iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab

Amoyel lab @amoyellab.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Join our lab! We're hiring TWO positions: One Wellcome-funded postdoc to study how nutrition impacts male fertility. One Crick-PACE fellowship in collaboration with @taponlab.bsky.social to study the dynamics of mTOR signalling. More info on our website: www.amoyellab.com/join-the-team

amoyellab.com

Join the team | Amoyel Lab

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Last week, our amazing Patrícia Francisco represented the lab at #NeuroFly2026 in Cologne, presenting our latest work: "Ovary-derived signals align protein appetite with oogenesis." (if you're curious, take a look: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...) It was a great week, with great talks and people.

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Thrilled to share that Zita @carvalhosantosz.bsky.social has been selected as a FENS-Kavli Scholar, representing 🇵🇹 in the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence! During the next 4 years she will join a group of 30 scientists to shape the future of neuroscience through collaboration and discovery!

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Reposted by Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab

Katja Rust @rustflylab.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Wow! We are now supported by both the company of biologists and EMBO! I am so proud of our organising team!

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

A big thank u to the entire organizing team who made this possible, from logistics (GIMM Communication Team, Madalena Pinto, @nunovalenteleal.bsky.social, @carvalhosantosz.bsky.social, and Ana Patrícia Francisco) to the visual identity (Catarina Cavaleiro)! We hope this becomes a yearly tradition!

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Finally, kudos to two members from our lab! Raquel Nóbrega won the 2nd prize for best oral communication and @nunovalenteleal.bsky.social took home the best poster presentation award - congratulations to both! 🎉

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

We would also like to thank @gimminstitute.bsky.social and @promegacorporation.bsky.social for their sponsorship, which played a key role in making this event a big success!

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

The 1st Metabolism & Physiology Day took place at @gimminstitute.bsky.social . It was a day full of engaging discussions and scientific exchange within the community, sparking new ideas and potential collaborations. We would like to thank Sara Violante, for the amazing expert talk. 🧵

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Reposted by Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab

Clara Howcroft Ferreira @clarahowcroft.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

🎉 Exciting news for our lab: we will have open positions soon #PostdoctoralResearcher #ResearchTechnician! If you are interested in #SocialBehaviour, #FearResponses, and #DrosophilaMelanogaster, get in touch with a short CV and a statement of research interests.

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Reposted by Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab

Junior European Drosophila Investigators @fly-jedi.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Extended registration deadline for our conference (June 1st - 3rd in Palmela, Portugal) to May 15th! Join if you are a Junior #Drosophila PI or senior #postdoc about to transition to independence. Spread the word! 🎬Venue: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P1n... 🔗Registration: fly-jedi.org/meetings/202...

youtube.com

Pousada de Palmela

YouTube video by Pestana Hotel Group

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

What are the next steps toward understanding how metabolism shapes physiology? In our new Perspective, we explore this through a study from the Schirmeier Lab (doi.org/10.1113/JP28...). The authors show how neuronal PPP regulates redox balance by combining Drosophila genetics and metabolic sensor.

physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Seeing is believing: metabolic sensors illuminate cell‑specific metabolic requirements

Click on the article title to read more.

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

‼️ GENTLE REMINDER ‼️ Only 1 week left to register! Don’t miss this opportunity to come together and discuss the hottest topics in Drosophila research! Join us in Pamela to enjoy great science, sun, and of course… pastéis de nata! We can’t wait to see you there!

fly-jedi.org

Junior European Drosophila Investigators | JEDI Meeting 2026 | Palmela, Portugal

JEDI Meeting 2026 in Portugal 🇵🇹 - June 1–3, 2026

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Zita’s Keynote Speaker Debut!  Huge thanks to the @drosospain.bsky.social organisers for the invitation! It has been a blast hearing about all the fantastic work our neighbours are doing!!!

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

What is our research focus? The answer captured in a single picture by Quirky Luísa (ig: quirky.luisa)

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Reposted by Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab

Katja Rust @rustflylab.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Look at this view! And even better: every attendee gives a talk making this meeting extremely collaborative. This is THE meeting to be for #NewPI #Drosophila researchers - and those who want to connect to them!

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

10/10 The telenovela plot twist! Reproductive tissues controlling appetite? This likely matters beyond flies! Ovaries: quietly running nutritional politics since forever!!

media.tenor.com

a man in a suit and tie has his mouth open

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

8/10 Frequency up, duration unchanged! The twist: flies don’t eat longer. They eat more often! Micro‑snacking as a physiological strategy!

media.tenor.com

two guinea pigs are eating broccoli on a wooden table

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

FlyPAD tracks every tiny nibble! We didn’t just watch flies eat. We quantified every micro‑sip with FlyPAD, a high‑resolution automated feeding system.

media.tenor.com

a cartoon of a man looking out a window at the stars

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

6/10 Mating flips the switch! This whole system only works after mating! The ovary first needs the Sex Peptide activation key before the ovary starts bossing around appetite.

media.tenor.com

a black background with a green access granted sign

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

5/10 Dilp8 drops → nutritional chaos! Dilp8 normally says, “All good here!” During that traffic jam, the hormone Dilp8 declines. When it falls, the fly goes: EMERGENCY! YEAST NOW

media.tenor.com

a hamster is standing on its hind legs on a red surface in front of a waterfall .

ALT: a hamster is standing on its hind legs on a red surface in front of a waterfall .

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

3/10 Protein craving: ACTIVATED! How’d we find this? We used germline‑specific RNAi to mess up oogenesis. When egg development stalled, flies suddenly went CRAZY FOR YEAST! (A very selective protein obsession!)

media.tenor.com

cookie monster from sesame street eating a cookie in front of a window

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

2/10 Ovarian Hotline! We uncovered an ovarian signaling line that amps up protein craving. The ovary isn’t passive - it’s a micro‑manager with dietary opinions.

media.tenor.com

a woman says oh my god okay it 's happening while walking

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

1/10 The ovary is the boss! Turns out fruit fly ovaries aren’t just quietly making eggs. They’re straight-up DEMANDING yeast. The vibe is: BRING. ME. PROTEIN."

media.tenor.com

a cartoon character says bring me food with an angry face

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

🚨🚨 New preprint 🚨🚨 We found that the ovary directly controls protein appetite in Drosophila. Yes — the ovary doesn’t just make eggs… it tells the fly what to eat! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... If you want all the details, click above ☝️ If you just want the fun, GIF-guided overview, keep reading 👇

biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab

Maria Diaz de la Loza, Scientific Illustrator @mariadiazillus.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

I finally had some time to improve my poster about staging Drosophila embryos in collaboration with @stramerlab.bsky.social and we would like to share this with the community! You can find it here or at a higher resolution on my portfolio: www.behance.net/gallery/2458... #DrosophilaEmbryogenesis

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Reposted by Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab

Junior European Drosophila Investigators @fly-jedi.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Calling all #Drosophila #NewPI #researchers! A few spots remain for the upcoming JEDI Conference - and you won’t want to miss this! Every attendee gives a talk, making the exchange dynamic, personal, and highly interactive - all at a stunning venue that inspires collaboration and creativity.

View of the historic hotel Pousada Castelo in Palmela.

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

If you're interested in reproductive physiology, or how organisms integrate environmental signals with internal regulation, I hope this chapter is useful! Happy to discuss questions or ideas that come out of it.

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Zita Carvalho-Santos Lab @zsantoslab.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

🚨 Book Chapter Alert! Reproduction isn’t just about producing offspring! It’s tightly connected to organismal physiology, environment, and behavior! In this chapter, Zita discusses insect reproductive strategies and provides an overview of the mechanisms controlling oogenesis in fruit flies!

sciencedirect.com

The dynamic relationship between oogenesis and whole-animal physiology

Reproduction is a key determinant of animal fitness, requiring the coordination between internal physiological processes and external environmental cu…

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