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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 23h

Come be my college at the University of New Mexico! We are hiring an assistant professor of Comparative Animal Physiology, research in both vertebrates and invertebrates welcome. Please reach out if you have any questions. unm.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

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Miles Zhang | 张远濛 @ymilesz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Our paper on the rather large genome (1.08Gb) of the agricultural pest blueberry gall wasp is now out as a preprint. We also looked across chalcidoid genomes and found the genome size variation is largely driven by transposable element proliferation. 🧪 #Ormyridae #Hemadasnubilipennis

Blueberry gall wasp adult habitus and gall

Blueberry gall wasp genome snail plot, hi-c contact map, and K-mer spectra plot

Phylogeny, TE landscape, and PGLS between different chalcidoid lineages.

Chromosome structure of the blueberry gall wasp genome

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The Martinson lab is looking for new PhD students! We have so much cool data and need help making sense of it all! If interested please contact me!

Flyer for position in Plant Genome Manipulation by Insects "We are looking for new members of our team to work on the molecular mechanisms behind gall induction. A gall is an abnormal growth on a plant that is induced by another organism (i.e., bacteria, fungi, mites, insects). Insect-induced galls are the most complex type, creating structures and pigments not seen in the normal development of the host plant. The insect evades host defenses and co-opts control of plant development redirecting resources away from the plant to create a structure comprised of multiple tissues that both provide nutrition to the insect’s offspring as well as protects them from harm. While some progress has been made in individual systems, we still do not understand how any insect induces a gall to form or whether the mechanisms behind this complex manipulation are conserved across galling species. The Martinson lab works in three independent galling systems to try to understand molecular toolkit used to hijack plant development is shared across distantly related gall-inducing insects or whether each lineage has evolved its own unique suite of effectors and signaling strategies. " If interested email emartinson@unm.edu.

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

New paper from the Martinson Labs! “Rapid ecological speciation in gall inducers” Where we look at the divergence between Aciurina bigeloviae and A. trixa, two sympatric tephritid flies! doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...

Two flies facing in opposite directions with highly patterned wings.

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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Amazing! This report suggests that a gall aphid injects into their plant host an enzyme that manipulates auxin levels in the host and thereby induces galls. #plantscience #plantsci www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

🌟🌟Interested in a postdoctoral project about host-parasite coevolution and/or underlying mechanisms? 🌟🌟 Check your eligibility for this fellowship & contact me. I am particularly interested in hosting scholars from the Global South (¡Arriba mi gente!). www.hfsp.org/funding/hfsp...

hfsp.org

Postdoctoral Fellowships | Human Frontier Science Program

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Louis Nastasi @toomanywasps.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Some good news - a new #gall #wasp paper from our group! This is one of my favorites so far - two new Diastrophus species, a review of “cryptic” galling (galls with no external sign of presence), and some novel hypotheses regarding evolution of gall inquilines. See more here: doi.org/10.1080/0022...

tandfonline.com

Minimalism is in: two new Diastrophus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) species inducing inconspicuous galls on cinquefoils (Rosaceae: Potentilleae), with evaluation of the extended phenotype across gall wasps

While the majority of galling insects induce visible alterations to their host plants, there are many species that induce inconspicuous galls, changing only the internal structure of the host plant...

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

New paper from the Martinson Lab! A fun study where we find a nice example of cascading speciation and describe three new species. Plus some exciting data to suggest that ecological guild may influence the impacts of host-associated differentiation. A 🧵. #galls #insects 🧪 doi.org/10.1111/mec....

Photo of a tank-like black parasitoid wasp, a new species called Eurytoma trixa

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

We are looking for a new Director of the Center for Advanced Research Computing at the University of New Mexico. If you, or anyone you know, has experience with advanced computing systems please follow the link. unm.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

unm.csod.com

Director of the Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC)

The University of New Mexico (UNM) seeks a dynamic, innovative, results-oriented, and proven leader for the position of Director of the Center for A...

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Keith Trujillo @neurochicano.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

go.bsky.app/8zZNEGV Great resource to connect early career folks with more senior scientists looking to hire postdocs! 🧪

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Scott P. Egan @scottpegan.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Hey #Evol2025 - My colleague @waspvenom.bsky.social and I are looking for a postdoc for our #NSF - #USDA funded grant to understand the genetic basis of gall formation! Please see that attached ad, and feel free to talk to me @evolmtg.bsky.social, or contact Dr. Ellen Martinson directly!

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

If you see this post a flower🪷 The Rocky Mountain Irises are blooming in Northern New Mexico!

A bunch of rocky mountain irises in a field with mountains in the background

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Noam Ross @noamross.net · 19/04/2025

🚨Report your NSF grant terminations! 🚨 We are starting to collect information on NSF grant terminations to create a shared resource as we have for NIH. The more information we collect, the more we can organize, advocate, and fight back! Please share widely! airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...

NSF Grant Termination Information Collection Form

Please use this form to submit information identifying specific NSF grants that have been cancelled for any reason after January 20, 2025.

We are tracking these grants to increase transparency, organize affected PIs, and facilitate responses, including via litigation. Please share the form as widely as possible with your networks.

We are actively building a pipeline to organize these terminations and will soon have a tracker akin to our NIH grant tracker at https://airtable.com/appjhyo9NTvJLocRy/shrNto1NNp9eJlgpA

WE WILL NOT DISCLOSE THE IDENTITY OF ANYONE WHO USES THIS FORM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION. We will keep your identity confidential.

These resources are maintained by Noam Ross of rOpenSci and Scott Delaney of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with input and support from additional volunteers. For any questions, please contact Scott Delaney on Signal (sdelaney.84).

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE!

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Caitlin S., PhD @paleophile.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

The Democrats on the House Science Committee have set up a website to collect stories from fired federal employees, anonymously if desired. Please amplify. (This helps the lawyers establish standing for bringing legal cases against the administration!) democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings

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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

I lost my job at the National Science Foundation yesterday, along with 167 of my colleagues, including some dear friends. This was the best job I've ever had, and I thought it would be my last. The PI community has been sympathetic and supportive, without exception. I will miss working for you.

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Jess Awad @parasitoidrex.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Gall midges and their parasitoids are abundant, megadiverse, and very hard to identify! Such "double dark taxa" systems present special challenges for ecology and agriculture. 🧵🧪🐙 @smnstuttgart.bsky.social @marinamoser.bsky.social @krogmann.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/aesa...

doi.org

Untangling host specialization in a “double dark taxa” system

Abstract. Platygastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) are parasitoids of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). They and their hosts are exceptionally

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Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Posted with alt text 🧪

Research is under attack. Help protect it! Paraphrased: Most US science is federally funded through NIH and NSF, both of which are being targeted by the new administration. What's happened? The executive branch halted communication, travel, and attempted to freeze grants. Longstanding programs and proposals suspected of promoting diversity and DEI are being eliminated. NSF has been instructed to shrink by 25-50%. Future threats: every NIH and NSF employee has been offered a buyout due to deep future cuts. Funding may be decentralized to block grants to states, giving states that are "loyal" more funding rather than merit based funding. Grant reviews may be done by government workers who don't have the expertise or time needed. Take action: contact your representatives and demand protection of NIH, NSF, and all government funded research. Call the capital switchboard at 202-224-3121. Submit a comment to the House subcommittee on science, space, and technology. Spread the word. Learn more by following trusted scientists on bluesky

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Heeyoung Kim - Botanical Artist & Instructor @brushwhisperer.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

“Dead” plant stuff hold food for birds during winter, when food is scarce. Galls such as this goldenrod gall have insect larvae in them. You can see who knows what to do … 😊. My tiny brush again 🤓. #birdsinart #botanicalart #naturalhistoryart #SciArt #natureart #conservation #oneearth

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Dr Maggie J Watson @terngirl.bsky.social · 20/10/2024

Parasitoids FTW!!! Illustration in homage to Eric Carle by Sloan Tomlinson

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Why do insect galls have such varied shapes even among closely related species?? The Enemy Hypothesis, posits that pressure from parasitoids drives the dynamic evolution of external gall traits. We have a new paper in @rsocpublishing.bsky.social on this hypothesis see more in this 🧵! 🧪 #galls

Many examples of the diversity in morphology of insect induced galls from hairy to colorful to spiky.

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Last day of #nudivember, thought I’d draw attention to the amazing work of the Blaschka Glass nudibranchs and other invertebrates. Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, were a father and son team that started making glass eyes, but moved onto making extremely scientifically accurate marine invertebrates

A type of sea slug called the spotted sacoglossan (Caliphylla mediterranea), in glass. Photo by Guido Mocafico, courtesy of the Natural History Museum of Ireland

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Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Total Eclipse of the Heart Played on Increasingly Smaller Rubber Chickens

youtube.com

Total Eclipse Of The Heart on the Chicken

YouTube video by Vinheteiro

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Miles Zhang | 张远濛 @ymilesz.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

We are less than two weeks away from the annual online meeting for the International Society of Hymenopterists. This year we again have four phenomenal keynote speakers, and it is completely free for members. For more information on how to sign up: www.hymenopterists.org/hymathon-202...

Hymathon 2024 keynote speaker session 1, John Heraty UC Riverside, A passion for parasitoids - 45 years of chasing eucharitid wasps

Hymathon 2024 keynote speaker session 2, Eduardo Almeida University of Sao Paulo Ribeirao Preto, The evolutionary history of bees in time and space

Hymathon 2024 keynote speaker session 3, Graham Stone University of Edinburgh, The trouble with parasitoids? Patterns and process in the global evolution of oak gall phenotypes

Hymathon 2024 keynote speaker session 4, Tamara Spasojevic Natural History Museum in Vienna, Evolving perspectives in Hymenoptera Systematics

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Jason Rasgon @vectorgen.bsky.social · 01/08/2023

I guess I should re-post from the Bird Site "The Rules For Academic Success here": I always get asked for advice about starting/surviving the tenure track. Here are the rules I've found useful. Thought I'd put it out there for the masses... This list gets longer all the time

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 30/10/2024

Vince and I are currently recruiting grad students for a variety of projects. Please pass on this flier to anyone you think would be interested!

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Scott P. Egan @scottpegan.bsky.social · 21/02/2024

#PostDoc opportunity with @waspvenom.bsky.social (& me) on the mystery of #gall formation! Funded by #NSF & #USDA. See details below and please RT!

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 19/02/2024

Come join me in beautiful New Mexico!! Excited to be recruiting a 3 year postdoc for an NSF/USDA funded position. Please see the flyer below for all the details and reach out if you have any questions. Please RT and share with anyone who would be interested.

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Miles Zhang | 张远濛 @ymilesz.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

Our paper on speciation of oak gall inquilines is now published in Evolution: Like their oak gall wasp hosts, the divergence events of these two distantly related kleptoparasite genera are often associated with changes in tree habitat, gall location, and gall morphology.: doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Image of a Ceroptres inquiline reared from oak gall.

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 23/10/2023

Amazing work by Antoine and crew! It's mind-blowing to think how cynipids invest so many more resources in their venom glands than ovaries, it really shows how important these secretions are for getting a successful next generation.

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 20/10/2023

I was on a collecting trip in southern Utah two weeks ago and discovered Goosenecks State Park. It is one of the most striking examples of an entrenched river meander (which is a great phase). You can camp wherever you like along the rim. Probably not great for small children, though.

Full view of Goosenecks State Park in southern Utah

Full moon setting at sunrise over Goosenecks State Park in Utah

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