@ruthstyfhals.bsky.social
Post doc in the Burkhardt group at the Michael Sars Centre @UiB | Embryology 2024 @MBLScience | Interested in nervous system evolution (mostly invertebrates)
Reposted
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
Prebilaterian Origin of Monoaminergic Signalling is out!
This paper represents four years of work, not only mine, but friends and colleagues. I am particularly grateful to Tatiana Mayorova; without her help, this paper would not have been nearly as complete.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
This paper represents four years of work, not only mine, but friends and colleagues. I am particularly grateful to Tatiana Mayorova; without her help, this paper would not have been nearly as complete.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Prebilaterian origin of monoaminergic signaling
Monoamines such as serotonin, dopamine, and tyramine regulate physiological and behavioral processes in bilaterian animals, but the evolutionary origi…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 6, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Prebilaterian Origin of Monoaminergic Signalling is out!
This paper represents four years of work, not only mine, but friends and colleagues. I am particularly grateful to Tatiana Mayorova; without her help, this paper would not have been nearly as complete.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
This paper represents four years of work, not only mine, but friends and colleagues. I am particularly grateful to Tatiana Mayorova; without her help, this paper would not have been nearly as complete.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted
Our News & Views article “Body-plan organizer in comb jellies hints at animal ancestry” now published in @nature.com 🎉
We discuss fascinating work revealing organizer activity in comb jellies & the evolution of animal development.
rdcu.be/fsLWq
@ruthstyfhals.bsky.social
@msarscentre.bsky.social
We discuss fascinating work revealing organizer activity in comb jellies & the evolution of animal development.
rdcu.be/fsLWq
@ruthstyfhals.bsky.social
@msarscentre.bsky.social
July 10, 2026 at 6:27 AM
Our News & Views article “Body-plan organizer in comb jellies hints at animal ancestry” now published in @nature.com 🎉
We discuss fascinating work revealing organizer activity in comb jellies & the evolution of animal development.
rdcu.be/fsLWq
@ruthstyfhals.bsky.social
@msarscentre.bsky.social
We discuss fascinating work revealing organizer activity in comb jellies & the evolution of animal development.
rdcu.be/fsLWq
@ruthstyfhals.bsky.social
@msarscentre.bsky.social
Reposted
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
🪼New #Hype4Hydrozoa paper 🪼
We generated a whole nematocyst-enriched proteome using FAC-sorted cells from our Hydractinia stinging cell reporter line! We identified over 8,000 proteins, including toxins, showcasing Hydractinia as a venom system model.
doi.org/10.1016/j.to...
We generated a whole nematocyst-enriched proteome using FAC-sorted cells from our Hydractinia stinging cell reporter line! We identified over 8,000 proteins, including toxins, showcasing Hydractinia as a venom system model.
doi.org/10.1016/j.to...
February 25, 2026 at 4:20 PM
🪼New #Hype4Hydrozoa paper 🪼
We generated a whole nematocyst-enriched proteome using FAC-sorted cells from our Hydractinia stinging cell reporter line! We identified over 8,000 proteins, including toxins, showcasing Hydractinia as a venom system model.
doi.org/10.1016/j.to...
We generated a whole nematocyst-enriched proteome using FAC-sorted cells from our Hydractinia stinging cell reporter line! We identified over 8,000 proteins, including toxins, showcasing Hydractinia as a venom system model.
doi.org/10.1016/j.to...
Reposted
Registration is OPEN for the 2026 Santa Cruz Meeting on Developmental Biology!!! Join us!
scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu
scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu
Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting
scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu
February 10, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Registration is OPEN for the 2026 Santa Cruz Meeting on Developmental Biology!!! Join us!
scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu
scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu
Reposted
We are thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the Michael Sars Symposium 2026, co-organized with @cbubergen.bsky.social 🙌 Join us on June 4 in Bergen for a day of fantastic talks, with a focus on living systems in a variable ocean 🌊
🔗 tinyurl.com/joinMSS2026
🔗 tinyurl.com/joinMSS2026
February 2, 2026 at 12:02 PM
We are thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the Michael Sars Symposium 2026, co-organized with @cbubergen.bsky.social 🙌 Join us on June 4 in Bergen for a day of fantastic talks, with a focus on living systems in a variable ocean 🌊
🔗 tinyurl.com/joinMSS2026
🔗 tinyurl.com/joinMSS2026
For once, ctenophores are not the abnormal ones! 🪸
New paper out in @bmc.springernature.com 🤩👏 A routine 5-ethynyl uridine (EU) RNA labeling experiment in a sea anemone turned into detective work for @malinkjosavik.bsky.social, @ktgarschall.bsky.social & @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social 🕵️♀️
A widely used RNA assay labels the wrong molecules in several model organisms
After a routine experiment raised suspicions, Steinmetz group researchers joined forces with collaborators to highlight the limitations of a commonly used RNA labeling product.
www.uib.no
January 29, 2026 at 3:55 PM
For once, ctenophores are not the abnormal ones! 🪸
Reposted
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
January 28, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
Reposted
The last word on Ctenophores versus Sponges (not).
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What were the first animals? The fierce sponge–jelly battle that just won’t end
For almost two decades, scientists have debated whether sponges or comb jellies are the first animal lineage. Now some are calling for a more harmonious approach.
www.nature.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM
The last word on Ctenophores versus Sponges (not).
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Congratulations Inés et al!!! Such beautiful work! 🪸
Thrilled to share the preprint from my PhD! 🥳 Where I characterised epithelial cell extrusion in a sea anemone
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Big thanks to my supervisor @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social and coauthors @noahbruderer.bsky.social @lionlchristiaen.bsky.social at🇳🇴 @msarscentre.bsky.social ⬇️🧵
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Big thanks to my supervisor @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social and coauthors @noahbruderer.bsky.social @lionlchristiaen.bsky.social at🇳🇴 @msarscentre.bsky.social ⬇️🧵
December 16, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Congratulations Inés et al!!! Such beautiful work! 🪸
Reposted
Open postdoc position at @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Tree of Life to contribute to the Biodiversity Cell Atlas, with a focus on spatial transcriptomics.
Apply by January 4
sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/Wellco...
Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Apply by January 4
sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/Wellco...
Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Postdoctoral Fellow - Biodiversity Cell Atlas
Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenge...
sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Open postdoc position at @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Tree of Life to contribute to the Biodiversity Cell Atlas, with a focus on spatial transcriptomics.
Apply by January 4
sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/Wellco...
Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Apply by January 4
sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/Wellco...
Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Reposted
It’s such a joy working with these beautiful animals 😍😍
Huge thanks to @alexandrejan.bsky.social for capturing my gorgeous little creatures!
Can’t wait to share more cuke science and photos soon — stay tuned!
@msarscentre.bsky.social
Huge thanks to @alexandrejan.bsky.social for capturing my gorgeous little creatures!
Can’t wait to share more cuke science and photos soon — stay tuned!
@msarscentre.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 11:27 AM
It’s such a joy working with these beautiful animals 😍😍
Huge thanks to @alexandrejan.bsky.social for capturing my gorgeous little creatures!
Can’t wait to share more cuke science and photos soon — stay tuned!
@msarscentre.bsky.social
Huge thanks to @alexandrejan.bsky.social for capturing my gorgeous little creatures!
Can’t wait to share more cuke science and photos soon — stay tuned!
@msarscentre.bsky.social
Reposted
Our paper on the role of neurons in Nematostella head regeneration is now out at @currentbiology.bsky.social Big thank you to all collaborators, it was a pleasure!
Ectopic head regeneration after nervous system ablation in a sea anemone: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Ectopic head regeneration after nervous system ablation in a sea anemone: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Ectopic head regeneration after nervous system ablation in a sea anemone
Via genetic ablation of neurons, Mazloumi Gavgani et al. show that the nervous system
is essential for defining axial polarity during whole-body regeneration in the sea
anemone Nematostella vectensis.
www.cell.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Our paper on the role of neurons in Nematostella head regeneration is now out at @currentbiology.bsky.social Big thank you to all collaborators, it was a pleasure!
Ectopic head regeneration after nervous system ablation in a sea anemone: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Ectopic head regeneration after nervous system ablation in a sea anemone: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted
Happy Ctenophore Day!
These glowing ocean drifters look like jellyfish but aren’t! They’re comb jellies, shimmering creatures that light up the sea with rows of beating cilia 💙🌈
Which species can you identify? 👀 Most are raised in @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social lab
#CtenophoreDay #CombJelly #Ctenophore
These glowing ocean drifters look like jellyfish but aren’t! They’re comb jellies, shimmering creatures that light up the sea with rows of beating cilia 💙🌈
Which species can you identify? 👀 Most are raised in @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social lab
#CtenophoreDay #CombJelly #Ctenophore
October 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Happy Ctenophore Day!
These glowing ocean drifters look like jellyfish but aren’t! They’re comb jellies, shimmering creatures that light up the sea with rows of beating cilia 💙🌈
Which species can you identify? 👀 Most are raised in @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social lab
#CtenophoreDay #CombJelly #Ctenophore
These glowing ocean drifters look like jellyfish but aren’t! They’re comb jellies, shimmering creatures that light up the sea with rows of beating cilia 💙🌈
Which species can you identify? 👀 Most are raised in @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social lab
#CtenophoreDay #CombJelly #Ctenophore
Reposted
Postdoc position in regenerative biology on "Tracking the cellular origins regeneration" in the @michalis_averof lab in Lyon, France. Fantastic lab, great institute, nice city!
https://www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
#postdoc
https://www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
#postdoc
October 6, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Postdoc position in regenerative biology on "Tracking the cellular origins regeneration" in the @michalis_averof lab in Lyon, France. Fantastic lab, great institute, nice city!
https://www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
#postdoc
https://www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
#postdoc
Reposted
Our new paper is out: "The 3D architecture of the ctenophore aboral organ & the evolution of complex integrative centers in animals.
We reveal a remarkable cell type diversity, nerve net condensation, a multilayered circuit & gene expression profiles.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #ctenophores
We reveal a remarkable cell type diversity, nerve net condensation, a multilayered circuit & gene expression profiles.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #ctenophores
June 28, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Our new paper is out: "The 3D architecture of the ctenophore aboral organ & the evolution of complex integrative centers in animals.
We reveal a remarkable cell type diversity, nerve net condensation, a multilayered circuit & gene expression profiles.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #ctenophores
We reveal a remarkable cell type diversity, nerve net condensation, a multilayered circuit & gene expression profiles.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #ctenophores
Reposted
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
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
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...
Reposted
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
Latest work:
Review on the evolvability of vertebral number, and the developmental processes underpinning it
Written by Callum Bucklow, @bertaverd.bsky.social, and myself
Check it out here: doi.org/10.32942/X2K...
Review on the evolvability of vertebral number, and the developmental processes underpinning it
Written by Callum Bucklow, @bertaverd.bsky.social, and myself
Check it out here: doi.org/10.32942/X2K...
March 24, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Latest work:
Review on the evolvability of vertebral number, and the developmental processes underpinning it
Written by Callum Bucklow, @bertaverd.bsky.social, and myself
Check it out here: doi.org/10.32942/X2K...
Review on the evolvability of vertebral number, and the developmental processes underpinning it
Written by Callum Bucklow, @bertaverd.bsky.social, and myself
Check it out here: doi.org/10.32942/X2K...
Reposted
So happy to finally share my postdoctoral work!! 🥳
Check it out!
Check it out!
Thrilled to share our new prepreprint on the nutritional control of #Nematostella Vasa+/Piwi+ cells. Prolonged starvation delays Tor activation & cell cycle re-entry indicating quiescence deepening! tinyurl.com/2k9azd4y
@eudaldpascual.bsky.social @ktgarschall.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
@eudaldpascual.bsky.social @ktgarschall.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
February 28, 2025 at 1:29 PM
So happy to finally share my postdoctoral work!! 🥳
Check it out!
Check it out!
Reposted
For the first time, #marine animals have been found to exhibit #heliotropism – a behaviour previously seen only in plants. Researchers from the MBA discovered that snakelocks #anemones track the sun by pointing their tentacles towards it, while staying in one place.
Learn more via the link below! 🔗
Learn more via the link below! 🔗
Sea anemones track the suns position?! 🤯 So thrilled to share our paper is finally published in @J_Exp_Biol! 🎉
Congrats to my student leads Eliska Lintnerova and Callum Shawn.
Check it out: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Congrats to my student leads Eliska Lintnerova and Callum Shawn.
Check it out: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
February 12, 2025 at 12:46 PM
For the first time, #marine animals have been found to exhibit #heliotropism – a behaviour previously seen only in plants. Researchers from the MBA discovered that snakelocks #anemones track the sun by pointing their tentacles towards it, while staying in one place.
Learn more via the link below! 🔗
Learn more via the link below! 🔗
Reposted
ICYMI: Commentary on "mechanism" in dev bio
Ozpolat et al argue for diverse approaches to mechanism - from molecular to systems level
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Ozpolat et al argue for diverse approaches to mechanism - from molecular to systems level
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
A case for broadening our view of mechanism in developmental biology
ABSTRACT. Developmental biologists can perform studies that describe a phenomenon (descriptive work) and/or explain how the phenomenon works (mechanistic work). There is a prevalent perception that mo...
journals.biologists.com
February 5, 2025 at 10:56 AM
ICYMI: Commentary on "mechanism" in dev bio
Ozpolat et al argue for diverse approaches to mechanism - from molecular to systems level
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Ozpolat et al argue for diverse approaches to mechanism - from molecular to systems level
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...