Amy Courtney
@amycourtneyyy.bsky.social
Anne Warner Research Fellow at the Marine Biological Association, UK
Very excited to be at this @royalsociety.org meeting in Bristol today! 🧠
September 21, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Very excited to be at this @royalsociety.org meeting in Bristol today! 🧠
Thank you, Pawel, for the invitation and everyone at SARS for the warm welcome and engaging conversations!
Fantastic talk by Amy Courtney @amycourtneyyy.bsky.social on novel modes of neurotransmission in the octopus visual system 🐙🧠.
Beautiful biology & a fascinating reminder of how much there is still to discover about the diversity of nervous systems!
@msarscentre.bsky.social
@thembauk.bsky.social
Beautiful biology & a fascinating reminder of how much there is still to discover about the diversity of nervous systems!
@msarscentre.bsky.social
@thembauk.bsky.social
September 15, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Thank you, Pawel, for the invitation and everyone at SARS for the warm welcome and engaging conversations!
Reposted by Amy Courtney
The Ray Lankester Investigatorship enables established researchers (more than 10 years post PhD) to undertake research at the Marine Biological Association.
📅 https://mymba.mba.ac.uk/member-homepage/discounts-and-bursaries/ray-lankester-investigatorship.html
📅 https://mymba.mba.ac.uk/member-homepage/discounts-and-bursaries/ray-lankester-investigatorship.html
August 21, 2026 at 11:52 AM
The Ray Lankester Investigatorship enables established researchers (more than 10 years post PhD) to undertake research at the Marine Biological Association.
📅 https://mymba.mba.ac.uk/member-homepage/discounts-and-bursaries/ray-lankester-investigatorship.html
📅 https://mymba.mba.ac.uk/member-homepage/discounts-and-bursaries/ray-lankester-investigatorship.html
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Postdoc opportunity in Copenhagen!
Interested in marine bioluminescence, comb jellies & experimental biology? A great 2-year postdoc (possibility of 1-year extension), working with CRISPR, imaging & EM in the labs of Anders Garm & Cornelia Jaspers.
Deadline: 16.08
jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabeli...
Interested in marine bioluminescence, comb jellies & experimental biology? A great 2-year postdoc (possibility of 1-year extension), working with CRISPR, imaging & EM in the labs of Anders Garm & Cornelia Jaspers.
Deadline: 16.08
jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabeli...
Postdoc in Marine Bioluminescence - re-advertisement
jobportal.ku.dk
August 11, 2026 at 4:49 AM
Postdoc opportunity in Copenhagen!
Interested in marine bioluminescence, comb jellies & experimental biology? A great 2-year postdoc (possibility of 1-year extension), working with CRISPR, imaging & EM in the labs of Anders Garm & Cornelia Jaspers.
Deadline: 16.08
jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabeli...
Interested in marine bioluminescence, comb jellies & experimental biology? A great 2-year postdoc (possibility of 1-year extension), working with CRISPR, imaging & EM in the labs of Anders Garm & Cornelia Jaspers.
Deadline: 16.08
jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabeli...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Wonderful illustrations and description of work from Rishav et al - out today!
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
New research just dropped today that makes octopuses even weirder than they already are… let me explain🧵🧪🐙🐡🦑
July 29, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Wonderful illustrations and description of work from Rishav et al - out today!
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
In our new preprint, Réza Shahidi, Alexandra Kerbl and Karel Mocaer give an exquisitely detailed manual on serial sectioning for electron microscopy.
"Volume Electron Microscopy: Tips & Tricks on Micromanipulator-Assisted Serial Sectioning for Array […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
"Volume Electron Microscopy: Tips & Tricks on Micromanipulator-Assisted Serial Sectioning for Array […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
July 30, 2026 at 7:56 AM
In our new preprint, Réza Shahidi, Alexandra Kerbl and Karel Mocaer give an exquisitely detailed manual on serial sectioning for electron microscopy.
"Volume Electron Microscopy: Tips & Tricks on Micromanipulator-Assisted Serial Sectioning for Array […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
"Volume Electron Microscopy: Tips & Tricks on Micromanipulator-Assisted Serial Sectioning for Array […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
Reposted by Amy Courtney
If you are interested in nervous system evolution you may want to read our review with Kei Jokura on nerve nets:
"Revisiting nerve nets: functional organization and evolutionary implication"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44318-026-00879-w […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
"Revisiting nerve nets: functional organization and evolutionary implication"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44318-026-00879-w […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
July 30, 2026 at 7:05 AM
If you are interested in nervous system evolution you may want to read our review with Kei Jokura on nerve nets:
"Revisiting nerve nets: functional organization and evolutionary implication"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44318-026-00879-w […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
"Revisiting nerve nets: functional organization and evolutionary implication"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44318-026-00879-w […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
Reposted by Amy Courtney
🚨 Postdoc Opportunity in our lab 🚨 – Molluscan Cell Biology & Organoids | Harvard University
🔬 Profile: strong background in cell culture, cell line engineering, organoids, and experimental cell biology
lnkd.in/eJURJAtShttp...
🔬 Profile: strong background in cell culture, cell line engineering, organoids, and experimental cell biology
lnkd.in/eJURJAtShttp...
Postdoctoral Fellow in Molluscan Cell Biology, Cell Line Development, and Organoid Engineering
The Holford Laboratory at Harvard University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an innovative research program focused on the development of novel molluscan cell lines and...
academicpositions.harvard.edu
June 13, 2026 at 1:51 AM
🚨 Postdoc Opportunity in our lab 🚨 – Molluscan Cell Biology & Organoids | Harvard University
🔬 Profile: strong background in cell culture, cell line engineering, organoids, and experimental cell biology
lnkd.in/eJURJAtShttp...
🔬 Profile: strong background in cell culture, cell line engineering, organoids, and experimental cell biology
lnkd.in/eJURJAtShttp...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Supporting the next generation of leaders in marine biology: two major MBA funding opportunities now open for applications
🔵 Ray Lankester Investigatorship
🔵 Peter Baker Investigatorship
📅 Applications are now open.
Find out more and apply www.mba.ac.uk/supporting-f...
🔵 Ray Lankester Investigatorship
🔵 Peter Baker Investigatorship
📅 Applications are now open.
Find out more and apply www.mba.ac.uk/supporting-f...
June 11, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Supporting the next generation of leaders in marine biology: two major MBA funding opportunities now open for applications
🔵 Ray Lankester Investigatorship
🔵 Peter Baker Investigatorship
📅 Applications are now open.
Find out more and apply www.mba.ac.uk/supporting-f...
🔵 Ray Lankester Investigatorship
🔵 Peter Baker Investigatorship
📅 Applications are now open.
Find out more and apply www.mba.ac.uk/supporting-f...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Can octopuses, squid and cuttlefish reveal fundamental principles of brain evolution and function? More and more neuroscientists think they can and are flocking to research these enduringly fascinating creatures. My latest for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Do octopus brains work like humans’ — or is there another way to be smart?
Just like vertebrates, cephalopods — such as octopuses and squid — have elaborate brains. Neuroscientists are flocking to them for insights into how intelligence evolved.
www.nature.com
April 29, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Can octopuses, squid and cuttlefish reveal fundamental principles of brain evolution and function? More and more neuroscientists think they can and are flocking to research these enduringly fascinating creatures. My latest for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Excited to share a new review by @kocherlab.bsky.social and me:
Nature-inspired neuroscience
We discuss diverse sensory systems and behaviors across the animal kingdom and argue for their integration into neuroscience. New tools in diverse systems are making this possible ✨
tinyurl.com/y5y9du27
Nature-inspired neuroscience
We discuss diverse sensory systems and behaviors across the animal kingdom and argue for their integration into neuroscience. New tools in diverse systems are making this possible ✨
tinyurl.com/y5y9du27
April 19, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Excited to share a new review by @kocherlab.bsky.social and me:
Nature-inspired neuroscience
We discuss diverse sensory systems and behaviors across the animal kingdom and argue for their integration into neuroscience. New tools in diverse systems are making this possible ✨
tinyurl.com/y5y9du27
Nature-inspired neuroscience
We discuss diverse sensory systems and behaviors across the animal kingdom and argue for their integration into neuroscience. New tools in diverse systems are making this possible ✨
tinyurl.com/y5y9du27
New preprint alert 📣 We are sharing our protocol for calcium imaging of acute brain slices from Octopus vulgaris hatchlings during application of neurotransmitters. Another fruitful collaboration between the Schafer and Seuntjens labs www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
March 19, 2026 at 10:22 AM
New preprint alert 📣 We are sharing our protocol for calcium imaging of acute brain slices from Octopus vulgaris hatchlings during application of neurotransmitters. Another fruitful collaboration between the Schafer and Seuntjens labs www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Celebrating Professor Anne Warner, an extraordinary woman whose pioneering work in cell biology and belief in opportunity and education continues to shape lives today.
https://www.mba.ac.uk/donate/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/
#InternationalWomensDay
https://www.mba.ac.uk/donate/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/
#InternationalWomensDay
March 8, 2026 at 11:03 AM
Celebrating Professor Anne Warner, an extraordinary woman whose pioneering work in cell biology and belief in opportunity and education continues to shape lives today.
https://www.mba.ac.uk/donate/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/
#InternationalWomensDay
https://www.mba.ac.uk/donate/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/
#InternationalWomensDay
Reposted by Amy Courtney
BIG UPDATES!
OCTRON now supports the new SAM3 models (alongside SAM2)!
We’ve also added a global switch for Detection vs. Segmentation: Use the same annotations to train either lightweight detection or full segmentation models. Plus, we’ve added support for the new YOLO26 models. ⤵️
1/12
OCTRON now supports the new SAM3 models (alongside SAM2)!
We’ve also added a global switch for Detection vs. Segmentation: Use the same annotations to train either lightweight detection or full segmentation models. Plus, we’ve added support for the new YOLO26 models. ⤵️
1/12
March 6, 2026 at 1:59 PM
BIG UPDATES!
OCTRON now supports the new SAM3 models (alongside SAM2)!
We’ve also added a global switch for Detection vs. Segmentation: Use the same annotations to train either lightweight detection or full segmentation models. Plus, we’ve added support for the new YOLO26 models. ⤵️
1/12
OCTRON now supports the new SAM3 models (alongside SAM2)!
We’ve also added a global switch for Detection vs. Segmentation: Use the same annotations to train either lightweight detection or full segmentation models. Plus, we’ve added support for the new YOLO26 models. ⤵️
1/12
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Do you love quantifying animal behavior as much as we do? We have just the tool for you! Presenting #OCTRON - a pipeline that helps you create rich annotation data and enables training of custom segmentation models. Have a look, particularly if you work with non-model / invertebrate organisms!
December 23, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Do you love quantifying animal behavior as much as we do? We have just the tool for you! Presenting #OCTRON - a pipeline that helps you create rich annotation data and enables training of custom segmentation models. Have a look, particularly if you work with non-model / invertebrate organisms!
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Really cool video. @ecomorph.bsky.social guides us through all eyes in the animal kingdom! Cephalopod (especially squid/cuttlefish) eyes are the most beautiful of course.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjm...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjm...
Every Eye In The Animal Kingdom | WIRED
YouTube video by WIRED
www.youtube.com
April 10, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Really cool video. @ecomorph.bsky.social guides us through all eyes in the animal kingdom! Cephalopod (especially squid/cuttlefish) eyes are the most beautiful of course.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjm...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjm...
Very excited and proud to finally share this story! 🐙
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Novel dopaminergic neurotransmission in the Octopus visual system
Coleoid cephalopods such as the common octopus have a complex visual system, with a camera-type eye and a large optic lobe, that evolved independently from its counterpart in vertebrates. However, the...
doi.org
April 4, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Very excited and proud to finally share this story! 🐙
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Cationic DOPAMINE-gated ion channel! In the octopus visual system! Absolutely wild discovery from @amycourtneyyy.bsky.social ♥️🐙
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Novel dopaminergic neurotransmission in the Octopus visual system
Coleoid cephalopods such as the common octopus have a complex visual system, with a camera-type eye and a large optic lobe, that evolved independently from its counterpart in vertebrates. However, the...
www.biorxiv.org
April 4, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Cationic DOPAMINE-gated ion channel! In the octopus visual system! Absolutely wild discovery from @amycourtneyyy.bsky.social ♥️🐙
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
The first Octopus paper from the Schafer lab @mrclmb.bsky.social in collaboration with @eveseuntjens.bsky.social lab.
🐙dop-gated cation channel
🐙Ach-gated anion channel
🐙single-cell resolution Ca2+ imaging in optic lobe slices
and more!
Led by the amazing Amy Courtney
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🐙dop-gated cation channel
🐙Ach-gated anion channel
🐙single-cell resolution Ca2+ imaging in optic lobe slices
and more!
Led by the amazing Amy Courtney
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Novel dopaminergic neurotransmission in the Octopus visual system
Coleoid cephalopods such as the common octopus have a complex visual system, with a camera-type eye and a large optic lobe, that evolved independently from its counterpart in vertebrates. However, the...
www.biorxiv.org
April 4, 2025 at 6:02 AM
The first Octopus paper from the Schafer lab @mrclmb.bsky.social in collaboration with @eveseuntjens.bsky.social lab.
🐙dop-gated cation channel
🐙Ach-gated anion channel
🐙single-cell resolution Ca2+ imaging in optic lobe slices
and more!
Led by the amazing Amy Courtney
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🐙dop-gated cation channel
🐙Ach-gated anion channel
🐙single-cell resolution Ca2+ imaging in optic lobe slices
and more!
Led by the amazing Amy Courtney
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Amy Courtney
Very excited to share that we developed a new non-invasive way to predict spawning time in Octopus vulgaris. Until now, we had no means of knowing when a female was going to spawn, which made planning of our experiments very difficult. But now we solved it! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
April 3, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Very excited to share that we developed a new non-invasive way to predict spawning time in Octopus vulgaris. Until now, we had no means of knowing when a female was going to spawn, which made planning of our experiments very difficult. But now we solved it! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...