Beyond grateful for this special delivery from CoralSpawningLab - here we go! 🪸

A 12 hr embryo development time-lapse from last weeks #exsitucoralspawning.

In collaboration with Meet Zandawala, we have found the elusive Branchiostoma GnRH, demonstrating that both GnRH and Corazonin exist in cephalochordates and clarifying the evolutionary history of these systems. Thanks to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research for the funding. tinyurl.com/mrx46hw3

Is a brain necessary to learn and form memories? Not necessarily- check out our paper on associative learning in a Cnidarian. pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…

So much fun sharing my research in a Y2 undergrad Neuroethology lecture yesterday, alongside the brilliant Jessica Foley, Max Farnworth and Emelie Brodrick. Thanks to Stephen Montgomery for compering 💪🏼🎓

The moon is full, eggs are ripe & broodstock colonies settled ex situ جامعة قطر awaiting the spawning event. We're travelling out today to provide support in this 4-year reef restoration and research project. This year we're joined by Emelie Brodrick ExeterMarine

Following a few days of waiting we’re finally starting to see some coral spawning action in Qatar. Just a small glimpse of the action that should follow in the coming days but a nice opportunity to run some training with the team جامعة قطر.

Ctenophores or sponges? We identified chromosomal changes that support ctenophores as the sister group of all other animals. In nature w/ stevehaddock.bsky Dan Rokhsar et al. Support from MBARI U.S. National Science Foundation European Research Council (ERC) 🔗nature.com/articles/s4158…

The #Aiptasia life cycle is closed! A prerequisite to settlement of larvae is actively hunting prey, not #symbiosis. Thus, carnivory likely is an ancestral feature in the cnidarian gastrula life stage: biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

Pleased to share this mini review by Josh Pysanczyn on the role of acoustics within the sensory landscapes of coral larval settlement. Prof. Steve Simpson Dr. Kristen Marhaver Emelie Brodrick ExeterMarine University of Bristol Biological Sciences Horniman Museum and Gardens frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…

New preprint out today! 😃 Prepare yourself for the most thorough overview of the ithomiine butterfly visual system the world has ever seen (**earth shudders**)! Feedback and comments very welcome of course. 1/n

My first study since moving to Jékely Lab @[email protected] has been published in preprint! We have uncovered the mechanism of nitric oxide signaling within the ciliary photoreceptor neural circuitry that controls their UV-avoidance behavior using #Platynereis larvae! biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

Our new review on how little eyeless creatures use simple but effective alternative photoreception systems to learn about their light environment and perform photobehaviours. From Gaspar Jékely Lab @[email protected] and myself as part of special issue on Basal Cognition. link.springer.com/article/10.100…

shorturl.at/hjE59 📢Explore how animals respond to light in this insightful review from the Jékely Lab @[email protected]. From photoreceptor cells to unique sensory strategies, it's a must-read! Congrats to my brilliant friend Emelie Brodrick for the very well-written review🎉 #Science

Did you know that some cnidarian larvae such as sea anemones have a long ciliary tuft in their apical domain, while others like stony corals and medusozoans do not have this feature? Our preprint uncoveres the origins of the apical ciliary tuft in Cnidaria biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

Please spread the word: a PhD position to dig into the origin of neurons by characterising ctenophore neuropeptides! Involves work with cool marine animals😉! Deadline - January 8. University of Bristol Biological Sciences findaphd.com/phds/project/f…

A new study Journal of Experimental Biology compares the visual systems of four different mimetic🦋adapted to different habitats. Benito Wainwright, C. Schofield, M. Conway, D. Phillips, E. Martin-Silverstone, Emelie Brodrick, Francesco Cicconardi Dr Martin John How, N. Roberts, Stephen Montgomery journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/do…

New paper(s) alert. In two linked papers I argue that we have fundamentally misunderstood the ancestry and evolutionary history of retinal circuits for (colour) vision. Part I NatureEcoEvo rdcu.be/dwCEj Part II PLOS Biology doi.org/10.1371/journa…

Such an inspiring talk by Emelie Brodrick at our ECR seminar bound to the new Blue Planet unit! Amazing research of coral biology: light sensing, decision making and settlement in larvae with new directions for coral conservation! University of Bristol Biological Sciences Prof. Steve Simpson Hugo B. Harrison

My first independent review about ctenophores and the evolution of nervous system 😎onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ed… Many thanks Ferdinand Marlétaz and Cedric Finet for the invitation!! And Joan J. Soto-Angel for awesome ctenophore pictures!! University of Bristol Biological Sciences