Sign in

Sonja Vernes

@sonjavernes.bsky.social
90 followers 48 following 19 posts

🦇 Bat Boffin | Prof of Biology, Uni of St Andrews I study bats to understand how humans learn to talk — yes, really! 📍 Also on IG/Threads @sonja_vernes · LinkedIn: /in/sonjavernes

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Dávalos Lab @labdavalos.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
🧪Amazing photos of the hammerhead bat in this @theguardian.com write-up on bat biogeography! www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Bats originated in Europe, rewriting mammals’ family tree, study reveals
Biggest study of its kind provides insights into bats’ evolution – a potential gamechanger for research into human virus and cancer treatment
011
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Cool! Looking forward to reading this! 👇🧠🧬
010
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Cedric Boeckx @cedricboeckx.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Delighted to share our new preprint, which places what we have learned about the polygenic basis of the globular human brain shape into a broader evolutional/developmental context 🧪🧠🧬 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
22112
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
📚 Look what just arrived! "Fighting for our Minds: The Neuroscience of Defeating Dementia", the new book from my friend and colleague Tara Spires-Jones. Beautiful and so important. Cant wait to read it! Huge congratulations Tara!🎉 global.oup.com/academic/product/fighting-for-our-minds-9780198995319
021
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Our bat probiotic project is expanding beyond BC and WA and into Alberta and the territories! Bats benefit! We’re studying how long it persists and whether it could be used in backyard bat houses.🦇 Help fund this work: donate or run a fundraiser! wcscanada.donorsupport.co/page/FUNKNPK...
Image of a Little Brown Myotis covered with fungal growth Pd that causes white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats. Overwinter mortality rates for this species are over 90%. Photo: Greg Horne from Feb 2026. Image of a bat wing stretched out in the gloved hands of a bat researcher. UV light is shining on the wing surface where speckles of orange fluoresce under the UV light. This is a sign of fungal growth (Pd) that causes white-nose syndrome. Bats emerging from hibernation will show this sign if they have been infected by Pd. Photo: Jason HeadleyImage of the team at work processing bats in early May - documenting signs of white-nose syndrome. One researcher holds a bat while another swabs the wing with a sterile swab that will be sent away for testing. Researchers wear gloves (and change them between bats) to reduce the risk of transmission of the fungus between bats. Masks are worn to protect the bats from researchers potentially giving bats any diseases. This work involves a lot of decontamination, making processing of each bat highly involved before it is eventually released back into the night. We are grateful for a huge number of volunteers who have joined us to help with this project. Photo: Jason HeadleyOur Alberta team sprays hydrated probiotic bacteria into bat houses after bats have left to hunt for the evening. The probiotic formula dries onto roosting surfaces. Returning bats crawl over the roost surfaces and pick up the beneficial bacteria on their wings which will assist in their survival in the following winter when they encounter Pd that causes white-nose syndrome. Photo: Jason Headley
01811
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
🦇 Last Friday I spoke at a One Medicine meeting in Edinburgh on brain health and dementia. Dogs, cats, bats and everything in between! My pitch: how we can use bats to help us. So inspiring! 😊 @humanimaltrust.bsky.social @brainhealtharc.bsky.social
030
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
🦇 PhD position alert! Are you curious how speech and language evolved? Do you love bats? Join my lab at the University of St Andrews to study FoxP2 and vocal learning in transgenic bats! Funded by EASTBIO. Apply by 16 Nov! @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social #PhD #bats www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
findaphd.com
Eastbio: FoxP2 in Flight: Transgenic Bats and the Molecular Genetics of Speech and Language at University of St Andrews on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Eastbio: FoxP2 in Flight: Transgenic Bats and the Molecular Genetics of Speech and Language at University of St Andrews, listed on FindAPhD.com
002
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
ERGA - European Reference Genome Atlas @ergabiodiv.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
🐋🧬 Welcome to the new ERGA Associate Partner: the Cetacean Genomes Project! They coordinate the generation of high-quality reference genomes for all cetacean species (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) supporting research & conservation worldwide!🌊 www.cetaceangenomesproject.org @ebpgenome.bsky.social
cetaceangenomesproject.org
CGP
The Cetacean Genomes Project aims to facilitate the generation of reference genomes of all cetacean species.
0133
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
🦇 We made the cover of @nature.com! "Family secrets": reference genomes redraw the bat evolutionary tree. A 10-year labour of love from our amazing @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social team. Only 1400 more to go guys!! 😊 doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11007-3
064
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The fab new paper by the Bat1K consortium graces the cover of this week's issue of @nature.com. Congrats to @ariadnamorales.bsky.social @sonjavernes.bsky.social @labdavalos.bsky.social @hillermich.bsky.social @emmateeling.bsky.social @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social & all involved in this landmark work.🦇🧬
The front cover of the 1st October 2026 issue of Nature, capturing an aerial gathering of Natal long-fingered bats (Miniopterus natalensis). Bats are extraordinary creatures — they are the only mammal capable of powered flight, have remarkable disease resistance, use echolocation for navigation, hibernate and have longer than expected healthspans. But our knowledge of bat evolution and their remarkable adaptations is far from complete. In this week’s issue, Emma Teeling, Michael Hiller, Liliana Davalos, Sonja Vernes, David Ray and their Bat1K consortium colleagues present genomes for 103 bat species, representing all 21 bat families.
0103
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Bat1K Genome Project @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
From six bat species to covering 103 genomes across all 21 bat families 🦇🧬 Two beautiful batty Nature covers, years of collaboration, and an incredible community behind every genome. 🌍🌎🌏 We are proud and excited for what’s next. Our goal: sequence the genome of every bat species!
2137
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Thank you Simon!!
010
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
We placed some passive recorders inside to learn about which bats are inhabiting the caves and when they are there. We hope to learn more about how to conserve bats with this partnership.
000
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
🦇This week we met some gorgeous bats in an artificial cave made by the Cyprus government to help protect bats. Thank you Haris Nicolaou and Elena Erotokritou for guiding us! @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social #bats #fieldwork #conservation #cyprus❤️
132
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Sar Crespi @boron110.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Sumatran orangutans have a long, long childhood (8 yrs!) but there's a lot to learn. This week on the @science.org podcast, we hear about how social and individual learning interact to shape ecological competence in orangutans w/ Elah Feder & Revathe Thillaikumar www.science.org/content/podc...
1277
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Gerry Carter @gerrycarter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New discoveries in bat evolution www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Reference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography - Nature
An updated phylogeny of bats is presented, based on new genome assemblies and many ancient fossils and including all known bat families.
1166
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Bat1K Genome Project @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
„The approach we used to model the evolution of fossil and living species together can do what other methods cannot: identify the oldest group of fossil bats while taking the genomic data into account, and uncover when and where bats originated“ says Dávalos @labdavalos.bsky.social 1/2
1117
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Matthew Cobb @matthewcobb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So this is the news @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social was hinting at yesterday! Amazing (and a lovely hammer-headed bat in the pic)
theguardian.com
Bats originated in Europe, rewriting mammals’ family tree, study reveals
Biggest study of its kind provides insights into bats’ evolution – a potential gamechanger for research into human virus and cancer treatment
0124
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Bat Conservation Trust @batconservation.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🦇 Taking you into the field to discover the world of bat conservation. BatChat is for anyone who loves bats or has an interest in conservation. Our trustee Steve Roe talks to the experts as well as local heroes to bring you the latest from the world of bats. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-n5...
youtube.com
BatChat Series 8 Trailer
YouTube video by Steve Roe
0155
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics @mpi-cbg.de · 24/09/2026
Study finds that bats most likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago, before spreading across the world. 30 bat 🦇 genomes 🧬 were sequenced at @mpi-cbg.de & @dcgenomecenter.bsky.social. MPI-CBG Alumni @hillermich.bsky.social & Eugene Myers were involved. www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreac...
mpi-cbg.de
Bats originated in Europe, not Asia, landmark genome study reveals
Study finds that bats most likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago, before spreading across the world. 30 bat genomes for the study were sequenced at MPI-CBG. 
1104
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Very cool! 🦇🦇🦇
010
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
T Revathe @revathe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
!! New in @science.org !! How do animals learn broad skills necessary for survival in the wild? Our latest study on wild Sumatran orangutans at Suaq provides answers. 1/11 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
How 8 years of social and individual learning interact to shape ecological competence in orangutans
Cultural learning permeates human skill and knowledge acquisition. To understand its importance for nonhuman apes, we analyzed just under 7000 records of behavioral bouts of social and individual lear...
38536
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What an amazing cover! Brilliant new research from @uniofstandrews.bsky.social researcher Andy Whiten and colleagues. Cant wait to read this important work!
010
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Bat1K Genome Project @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We covered ALL 21 living bat families with high quality genomes for the first time - from the bumblebee bat (widely considered the smallest mammal) to Madagascar‘s leaf-clinging sucker footed bats. 👇🏽fig. 1 | completion of phase 1 of the Bat1K project, including 103 genomes. Illustrations by F. Reid
141
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Michael Peel @mikepeeljourno.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Bats' extraordinary adaptations to promote long life and stave off disease have long fascinated researchers who are attempting to harness those attributes for human health. Now a genetic trove promises new clues to bat biology - and to the creatures' mysterious origins. www.ft.com/content/7aa3...
ft.com
Genetic trove aims to unlock bats’ secrets to long life
Genomic and fossil records could offer clues to the mammal’s ability to kill damaged cells that might eventually improve human health
13411
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Go team miR!! 🧬🦇
020
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Quarterly Review of Biology @qrb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Congratulations to QRB Editor-in-Chief Liliana Davalos @labdavalos.bsky.social on her new paper appearing in @nature.com as part of the @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social project, which is using both genomic and fossil evidence to update the bat family tree. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Reference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography - Nature
An updated phylogeny of bats is presented, based on new genome assemblies and many ancient fossils and including all known bat families.
076
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Wildlife Conservation Society @wcs.org · 23/09/2026
Where did bats originate? A major new @nature.com study finds they most likely originated in Europe about 65 million years ago. Wildlife Conservation Society scientists contributed samples to the largest combined bat genome & fossil study ever conducted. 🌏 newsroom.wcs.org/News-Release...
12917
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
University of St Andrews @uniofstandrews.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New groundbreaking research by St Andrews and Bat1K Genome Project has created the largest combined bat genome and fossil study ever undertaken finding that bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago 🦇🎉🌴 Read more...👇 ow.ly/4fV050ZQEHC #EverToExcel
0114
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
@bat1kgenomes.bsky.social
020
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Michael Hiller @hillermich.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Happy to share results of the @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social phase 1, providing reference genomes covering 21 bat families. New insights into bat phylogeny, ancestral genome reconstruction, European origin & ancestral echolocation. Great work by a team of 100+ colleagues www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Reference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography - Nature
An updated phylogeny of bats is presented, based on new genome assemblies and many ancient fossils and including all known bat families.
318783
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Bat1K Genome Project @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Where did bats come from?🦇🌍 After decades of debate, the biggest bat genome + fossil study ever done has an answer - and it’s not where anyone expected! 🤩OUR PHASE 1 FLAGSHIP is out today in nature! doi.org/10.1038/s415... A thread 🧵
doi.org
Reference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography - Nature
An updated phylogeny of bats is presented, based on new genome assemblies and many ancient fossils and including all known bat families.
37144
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
📸 Photo credits: bumblebee bat & Rhinolophus affinis - Charles Francis. Cynopterus sphinx - Brock Fenton. Macrotus waterhousii & Vampyressa thyone - Burton Lim. Myotis daubentonii & Glossophaga mutica - Brock & Sherri Fenton. Noctilio leporinus & Uroderma convexum - Elizabeth Clare.
060
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🦇 Bat1K's biggest paper yet is out. Largest bat genome + fossil study ever: 103 genomes, 44 fossils, 137 researchers. We rewrote the bat family tree! Bats likely originated in Europe ~65 million years ago, not Asia, Africa or Americas. @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11007-3
16429
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Hang tight, bat fans. We've got something big landing from Bat1K tomorrow, and I am so excited to share it. Watch this space! 🦇 📸 Megaderma spasma (lesser false vampire bat). Photo: Sébastien Puechmaille #Bats #Bat1K #ComingSoon #WatchThisSpace #SciComm @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social
010
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Wonderful news! The Uni of St Andrews claims the top spot again! St Andrews revealed as No.1 University in UK in The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027 - beating Cambridge and my own dear Oxford! Well done StA! 🏆 🎉 #EverToExcel @uniofstandrews.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/uk-universit...
thetimes.com
UK university rankings 2027
The 2027 Good University Guide from The Sunday Times provides everything you need to know about studying at the top universities in the UK
000
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Wow!!
020
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Sergiu P. Pasca @sergiuppasca.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Today in Nature @nature.com, we report a new approach to studying human brain development and modeling disease in vivo. Open article link below 👇
59332
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Muséum Genève @mhngeneve.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
📄Now published in Wellcome Open Research: "The genome sequence of the European Free-tailed Bat, Tadarida teniotis (Rafinesque, 1814) (Chiroptera: Molossidae)" by Manuel Ruedi, Sonja C. Vernes, Emma C. Teeling, Meike Mai & Bat1K Genome Consortium 👇 wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/11-...
wellcomeopenresearch.org
011
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
🦇 One of my favourite reads this week. A study from my brilliant @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social colleague Hannah Frank. Over 500 vesper bat species have TWO sets of antibody genes. Every other mammal only has one. "We've never seen anything like this in a mammal before." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Immunoglobulin heavy chain locus duplication in bats
Some bats, unlike other mammals, have two functional antibody heavy chain loci that may affect how they respond to pathogens.
032
Sonja Vernes @sonjavernes.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
🦇 New Nature paper from @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social colleagues Manny Vazquez & @lauterbur.bsky.social: bat genomes show virus defense, longevity & cancer resistance aren't separate stories — they're part of the same one! Bats really are a roadmap for human health nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10932-7
nature.com
Insights into longevity and virus-driven adaptation from Myotis bat genomes - Nature
Comparative and functional analyses of Myotis bats uncover unique patterns of adaptation in virus-interacting proteins and longevity-associated pathways, linking two hallmarks of bat biology.
053
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics @mpi-nl.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Bat genomes illuminate adaptations to viral tolerance and disease resistance. Final version by Ariadna E. Morales & al. -Paolo Devanna , Sonja C. Vernes- doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08471-0
doi.org
Bat genomes illuminate adaptations to viral tolerance and disease resistance - Nature
A systematic analysis of 115 mammalian genomes, including 10 new bat genomes, reveals prevalent positive selection in immune genes in bats and shows key adaptations in the antiviral gene ISG15 that ai...
042
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
University of St Andrews @uniofstandrews.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The Royal Society of Edinburgh has named its 2026 Fellows 🎉 Congrats to five outstanding researchers from the University of St Andrews: Phil King, Gill Plain, Colva Roney-Dougal, Sonja Vernes & Eli Zysman-Colman Read more: ow.ly/hJR550YEP29 #EverToExcel
0102
Reposted by Sonja Vernes
Konopka Lab @konopkalab.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
We are super excited to share our latest pre-print in collaboration with @sonjavernes.bsky.social lab! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... : Evolution of the cellular landscape in mammalian striatum 🧠🧬🧵
biorxiv.org
Evolution of the cellular landscape in mammalian striatum
The dorsal striatum is important for highly specialized functions including movement, learning, and habit formation. However, it is not known if species-specialized behaviors are associated with cellu...
2124