Very happy to see our paper published online natcomms.nature.com. Thank you to @wellcometrust.bsky.social for funding this work during my time with @robklose.bsky.social and David Booth! Thanks also to collaborators @garcialabms.bsky.social @alexdemendoza.bsky.social and the other authors!

First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E @jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social

Latest from ours: www.cell.com/cell-reports... This is two stories in one: a case study/cautionary tale on developing genetic tools in new organisms, and the first hint at a gene regulatory network for choanoflagellate multicellular development (which turn out to involve a Hippo/YAP/ECM loop!) A 🧵

✨Animal evolution fans, rejoice! CRISPR-Cas9 is now in Corallochytrium ready to unlock secrets of animal origins! 🔬Led by @patriciasuarez.bsky.social & @sebasn1.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @royalsociety.org @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social#holozoans #ProtistsonSky

Genome editing in the 'minimal' holozoan, Corallochytrium!

Very happy to share our new paper where we develop CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in our favorite unicellular relative of animals, Corallochytrium limacisporum! With @sebasn1.bsky.social @multicellgenome.bsky.social Elena and Claudio. Check it out: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

I am looking for a new postdoc to join the lab. Interested in pluripotency, germ cells, and in investigating these in a genetically tractable cnidarian? Get in touch! We offer a long-term contract, excellent research environment, and a lovely city #Galway. www.urifranklab.org

😻 HUGE NEWS! One of the "Magnificent 8" – key missing lineages for understanding animal origins – is ALIVE in our lab! Watch the video! Massive thanks to @luisjagago.bsky.social (isolation wizard!) & @beaplab.bsky.social @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social @prbb.org @csic.es @erc.europa.eu #protistsonSky

I’m very excited to share our work on the early evolution of animal regulatory genome architecture - the main project of my postdoc, carried out across two wonderful and inspirational labs of @arnausebe.bsky.social and @mamartirenom.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

My group is hiring a new Postdoc to work on gene regulation and chromatin in Nematostella. Please RT! For more information see here: gahanlab.com tinyurl.com/34xke35d

🔬 PhD Opportunity in Evolutionary Cell Biology! Interested in how cell types evolve? Join us to investigate placozoan cell types using advanced microscopy, single-cell omics, and functional assays! Apply here: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/323665 #PhDPosition #EvolutionaryBiology #CellBiology🧪

Excited to announce the 10th "Choanoflagellates & Friends Workshop" over May 20-22 in our own Institut Pasteur in Paris: 2025choanocon.wordpress.com Registrations open til March 15, abstract til March 5. Pre-conference event for students/postdocs on 19/05. Plenty of slots for selected talks/posters!

I’m reappearing on here for my yearly post to say that this month I started my first postdoc in “sunny” Galway with @jgahan.bsky.social ! Excited to get into the world of chromatin and gene regulation in choanos 🧬

#Multicellularity enthusiasts! Mark your calendars! EMBO Workshop on "Evolution and Origins of Multicellularity Across the Tree of Life" 📅 October 9-11, 2025, Barcelona 🔗 Pre-register here: coming-soon.embo.org/w25-102 @csic.es @embopress.org www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxKj...

Happy that my first publication in 🦋 is about this. Our preprint on the origin of Bilateria is out. A nice story about the position of the Xenoacoelomorpha in the animal tree of life. www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-5...

I made it to the other side!