Verrückter Fakt des Tages: #vfdt
Der Fadenwurm Pristionchus pacificus muss je nach Nahrungsangebot entscheiden, ob er Bakterien frisst oder andere Würmer wie C. elegans. Das gelingt, obwohl er nur ca. 300 Neuronen hat. (Fun fact für Menschen, die sich im Restaurant ewig nicht entscheiden können.)
Der Fadenwurm Pristionchus pacificus muss je nach Nahrungsangebot entscheiden, ob er Bakterien frisst oder andere Würmer wie C. elegans. Das gelingt, obwohl er nur ca. 300 Neuronen hat. (Fun fact für Menschen, die sich im Restaurant ewig nicht entscheiden können.)
July 28, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Verrückter Fakt des Tages: #vfdt
Der Fadenwurm Pristionchus pacificus muss je nach Nahrungsangebot entscheiden, ob er Bakterien frisst oder andere Würmer wie C. elegans. Das gelingt, obwohl er nur ca. 300 Neuronen hat. (Fun fact für Menschen, die sich im Restaurant ewig nicht entscheiden können.)
Der Fadenwurm Pristionchus pacificus muss je nach Nahrungsangebot entscheiden, ob er Bakterien frisst oder andere Würmer wie C. elegans. Das gelingt, obwohl er nur ca. 300 Neuronen hat. (Fun fact für Menschen, die sich im Restaurant ewig nicht entscheiden können.)
While Pristionchus pacificus is our main species of interest, there are many amazing Pristionchus out there. Thanks to work from Matthias Herrmann, two more species have been discovered in South Korea bringing the number of Pristionchus to 50 including 8 hermaphrodites! sciendo.com/article/10.2...
Description of two new Pristionchus species from South Korea
Based on molecular markers, mating experiments, morphological observations and ecological data, two Pristionchus species...
sciendo.com
November 25, 2024 at 11:52 AM
While Pristionchus pacificus is our main species of interest, there are many amazing Pristionchus out there. Thanks to work from Matthias Herrmann, two more species have been discovered in South Korea bringing the number of Pristionchus to 50 including 8 hermaphrodites! sciendo.com/article/10.2...
This is my personal favorite -- the nematode Pristionchus borbonicus, which can be found in figs
January 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This is my personal favorite -- the nematode Pristionchus borbonicus, which can be found in figs
F: "Sie haben gewählt, Herr Pristionchus"?
A: "Ja, ich nehme den Gast da drüben, einen kleinen Salat, Suppe als Vorspeise. Und können Sie mir einen Wein dazu empfehlen?"
A: "Ja, ich nehme den Gast da drüben, einen kleinen Salat, Suppe als Vorspeise. Und können Sie mir einen Wein dazu empfehlen?"
July 28, 2026 at 5:49 PM
F: "Sie haben gewählt, Herr Pristionchus"?
A: "Ja, ich nehme den Gast da drüben, einen kleinen Salat, Suppe als Vorspeise. Und können Sie mir einen Wein dazu empfehlen?"
A: "Ja, ich nehme den Gast da drüben, einen kleinen Salat, Suppe als Vorspeise. Und können Sie mir einen Wein dazu empfehlen?"
You can see the smiles for being part of the greatest Pristionchus team. happy end of the year to all!
December 13, 2024 at 7:03 AM
You can see the smiles for being part of the greatest Pristionchus team. happy end of the year to all!
First time visiting Tübingen for the Pristionchus meeting! Looking forward to sharing our work in porting #celegans technology to this worm for comparative ethology, hear the newest in Pristionchus and hopefully finally learn to smoothly pronounce 'diplogastridae'. #worms
September 21, 2023 at 9:04 PM
First time visiting Tübingen for the Pristionchus meeting! Looking forward to sharing our work in porting #celegans technology to this worm for comparative ethology, hear the newest in Pristionchus and hopefully finally learn to smoothly pronounce 'diplogastridae'. #worms
Curious about how the cannibalistic nematode Pristionchus pacificus hunts its prey? Check out our preprint on BioRxiv, where we explore the roles of mechanosensation and chemosensation, using behaviour tracking among other methods!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
March 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Curious about how the cannibalistic nematode Pristionchus pacificus hunts its prey? Check out our preprint on BioRxiv, where we explore the roles of mechanosensation and chemosensation, using behaviour tracking among other methods!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Starvation resistance in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus requires a conserved supplementary nuclear receptor https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.21.554071v1
August 22, 2023 at 5:32 AM
Starvation resistance in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus requires a conserved supplementary nuclear receptor https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.21.554071v1
How does a predator sense its prey?
🪱The nematode Pristionchus pacificus preys on other nematodes, but how it detects them in its environment? That is what we have been exploring :
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
🪱The nematode Pristionchus pacificus preys on other nematodes, but how it detects them in its environment? That is what we have been exploring :
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
January 28, 2026 at 6:35 PM
How does a predator sense its prey?
🪱The nematode Pristionchus pacificus preys on other nematodes, but how it detects them in its environment? That is what we have been exploring :
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
🪱The nematode Pristionchus pacificus preys on other nematodes, but how it detects them in its environment? That is what we have been exploring :
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The 5th International #Pristionchus Meeting has begun at the @MPI for Biology Tübingen! Looking forward to two days of exciting 🪱 talks and great discussions with colleagues from around the world. Wishing everyone an inspiring and enjoyable meeting! #Nematodes #Evolution #Genetics #Tübingen
July 6, 2026 at 8:03 AM
The 5th International #Pristionchus Meeting has begun at the @MPI for Biology Tübingen! Looking forward to two days of exciting 🪱 talks and great discussions with colleagues from around the world. Wishing everyone an inspiring and enjoyable meeting! #Nematodes #Evolution #Genetics #Tübingen
Another fantastic Pristionchus paper, this time from the Yoshida and Sommer labs highlighting the rapid sex chromosome evolution in these nematodes. This includes the evolution of five distinct karyotypes across the Pristionchus genus.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rapid chromosome evolution and acquisition of thermosensitive stochastic sex determination in nematode androdioecious hermaphrodites - Nature Communications
Sexual systems evolve frequently in nematodes. Through large-scale genomic analyses, Yoshida et al. find rapid chromosome evolution, sex chromosome turnover and acquisition of stochastic sex determina...
www.nature.com
November 27, 2024 at 8:12 PM
Another fantastic Pristionchus paper, this time from the Yoshida and Sommer labs highlighting the rapid sex chromosome evolution in these nematodes. This includes the evolution of five distinct karyotypes across the Pristionchus genus.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
New preprint out (actually, my first preprint)! 😊
Ageing in Pristionchus nematodes 🧪 We studied lifespan & healthspan traits, the first step in using these worms as model organisms for healthy ageing.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#academicchatter #healthyageing #lifespan #arxiv #research
Ageing in Pristionchus nematodes 🧪 We studied lifespan & healthspan traits, the first step in using these worms as model organisms for healthy ageing.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#academicchatter #healthyageing #lifespan #arxiv #research
Conserved and diverged patterns of senescence in Pristionchus nematodes
Healthspan, the period of life where organisms are without frailty and/or disease, is a major focus of biogerontological research. To understand late-life decline and increased mortality risk, short-l...
www.biorxiv.org
July 1, 2026 at 6:37 PM
New preprint out (actually, my first preprint)! 😊
Ageing in Pristionchus nematodes 🧪 We studied lifespan & healthspan traits, the first step in using these worms as model organisms for healthy ageing.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#academicchatter #healthyageing #lifespan #arxiv #research
Ageing in Pristionchus nematodes 🧪 We studied lifespan & healthspan traits, the first step in using these worms as model organisms for healthy ageing.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#academicchatter #healthyageing #lifespan #arxiv #research
A systematic screening of biosynthetic genes largely clarifies the intricate biosynthetic mechanisms by which diversification of carboxylesterases generates a complex blend of modular signaling pheromones in Pristionchus pacificus.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Biosynthesis of modular signaling molecules requires functional diversification of carboxylesterases in Pristionchus pacificus - Communications Biology
A systematic screening of biosynthetic genes largely clarifies the intricate biosynthetic mechanisms by which diversification of carboxylesterases generates a complex blend of modular signaling pherom...
www.nature.com
August 14, 2025 at 11:51 AM
A systematic screening of biosynthetic genes largely clarifies the intricate biosynthetic mechanisms by which diversification of carboxylesterases generates a complex blend of modular signaling pheromones in Pristionchus pacificus.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
After years of worm-ing, I can finally pop on the robes, floppy hat... and hold my PhD thesis! Graduation was an awesome day, marking the end of my time as a student.
I'm looking back with fondness, but also with great excitement for the future ☺️
#exeterforever #academicchatter 🧪 @exeter.ac.uk
I'm looking back with fondness, but also with great excitement for the future ☺️
#exeterforever #academicchatter 🧪 @exeter.ac.uk
July 23, 2025 at 6:45 PM
After years of worm-ing, I can finally pop on the robes, floppy hat... and hold my PhD thesis! Graduation was an awesome day, marking the end of my time as a student.
I'm looking back with fondness, but also with great excitement for the future ☺️
#exeterforever #academicchatter 🧪 @exeter.ac.uk
I'm looking back with fondness, but also with great excitement for the future ☺️
#exeterforever #academicchatter 🧪 @exeter.ac.uk
High Nutritional Conditions Influence Feeding Plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus and Render Worms Non-Predatory
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
High Nutritional Conditions Influence Feeding Plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus and Render Worms Non‐Predatory
Some nematodes exhibit mouth-form polyphenism resulting in different feeding strategies including predation. In this study, Piskobulu and co-workers investigate the influence of glucose supplementati....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 17, 2025 at 2:17 PM
High Nutritional Conditions Influence Feeding Plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus and Render Worms Non-Predatory
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
We still know surprisingly little about how new behaviors evolve and how they are encoded in molecules and neural circuits. To explore this, we compared the bacterial feeding nematode Caenorhabditis elegans with its predatory cousin Pristionchus pacificus, which can attack other worms.
January 21, 2026 at 4:31 PM
We still know surprisingly little about how new behaviors evolve and how they are encoded in molecules and neural circuits. To explore this, we compared the bacterial feeding nematode Caenorhabditis elegans with its predatory cousin Pristionchus pacificus, which can attack other worms.
New preprint: we explore the role of mechanosensation in Pristionchus pacificus, focusing on the gene mec-2. Interesting hints about how sensory pathways contribute to behaviour in this nematode.
available here if you're curious: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
available here if you're curious: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
March 12, 2026 at 2:27 PM
New preprint: we explore the role of mechanosensation in Pristionchus pacificus, focusing on the gene mec-2. Interesting hints about how sensory pathways contribute to behaviour in this nematode.
available here if you're curious: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
available here if you're curious: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#PhDone! Congratulations to our new & first #Doctor of 2025, Devansh Raj Sharma, from the Department of Integrative Evolutionary Biology! 🥳
His thesis was on 'Developmental small RNA transcriptomics of Pristionchus pacificus reveals divergent evolution of conserved microRNAs in nematodes’.
His thesis was on 'Developmental small RNA transcriptomics of Pristionchus pacificus reveals divergent evolution of conserved microRNAs in nematodes’.
February 20, 2025 at 2:09 PM
And these are definitely C. elegans and not Pristionchus because it's not a beetle 🪲
December 13, 2024 at 2:01 PM
And these are definitely C. elegans and not Pristionchus because it's not a beetle 🪲
Our latest paper is out in Nature 🥳 We investigated the underlying neuromodulatory regulation of aggressive behavior in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus 🪱🧠🔬 And we show that novel behaviors can evolve through changes of single neuron function by switches in neuromodulator-receptor expression. 👇
Predatory aggression evolved through adaptations to noradrenergic circuits - Nature
Noradrenergic circuits support and balance aggressive behavioural states in predatory nematodes, distinguish predatory from non-predatory nematode species and are associated with the evolution of comp...
www.nature.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Our latest paper is out in Nature 🥳 We investigated the underlying neuromodulatory regulation of aggressive behavior in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus 🪱🧠🔬 And we show that novel behaviors can evolve through changes of single neuron function by switches in neuromodulator-receptor expression. 👇
Great Pristionchus pacificus paper by the Okumura lab. They investigate its light avoidance behaviour and show some key differences compared to how this functions and has evolved compared to C. elegans!
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
cGMP-dependent pathway and a GPCR kinase are required for photoresponse in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus
Author summary Nematodes are a highly diverse group of animals found in a wide variety of habitats and sensory systems. In particular, light-induced behavior has been found to differ among species. Th...
journals.plos.org
November 18, 2024 at 12:41 PM
Great Pristionchus pacificus paper by the Okumura lab. They investigate its light avoidance behaviour and show some key differences compared to how this functions and has evolved compared to C. elegans!
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
Hi Bluesky! I recently joined, I think it’s time to introduce myself 👋 I’m Leo, #PhD student looking into how #worms with teeth kill other worms 🧠🪱🔬I investigate how feeding behaviors are controlled by the brain
#ecology #neuroscience #pristionchus
#nematodes #compneuro #MLsky #neuroskyence
#ecology #neuroscience #pristionchus
#nematodes #compneuro #MLsky #neuroskyence
September 21, 2024 at 6:36 PM
Hi Bluesky! I recently joined, I think it’s time to introduce myself 👋 I’m Leo, #PhD student looking into how #worms with teeth kill other worms 🧠🪱🔬I investigate how feeding behaviors are controlled by the brain
#ecology #neuroscience #pristionchus
#nematodes #compneuro #MLsky #neuroskyence
#ecology #neuroscience #pristionchus
#nematodes #compneuro #MLsky #neuroskyence