th European Congress of Arachnology for her work “Winter warming inc...
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Corrie Moreau @corriemoreau.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
UPDATE: The 2025-2026 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resources! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
ecoevojobs.net 2025-26
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Methods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
📖Published📖 Check out this new research article 👉 Quantifying the correlation between variance components: An extension to the double-hierarchical generalised linear model 🧪 🌍 Read the full article here 👇
buff.ly
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
illustrated by @jmalumbresolarte.bsky.social 😍
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Why do female spiders eat their mates, and how do males fight back? 🕷️ Our new review unpacks the evolutionary dynamics of sexual cannibalism and the astonishing male strategies it has shaped — from nuptial gifts to remote copulation. Open access in Integrative Zoology 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1749...
doi.org
Unravelling Evolutionary Dynamics of Female Sexual Cannibalism and Male Reproductive Strategies in Spiders
Sexual cannibalism (SC), where one mating partner consumes the other in the context of mating, is especially prevalent among spiders. However, the evolution of SC in spiders is still not fully unders...
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Spiders have personalities—and in Pisaura mirabilis, opposites might attract: adventurous males and cautious females mate longer, revealing hidden personality-driven patterns in romance. Lead by @cristinatuni.bsky.social Read more here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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Svea Carlotta von Einem @svea-voneinem.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
It's mating season! Always fascinating to watch how the male tries to seduce the female and to wait how she will react...
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
We - EZ lab @ezlab.bsky.social (past/current) - presented our latest research at the European congress of arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social . @matjazgregoric.bsky.social
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Good times! @ortizmovliavc.bsky.social
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Gabriele Uhl @uhl-lab.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
A great conference is over. The 35th European Conference of Arachnology in Zadar, hosted by Martina Pavlek. Great talks, discussions and parties including jumping into the adriatic sea during breaks.
Zadar, university building, view from the water.
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