Craig R. Primmer | Lightnews

Anna-Liisa Laine @annaliisalaine.bsky.social · 2d

New study out in Ecology Letters 🌱🐑!

Using long-term Åland monitoring data, we found that herbivory increases plant diversity across scales and flips the diversity–area relationship: a positive relationship is found in grazed sites while a negative one in ungrazed sites.

🔗 doi.org/10.1111/ele....

Herbivory Modifies the Role of Spatial Processes in a Grassland Plant Metacommunity

We empirically examined how mammalian herbivory interacts with habitat size and connectivity to affect plant diversity in a natural grassland metacommunity. We found that herbivory increased plant di...

doi.org

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 8d

But reduce amusement 😉

Alison Wright @alielw.bsky.social · 9d

Join us! 🧬🪰🎉🔬

We are currently advertising two #PhD projects to study the #evolution, #development and #genomics of sexual traits in stalk-eyed flies.

Deadline for applying is Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Get in touch for more info!

Martin Johnsson @mrtnj.bsky.social · 9d

We're hiring a PhD student to work on genomic prediction and genetic variation in farm animals.

There will be cattle, genomics, simulation, and there might be poultry.

And if you already have a PhD, consider sharing with someone who hasn't, and might be a good fit. :)

www.slu.se/en/about-slu...

PhD Student in Animal Science | slu.se

SLU - Science and Education for Sustainable Life

www.slu.se

David N. Thomas @dnthomas01.bsky.social · 18d

A seriously important paper about the links between health and climate change in Polar regions ⬇️
This really is an urgent call

#Arctic #COP30 #ClimateChange

Ambio - A Journal of Environment and Society @ambio-journal.bsky.social · 18d

New publication:
A framework for assessing global health impacts of polar change: An urgent call for interdisciplinary research

Open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A framework for assessing global health impacts of polar change: An urgent call for interdisciplinary research - Ambio

Research on the human health risks of climate change is expanding, yet the influence of polar region shifts on these risks remains underexplored. This paper presents a framework to assess global and r...

link.springer.com

Nick Brown @steamtraen.eu · 19d

Oops. Ooooooooooooops.

I do hope that nobody has been given or denied a job/promotion based on their SpringerNature citation counts in the past 15 years.

arxiv.org/pdf/2511.01675

h/t @nathlarigaldie.bsky.social

Outi Länsman 🌲 Májjo Jovnna Ilmár Outi @outilansman.bsky.social · 24d

Suomi on pitkä maa.

Toisessa päässä suunnitellaan tunnin junaa välille Hki-Turku.

Toisessa päässä on suunnitteilla Ivalon terveyskeskuksen ilta- ja yöpäivystyksen lakkauttaminen ja näin esim. Utsjoelta lähimpään päivystykseen (Rovaniemi 450 km) olis matkaa 5-6 tuntia.

Halley E. Froehlich @dochfroehlich.bsky.social · 27d

A recent Science Advances special issue focused on #aquaculture, but seemed to have missed the mark in a multitude of ways. My incredible colleagues and I wrote this sweeping Open Access opinion article (with 80 citations!) in response. Hope it's useful! 🐟 🦐 🎣 doi.org/10.1111/raq....

No Free Lunch: Sustainable Aquaculture Requires Recognizing Past Science, Improvements, and Comparative Assessment

Aquaculture has become an established and important part of the global food system. Several critiques of aquaculture continue to resurface, seemingly ignoring past research and improvements of (1) aq....

doi.org

Laura Bertola @lauradbertola.bsky.social · Oct 20

📣📣📣 CONSERVATION GENETICS WORKSHOP -
Few more spaces left!

ConGen Population Genomic Data Analysis Course
🧬💻💡
University of Pretoria, South Africa 🌍
7-14 December + field trip to Kruger NP!
🦁🐃🐘🐆🦏

More info & registration here: www.umt.edu/congen/africa/

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Oct 13

Ping @inmice.bsky.social

Alan McElligott @amcell.bsky.social · Oct 7

Is MDPI Predatory? www.predatoryjournals.org/news/is-mdpi... [if the question needs to be asked....]

Predatory Journals - Is MDPI Predatory

Is MDPI Predatory?

www.predatoryjournals.org

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Oct 2

Looking forward to working with 5 new, and one current, colleague. However, the number of Deans called Johanna will drop from three to two.

Jukka Mähönen @mahonen.bsky.social · Oct 2

New deans for six faculties at @helsinki.fi

www.helsinki.fi/en/news/univ...

Deans appointed for six University of Helsinki faculties | University of Helsinki

The leaders of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Theology, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will begin their five-year terms on 1 January 2026. At the the F...

www.helsinki.fi

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Oct 2

Congrats! Looking forward to working with you!

Jukka Mähönen @mahonen.bsky.social · Oct 2

New deans for six faculties at @helsinki.fi

www.helsinki.fi/en/news/univ...

Deans appointed for six University of Helsinki faculties | University of Helsinki

The leaders of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Theology, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will begin their five-year terms on 1 January 2026. At the the F...

www.helsinki.fi

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Oct 1

Humane genetics and genomics position in Helsinki open for 9 more days!

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 16

3 prof positions open in Helsinki!

🧬Human genetics and genomics (open rank, DL 10.10)
🧬Cellular physiology (TT, DL 17.8)
🏙️ Ecological restoration of urban environments (open rank, DL 17.8)

www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/...

Come and join us in the happiest country in the world 5 years running!

Open positions | University of Helsinki

Read about our range of career options and apply now. Application processes ends on the date indicated in the job ad at 23.59 local Helsinki time (EEST).

www.helsinki.fi

Jane Goodall Institute of Canada @janegoodallcan.bsky.social · Oct 1

The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1st, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes.

She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Sep 29

Nice pun there too!

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Sep 27

Very fishy indeed!

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Sep 27

Always a special moment when a PhD student publishes their first paper for their thesis. This one was expertly supervised by senior author @jpverta.bsky.social and highlights the regulatory potential of lncRNAs in reproductive biology and maturation age variation in salmon

Jukka-Pekka Verta @jpverta.bsky.social · Sep 26

Surprise 🤗 So many uncharacterized transcripts in Atlantic salmon, including super interesting long non-coding RNAs!

Proud to share the 1st publication of Xindi Huang:

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

With @fishcongen.bsky.social

🖥️🧬🦑

A comprehensive analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary transcriptomes identifies novel players in sexual maturation - BMC Genomics

Sexual maturation is a key developmental process important for reproductive success. Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind variation in sexual maturation can provide insights into reproductive biology and how life history variation is encoded in the genome. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has become an excellent sexual maturation research model due to its diversity of life history strategies and its ecological and economic importance. A major challenge has been the lack of a comprehensive transcriptional investigation of reproductive tissues that captures the dynamic transcriptional changes across individuals, tissues, and developmental stages. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) also play crucial roles in maturation, yet their functions in salmon maturation remain underexplored. In this study, we sequenced 98 transcriptomes and found substantial transcriptomic complexity in the gonad and pituitary tissues of Atlantic salmon. We identified transcripts corresponding to 2,364 putative newly characterized protein-coding genes and 4,421 putative long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs), many with tissue-specific expression. Gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed tissue-specific gene network modules, linked to GO terms including Wnt signaling in immature testis, lipid metabolism, and cilia assembly in mature testis, ribosome biogenesis and DNA repair in the ovary, and hormone activity in pituitary. We identified new copies of known genes, such as gh1, pou3f2, and ier5 associated with the regulation of gonadal and pituitary functions. Some lncRNAs and their nearest genes showed correlated expression within modules, suggesting potential regulatory roles. Candidate lincRNAs indicated cis-acting regulatory potential on genes like tnfrsf11b and fgl1, which are implicated in immune privilege during gonadal development and sperm quality control. Our study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary tissues, significantly improving the functional annotation of the Atlantic salmon genome. These findings reveal key regulatory pathways and novel molecular players involved in sexual maturation, particularly in the testis. Importantly, our study highlights the regulatory potential of lncRNAs in reproductive biology and maturation age variation, advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing sexual maturation. They further unlock future gene expression analyses and regulatory network reconstruction for dissecting the roles of lncRNAs in Atlantic salmon life history variation.

link.springer.com

Jukka-Pekka Verta @jpverta.bsky.social · Sep 26

Surprise 🤗 So many uncharacterized transcripts in Atlantic salmon, including super interesting long non-coding RNAs!

Proud to share the 1st publication of Xindi Huang:

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

With @fishcongen.bsky.social

🖥️🧬🦑

A comprehensive analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary transcriptomes identifies novel players in sexual maturation - BMC Genomics

Sexual maturation is a key developmental process important for reproductive success. Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind variation in sexual maturation can provide insights into reproductive biology and how life history variation is encoded in the genome. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has become an excellent sexual maturation research model due to its diversity of life history strategies and its ecological and economic importance. A major challenge has been the lack of a comprehensive transcriptional investigation of reproductive tissues that captures the dynamic transcriptional changes across individuals, tissues, and developmental stages. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) also play crucial roles in maturation, yet their functions in salmon maturation remain underexplored. In this study, we sequenced 98 transcriptomes and found substantial transcriptomic complexity in the gonad and pituitary tissues of Atlantic salmon. We identified transcripts corresponding to 2,364 putative newly characterized protein-coding genes and 4,421 putative long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs), many with tissue-specific expression. Gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed tissue-specific gene network modules, linked to GO terms including Wnt signaling in immature testis, lipid metabolism, and cilia assembly in mature testis, ribosome biogenesis and DNA repair in the ovary, and hormone activity in pituitary. We identified new copies of known genes, such as gh1, pou3f2, and ier5 associated with the regulation of gonadal and pituitary functions. Some lncRNAs and their nearest genes showed correlated expression within modules, suggesting potential regulatory roles. Candidate lincRNAs indicated cis-acting regulatory potential on genes like tnfrsf11b and fgl1, which are implicated in immune privilege during gonadal development and sperm quality control. Our study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary tissues, significantly improving the functional annotation of the Atlantic salmon genome. These findings reveal key regulatory pathways and novel molecular players involved in sexual maturation, particularly in the testis. Importantly, our study highlights the regulatory potential of lncRNAs in reproductive biology and maturation age variation, advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing sexual maturation. They further unlock future gene expression analyses and regulatory network reconstruction for dissecting the roles of lncRNAs in Atlantic salmon life history variation.

link.springer.com

Johanna Mappes @jmappes.bsky.social · Sep 26

🚂 🚂 whoop whoop! Meillä @helsinki.fi #Viikki on yliopistonlehtorin pesti auki! Vastuullasi on kehittää ja opettaa tulevaisuuden ympäristöongelmien ja luontokadon ratkaisijoita.
Saa kernaasti jakaa!
jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Yliopistonlehtori, opetus- ja tutkimusalana ympäristöbiologia

jobs.helsinki.fi

Pierre de Villemereuil @pdevillemereuil.bsky.social · Sep 24

In 2020, O Gaggiotti, J Goudet and I showed that Qst-Fst comparison was uncalibrated with high population structure.

During her PhD with us, Isa do O developed LogAV: a method that accounts for any population structure while testing for local adaptation :
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

A method for identifying local adaptation in structured populations

Species occupy diverse, heterogeneous environments, which expose populations to spatially varied selective pressures. Populations in different environments can diverge due to local adaptation. However...

journals.plos.org

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Sep 18

@annaliisalaine.bsky.social, with wonderful urban biodiversity in the background, challenging the leaders of @helsinki.fi to think of how our decisions may have biodiversity impacts, and what their tradeoffs are

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · Sep 15

Come and work with us! Three new academic posts (including Animal Behaviour) and superb facilities in the new Life & Mind Building

Oxford Biology @biology.ox.ac.uk · Sep 15

Oxford Biology is growing 📢

We’re appointing 3 Associate Professors in:
🌱 Plant Sciences
🦉 Animal Behaviour
🔬 Molecular Cell Biology

3 fields. 3 opportunities. One new home for Oxford Biology.

Learn more 👉 bit.ly/41S2Tc7
Apply now 👉 bit.ly/488CNW3

Photo showing the inside atrium of the new Life and Mind Building

Kári Tulinius @kattullus.bsky.social · Sep 13

News from Finland. A 9-year-old lost an especially good stick he’d had since he was 2. He hung up 20 posters. A few days later it was returned. It had been found by a 2-year-old, who wanted to keep it for herself, but her mother made her return it. She got toys, flowers and candy as a reward.

Julia Kemppinen @juliakemppinen.bsky.social · Sep 12

I am recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to conduct experiments on tundra plants and microclimates 🌱🌡️💧❄️ Call ends October 7! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Postdoctoral Researcher, Biodiversity Change

jobs.helsinki.fi

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Sep 5

Pekka Katajisto @katajistolab.bsky.social introducing Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka who will talk about 2 of my favorite topics: sciences and marathons

Jaakko Erkinaro @jaakkoerkinaro.bsky.social · Sep 3

Two new papers about diversity and genetic structure of Atlantic salmon populations in two sub-arctic rivers in the northernmost Finland and Norway

doi.org/10.1007/s105...

doi.org/10.1111/jfb....

@fishcongen.bsky.social
@andersfoldvik.bsky.social @alamarins.bsky.social
@luke.fi @helsinki.fi

Tanja Slotte @tanjaslotte.bsky.social · Sep 2

*Postdoc in Evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University*
We are recruiting a postdoc for a large interdisciplinary project to investigate evolutionary drivers and genomic consequences of pollen evolution in response to pollination mode shifts in flowering plants. 1/5

su.varbi.com/what:job/job...

Purple pollen visible in a dissected flower of Linum grandiflorum, flowering flax, an insect-pollinated species.

Centre for Palaeogenetics @cpgsthlm.bsky.social · Sep 2

🚨JOB ALERT!🚨

Postdoc position at #CpgSthlm on Microtine Palaeogenomics!

Join our deep-time genomics project, funded by @erc.europa.eu, and help us explore lemming and vole evolution using ancient DNA from fossils spanning the last 2.6 million years 🐭🦴🧬

Apply here:
su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

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