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

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...

Cationic DOPAMINE-gated ion channel! In the octopus visual system! Absolutely wild discovery from @amycourtneyyy.bsky.social ♥️🐙 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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...

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...

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...

So happy to finally share my postdoctoral work!! 🥳 Check it out!

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! 🔗

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/...

We are excited to announce that registration for the Michael Sars Symposium 2025 is now open! 🤩 Join us on June 6th at Media City Bergen for a day of exceptional talks 🧪 #MSS2025 ✨Learn more and register here: tinyurl.com/yc4jxdvz

Thrilled to see #choanoflagellates on the cover of Science Advances🤩. Our latest work "Electrical signaling and coordinated behavior in the closest relative of animals" out now. Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 👏 @jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social

Monod Conference "Origin of metazoans": fossils, genomes, cell biology, gene regulation, development, and more. Join us in Roscoff for an exceptional speaker line-up and stunning venue! 🗓️Abstract deadline: March 4. Register and share! www.insb.cnrs.fr/fr/origin-me...

We are hiring Group Leaders! One month left to apply ⏳ Join us in beautiful Bergen for a chance to lead exciting science in a supportive environment! 🌊 🔗 tinyurl.com/4bwn8u3n

Looking for a tag to localise fluorescent proteins to the plasma membrane? Unsure which tag might work in your species? We generated a toolkit of 11 membrane-localising tags, which can be screened rapidly by microinjecting mRNA in your species of interest. 1/4 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Happy to share that the Gahan lab will be branching out (or more like returning) to working on Nematostella in the near future. Details will follow but for now if anyone is interested in doing a Postdoc or PhD in 2025 on chromatin in Nematostella drop me a message :)

At the Michael Sars Centre, 📢 We are hiring Group Leaders! 🌊 Come join our team @UiB to lead innovative research in molecular, cellular and organismal biology using marine/aquatic organisms! ⌛️ Application deadline Dec. 15. Share this exciting opportunity ⤵️ tinyurl.com/4bwn8u3n @embl @EMBRC_EU