Ksenia Juravel (almost my student - long story) talking about Paleogenomics of the fauna of the Hula valley. Looking at animals found in a site from the earliest human habitation. DNA from ancient cats and gazelles!

Keynote by Federico Brown. Cave planarians have a very long eversible pharynx. If it dissected out, it continues to search for food and even ingest food autonomously. 😱 #ICIM6

Opening keynote of #ICIM5 by Graham Budd, giving an excellent overview of early animal evolution and the overlooked fossil record of trace fossils and small shellies. He also gave tribute to Claus Nielsen’s influence on the field. Great start to what will hopefully be a superb meeting.

I have published a post on the Oxford University Press blog that outlines my teaching philosophy, and the philosophy behind my Textbook "Organismic Animal Biology - An Evolutionary Approach". Have a look, and if you agree with my philosophy, buy the book and use it. blog.oup.com/2025/07/know...

If you want to discuss #networks in #evo-devo, you should join this year's satellite symposium of the @dzg2025berlin.bsky.social organized by the developmental biology section (@marketa-kau.bsky.social, Benjamin Naumann, Alexander Klimovich). I will talk about gene regulatory networks.

On my way to a 2-conference, 2-continent trip. #ICIM6 in Concepcion, Chile, followed by #ESEB2025 in Barcelona. My first time in South America. Very excited!

Moulting citizen science : Le site web d'un projet de science citoyenne visant à recueillir des informations sur la mue des arthropodes. via @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social‬

Unfortunately it’s clear that the Israeli people can’t topple the government or change its ways. Seems like the attorney general, the last gate keeper, will be fired soon. As long as we’re stuck with this government, the war won’t stop. Only international intervention (=the U.S) might do it.

#Biodiversity #bioinformatics: from large-scale phylogenomics to #gene families and functions --- a 3-day hands-on course in #Lausanne Switzerland 25 - 27 August 2025 www.sib.swiss/training/cou...

A couple of years ago, I published a paper in @sicbjournals.bsky.social . The guidelines stated that you could include an abstract in as many languages as you want. I took this as a challenge, and together with friends and colleagues put together translations of the abstract into 8 languages. 1/8.

Nice update of the @moultdb database, with iNaturalist observations integrated with genomic data and scientific observations from extant and fossil species! https://moultdb.org/species/ncbi/7130 #Arthropods #moulting #molting #evodevo #citizenscience

a missile just hit Saroka hospital where Arab and Jewish doctors and staff work side by side treating everyone. "our department is standing by our colleagues in Soroka hospital. we carry on doing science for the benefit of hunan kind in Israel and abroad" - Raz Zarivach, Department Chair

A couple of years ago, I published a paper in @sicbjournals.bsky.social . The guidelines stated that you could include an abstract in as many languages as you want. I took this as a challenge, and together with friends and colleagues put together translations of the abstract into 8 languages. 1/8.

After being stuck in Hong Kong after ISSCR meeting unable to fly back home, I managed to get on a plane to London to stay with family, only to learn in the air that our institute was hit. My team is all safe. My lab sustained serious blast damage but we shall overcome! #PeaceNow tnx for messages :)

Weizmann inst was directly hit.

Weizmann Institute rn

Insect people - Does anyone know if there has been any work on airborne microplastics and their effect on insects? A colleague suggested that microplastics could clog insect trachea and thus contribute to their decline. A cool idea but I wonder if it has any support.

Insect people - Does anyone know if there has been any work on airborne microplastics and their effect on insects? A colleague suggested that microplastics could clog insect trachea and thus contribute to their decline. A cool idea but I wonder if it has any support.

A candle in the dark. Today I joined the Jerusalem Interfaith Walk for Peace and Human Rights, including Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and even Buddhist religious leaders and participants.

A candle in the dark. Today I joined the Jerusalem Interfaith Walk for Peace and Human Rights, including Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and even Buddhist religious leaders and participants.

How to find Evolutionary Conserved Enhancers in 2025? 🐣-🐭 Check out our paper - fresh off the press!!! We find widespread functional conservation of enhancers in absence of sequence homology Including: a bioinformatic tool to map sequence-diverged enhancers! rdcu.be/enVDN github.com/tobiaszehnde...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... The lab is delighted to release the first comparative analysis of the arachnid orders Opiliones and Solifugae, using chromosome-level genomes! We look at macrosynteny as a phylogenetic character for resolving chelicerate phylogeny.

Found at the Burgess Shale, a site renowned for its quality of preservation, some specimens show traces of the nervous system, gut, and circulatory system! The study was led by our Curator of Palaeontology and Geology, Dr. Joe Moysiuk (@cambrojoe.bsky.social). Read more: doi.org/10.1098/rsos...

The development and evolution of #arthropod tagmata #ProcB #Review #OpenAccess royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

It's publication day of my first book: The Tree of Life. The tree of life is a time machine that can take us back 4 billion years to meet our most distant ancestor. It is the magic that lets us tell the origin stories, beginning with this ancient relative, of everything from mushrooms to man.

Excited to announce a new paper - a review of the evolution and development of arthropod tagmata. I see this as my most significant publication in the last few years, since it synthesizes and sums up over a decade of work in the lab. 1/4 royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Excited to announce a new paper - a review of the evolution and development of arthropod tagmata. I see this as my most significant publication in the last few years, since it synthesizes and sums up over a decade of work in the lab. 1/4 royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

I was interviewed on the IOB blog @sicbjournals.bsky.social about my textbook. What? You haven't bought it yet? Now is the time to think about integrating it into your teaching for next year. iobopen.com/2025/04/15/a...

I was interviewed on the IOB blog @sicbjournals.bsky.social about my textbook. What? You haven't bought it yet? Now is the time to think about integrating it into your teaching for next year. iobopen.com/2025/04/15/a...

Harms of oversimplification... www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Lab outing to Gazelle Valley just before the Passover break. This is about 10 minutes from campus.

Score a point for sci-comm; I convinced the science correspondent of Ha’Aretz not to translate one of the pandering press releases about the “cloning” of the dire wolf, and instead to write an original critical piece. To be published in tomorrow’s paper.

About 5 years ago, during the COVID lockdown, I was invited to present a weekly "Evolution Corner" in the Israeli popular science program "three who know". Today I presented Evolution Corner #200. (cont.)

About 5 years ago, during the COVID lockdown, I was invited to present a weekly "Evolution Corner" in the Israeli popular science program "three who know". Today I presented Evolution Corner #200. (cont.)

🚨Registration for the UK #EvoDevo meeting is open! Join us on July 11th in London to enjoy an exciting day of talks, posters, friends, and superb science! -Registration (only £5!): shorturl.at/9cQGL -More info: londonevodevo.ac.uk

The political purge in Israel has begun. The government just voted to sack the head of internal security, charged with investigating serious allegations of corruption in the PM‘s office. Early next week, they are going to vote on sacking the attorney general (who is an independent civil servant).

And as we speak: "Israel’s top court ordered a temporary halt to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissal of the country’s domestic security chief until his appeal can be heard."

New paper dropped, led by Ph.D. student Evgenia Propistsova. We describe the development of the eyes in a cave spider. This paper lays the groundwork for the next paper (stay tuned!) which will describe an eyeless sister species. rdcu.be/ecKcx

New paper dropped, led by Ph.D. student Evgenia Propistsova. We describe the development of the eyes in a cave spider. This paper lays the groundwork for the next paper (stay tuned!) which will describe an eyeless sister species. rdcu.be/ecKcx

Hemiptera, the fifth most diverse insect order, have often been overlooked in macroevolutionary studies. In this study, the authors analyse its fossil record and show that global flora changes through time shaped the evolution of hemipteran insects. www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Just heard the news that Richard Fortey has passed away. As well as his science he did a lot for popukarising arthropod research in his books. Reading his autobiography (A Curious Boy) really made me reflect on my own pathway into science and highlighted the different opportunities people get.

Just heard that Richard Fortey has died. He was an influential trilobite specialist, a superb popular science writer and a very sweet and kind human being. His many books and papers will be his memorable legacy.

Long article in Haaretz about the extended evolutionary synthesis ( @eesupdate.bsky.social ). www.haaretz.co.il/science/evol...

Signed.

New fellowship program announced: 3-4 month visits to Israeli universities for Ph.D. students from outside of Israel in all disciplines. Please forward widely and encourage your students / your colleagues' students to apply. azrielifoundation.org/azrieli-fell...

New fellowship program announced: 3-4 month visits to Israeli universities for Ph.D. students from outside of Israel in all disciplines. Please forward widely and encourage your students / your colleagues' students to apply. azrielifoundation.org/azrieli-fell...

I'm Trying to avoid current affairs here, but there is an #arthropod connection. Ohad Yahalomi was taken hostage by Hamas and murdered in captivity. His body was returned last night. A naturalist and arthropod enthusiast, he was co-author of the 2018 field guide to Israeli scorpions. RIP Ohad. 💔

I'm Trying to avoid current affairs here, but there is an #arthropod connection. Ohad Yahalomi was taken hostage by Hamas and murdered in captivity. His body was returned last night. A naturalist and arthropod enthusiast, he was co-author of the 2018 field guide to Israeli scorpions. RIP Ohad. 💔