Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Jun 18

@didosot.bsky.social Sadly yes. Unless you are eligible via the settled status in the UK.

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

MASTS @mastscot.bsky.social · Jun 5

📢#PhD Opportunity funded by MASTS Scotland - Investigating blubber thermogenesis of harbour porpoises🌊
Deadline: Thursday, July 31, 2025
Supervisors: Andrew Brownlow - @davinaderous.bsky.social - Joanna Kershaw - Fiona Manson

🔗INFO: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Jun 5

Care about climate change, physiology, marine mammals and want to do something about it?
Exciting PhD opportunity funded by @mastscot.bsky.social to work with Andrew Brownlow, myself, @jlkershaw.bsky.social , Fiona Manson,
@strandings.bsky.social,
@naturescot.bsky.social

tinyurl.com/3aj4kft9

1 3 2

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · May 15

For those at #ECS2025, don't miss @wild-devs.bsky.social talk on reproductive hormones in fin whales and Alexandra's talk on proteomics in pilot whales this morning.

1 1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · May 9

Delighted to say that both Alexandra Tranganida and @wild-devs.bsky.social will be presenting at the European Cetacean Society conference next week! Alexandra will talk about blubber proteomics in pilot whales and Devonne about reproductive hormones in fin whales (Day 2 - session 6). #ECS2025

4

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Apr 10

Extremely proud of @wild-devs.bsky.social first first-author publication. Devonne showed sexual segregation and stable pregnancy rates in minke whales sampled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between 2007-2015 @jlkershaw.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk @meps-ir.bsky.social
www.int-res.com/abstracts/me...

Sexual segregation and stable pregnancy rates in the Gulf of St. Lawrence’s minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata amidst environmental changes

www.int-res.com

1 1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Mar 28

Great paper focusing on heat loss estimation using model predictions in cetaceans and how morphometrics such as blubber thickness and body size may play a role.
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Size-specific strategies of sympatric cetaceans to reduce heat loss

Highlighted Article: Novel aerial photogrammetry methods reveal that smaller cetaceans rely on physiological and morphological adaptations to reduce heat loss whereas larger species offset heat loss b...

journals.biologists.com

1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Mar 21

Incredible new Science paper by @chrismcknight.bsky.social, @jlkershaw.bsky.social and team that shows seals do cognitively perceive circulating oxygen and alter their diving behaviour accordingly www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Cognitive perception of circulating oxygen in seals is the reason they don’t drown

Marine mammals rely on maintaining sufficient blood oxygen levels while diving to prevent drowning. Generally, oxygen is cognitively imperceptible to mammals that instead sense rising carbon dioxide a...

www.science.org

1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Mar 1

Always great to catch up with @strandings.bsky.social and all set for a great day!!

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Feb 13

What an incredible inspirational talk by @mdelibeg.bsky.social, the new Regius Chair in Physiology. Great night socialising with people of the medical campus.

1 1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Feb 10

Large dataset analysis across several species to more accurately predict age in cetaceans using various tissues and epigenetics.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Enhancing epigenetic aging clocks in cetaceans: accurate age estimations in small endangered delphinids, killer whales, pilot whales, belugas, humpbacks, and bowhead whales - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Enhancing epigenetic aging clocks in cetaceans: accurate age estimations in small endangered delphinids, killer whales, pilot whales, belugas, humpbacks, and bowhead whales

www.nature.com

1 1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Feb 10

Interesting paper focusing on heat loss in several cetacean species and the role of body morphometrics, blubber thickness and thermal conductivity.
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-...

Size-specific strategies of sympatric cetaceans to reduce heat loss

Maintaining a stable core body temperature is essential for endotherms. Cetaceans live in a highly thermally conductive medium, requiring special adaptations to reduce heat loss and maintain homeother...

journals.biologists.com

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Nature Metabolism @natmetabolism.nature.com · Feb 8

NEWS&VIEWS | Herbert Tilg and Christoph Grander (Med Uni, AT)

The authors highlight a study describing the role of #TM6SF2 as a mediator of the #gut - #liver axis to modulate #MASH pathophysiology 🐭 🦠

Read it here: https://bit.ly/4hu7oiz

TM6SF2 as new intestinal lipid player

The gut–liver axis is of crucial importance in health and disease. TM6SF2 is a genetic risk factor for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Zhang, Yu et al. reveal that intestinal TM6SF2 critically affects the gut–liver axis.

bit.ly

2

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Christian Frezza @frezzalab.bsky.social · Feb 9

Retrograde mitochondrial signaling governs the identity and maturity of metabolic tissues | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Retrograde mitochondrial signaling governs the identity and maturity of metabolic tissues

Mitochondrial damage is a hallmark of metabolic diseases, including diabetes, yet the consequences of compromised mitochondria in metabolic tissues are often unclear. Here, we report that dysfunctiona...

www.science.org

2 13 40

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Catalina Vasilescu, PhD @cvasilescu.bsky.social · Feb 9

Groundbreaking week of research in #mitochondrialdisease!
biomed.news/bims-mitdis/...

@biomednews.bsky.social @gavinmcstay.bsky.social @mitoscientist.bsky.social @mitowomen.bsky.social @mitoworld.bsky.social

Rhodoquinone carries electrons in the mammalian electron transport chain

Valeros et al, Rhodoquinone carries electrons in the mammalian electron transport chain

15 22

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · Sep 4

"It is impossible to be a top-line manager and administrator and mentor and researcher and writer and outreach officer and IT expert and online instructor and pedagogical innovator and recruiter and teacher and marker and external examiner and press pundit and grant bidder and editor."

It’s Not Your Fault That Academic Life is Getting Harder by Glen O’Hara

Universities are in trouble, and it’s not just money we’re talking about. They are living through something of a crisis of confidence, even of trust and faith. More and more, I find myself, and my col...

voicesofacademia.com

10 200 560

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk · Feb 5

New job opening for a Professor/Reader/Senior Lecturer of Applied Animal Nutrition/Metabolomics/Microbiome within the School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow.

Closing date 4th March 2025.

More information here: www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/professo...

Professor/Reader/Senior Lecturer of Applied Animal Nutrition/Metabolomics/Microbiome

Job Purpose To make a substantial and positive contribution to the strategic direction of the School/College through leading and contributing to research of international standard, high quality tea...

www.jobs.gla.ac.uk

6 4

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Wild Water Whales @wildwaterwhales.bsky.social · Feb 3

Please check out this news article about our #HungryHumpbacks project 👀👇

#MarineLife #Whale #conservation
@bas.ac.uk @polarbiome.bsky.social @southgeorgiaht.bsky.social
🐳🦑🧪🌊🐟

www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/s...

Scientists study whales and fish to protect South Georgia’s marine ecosystem - British Antarctic Survey

Scientists on the remote sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia are working to better understand the rich marine life that inhabits the region. This month teams are focusing on two major …

www.bas.ac.uk

6 16

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Catherine Grueber @cegrueber.bsky.social · Jan 29

Out now in @nature.com! Our comprehensive meta-analysis of global terrestrial and marine genetic diversity demonstrates rapid loss of genetic diversity and identifies conservation interventions that could mitigate this process
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧪🌍🦤🧬
#consgen #PopGen

Global meta-analysis shows action is needed to halt genetic diversity loss - Nature

A comprehensive meta-analysis of global terrestrial and marine genetic diversity covering more than three decades of research demonstrates rapid loss of genetic diversity and identifies conservation i...

www.nature.com

9 140 290

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Science News @scinews.bsky.social · Jan 26

GLP-1 RAs and co-agonists are efficacious for weight loss, with reported safety concerns predominantly gastrointestinal in nature, when used among adults with overweight or obesity and without diabetes.

www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...

3 16

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Jan 23

Where do the dopamine hits does from? A new reward center in the brain is discovered (yes, single cell, spatial omics at work again)
@science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

3 58 250

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Jan 21

Some really great cetacean papers coming out lately! See the recent one by Fernandez Ajó et al. on testosterone levels measured in faecal samples of male gray whales.

Conservation Physiology @conphysjournal.bsky.social · Jan 21

Understanding reproductive seasonality is important during wildlife management and monitoring. This study of testosterone levels in grey whales 🐋 provides new insights into their reproductive biology.

Read it here: https://buff.ly/42mFO2m

2 7

Reposted by Dr. Davina Derous

Filipa Samarra @fipsamarra.bsky.social · Jan 17

🚨 NEW PAPER 🚨
Our latest paper, led by our former student Giorgia Giovannini, is out now! It looks in detail at killer whale sound production during feeding on spawning herring in Iceland. 🐳🐟 Find out more here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.....

2 11

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Jan 20

A great new paper by Remili et al. using metabolomics to assess the impacts of pollutant exposure in polar bears and ringed seals.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Persistent pollutant exposure impacts metabolomic profiles in polar bears and ringed seals from the High Arctic and Hudson Bay, Canada

Metabolomics measures low molecular weight endogenous metabolites and changes linked to contaminant exposure in biota. Few studies have explored the r…

www.sciencedirect.com

1 1

Dr. Davina Derous @davinaderous.bsky.social · Jan 10

Great summary of @jlkershaw.bsky.social previously published paper using proteomics to identify biomarkers in blubber biopsies of baleen whales

SEBiology @sebiology.bsky.social · Jan 9

Discover how Kershaw et al are revolutionizing cetacean conservation with omics techniques in the first article of the new Conservation Physiology in Action series. 🌊🐋

Read it here:
doi.org/10.1093/conp...

Referenced research:
doi.org/10.1093/conp...

Happy reading

Blubber biopsy biomarkers for baleen whales

Whales, dolphins and porpoises—collectively, cetaceans—are among the charismatic ocean giants that captivate and inspire future generations of marine biolo

doi.org

2 4