Jaanus Suurväli

@jsuurvali.bsky.social

420 followers 1.1K following 11 posts

Estonian geneticist in Canada. Genetics, genomics, molecular ecology, conservation, evolution and immunity. Opinions are my own. Comfortable with they/them or he/him.

Videos

Environmental science 52%

Agriculture 16%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Dan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · Oct 12

Old sausages with teeth.

A new study of the bizarre naked mole rat shows they evolved a DNA repair mechanism that may explain their longevity.

These burrow-dwelling rats have a maximum life span of nearly 40 years, making them the world's longest-lived rodent.

🧪🧬🐀
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Naked mole rats reveal genetic secret to long life

The bald, subterranean rats are the world's longest-lived rodent.

www.bbc.com

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Daniel Bolnick @danielbolnick.bsky.social · Sep 13

Cover of the new issue of Evolution Letters @evolletters.bsky.social featuring our stickleback-tapeworm paper. academic.oup.com/evlett
What happens to immunity and infection prevalence in the 50 years after a host invades a new location

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Dan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · Aug 9

"It's astonishing" - animal in India sings when sun is precisely 3.8° below horizon every dawn.

Cicadas in southern India start their dawn chorus with remarkable accuracy, timing their song to a precise level of light during the pre-dawn hours.

🧪🪲

www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

"It's astonishing": animal in India sings when sun is precisely 3.8° below horizon every dawn, say scientists | Discover Wildlife

Researchers reveal that cicadas time their early morning chorus to a precise light threshold, offering new insights into collective animal behaviour.

www.discoverwildlife.com

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Go Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · Aug 8

DNA from deep reveals a hidden ocean “superhighway”
Ancient creatures have migrated across planet's seafloor for millions of years, forming a vast evolutionary network from Iceland to Tasmania
This fragile life will be obliterated by Deep Sea mining
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

DNA from the deep reveals a hidden ocean “superhighway”

Deep beneath the ocean's surface, a groundbreaking DNA study reveals that the deep sea is far more globally connected than once thought. By analyzing thousands of brittle stars preserved in museum col...

www.sciencedaily.com

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

University of Toronto Scarborough @utsc.utoronto.ca · Aug 8

Did you know that some species of ants only live indoors in cooler regions? According to a new #UTSC study, these ants could start invading outdoors due to climate change. Read more about the research by postdoc Toby Tsang from the biology department. 🐜 #UofT utsc.utoronto.ca/news-events/...

Indoor ant populations might start invading outdoors due to global warming: Study

Some ant species that can only survive indoors in cooler regions could begin to move outdoors due to climate change, according to a new U of T Scarborough study. The study, published in the journal ...

utsc.utoronto.ca

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

EvolDir @evoldir.bsky.social · Jul 26

The Nichols Lab at the University of Denver seeks PhD students, postdocs, and research technicians for a sponge immunology project. Email Scott Nichols at [email protected] to apply. [Lab homepage](http://nicholslab.com) #postdoc

Anthony Nichols Lab

nicholslab.com

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Laurie Winkless @lauriewinkless.bsky.social · Jul 25

Too much light at night is bad for everyone. But most of the light polluting our night skies has nothing to do with safety on our roads and urban streets. It's mostly caused by advertising and poorly-mounted floodlights.

My latest for @forbes.com 👩‍🔬🧪

www.forbes.com/sites/laurie...

Street Lamps Aren’t The Main Source Of Light Pollution In Cities

New studies from Germany and Hong Kong pinpoint specific sources of light pollution keeping our cities excessively bright at night.

www.forbes.com

Reposted by David N. Thomas, Julie L. Lockwood, Anthony Ricciardi , and 1 more David N. Thomas, Julie L. Lockwood, Anthony Ricciardi, Jaanus Suurväli

The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · Jul 25

Born #OnThisDay in 1920 was Rosalind Franklin. Her work on X-ray diffraction images of DNA helped lead to the discovery of its structure, but her efforts were only recognised posthumously. Liz Sockett FRS and Isabelle Moss reflect on her enduring legacy:

From molecular structures to research culture: Celebrating Rosalind Franklin’s legacy | Royal Society

Rosalind Franklin never lived to see the full impact of her discoveries. She didn’t witness how her work on DNA would revolutionise biology, nor did she witness the impact she would have in…

royalsociety.org

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · Jul 20

🦁 Carnivores are running out of space

A global study finds that 64% of land carnivores live in areas with high human pressure. Indigenous lands are key to their survival; protecting more space is urgent.

🔗 doi.org/10.1126/scia...

#SciComm #Conservation #Biodiversity 🧪

Global scale assessment of the human-induced extinction crisis of terrestrial carnivores

Conservation lands and human-affected biomes with quality habitats are vital for the persistence of carnivores worldwide.

doi.org

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · Jul 20

Happy birthday to Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), scientist & Augustinian friar who posthumously gained fame for establishing many of the rules of heredity, fundamental to modern genetics. 🧪🐡 #histsci By carefully crossbreeding pea plants & tracing 7 characteristics (plant height, pod shape and colour, 🧵

My linocut portrait of Happy birthday to Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), scientist and Augustinian friar wearing small glasses, cassock and cross on chain, printed in green. He is surrounded by pea plants specifically coloured to be reminiscent of a Punnett square with mauve flowers on the top, left and right, and bottom left but white flowers on the bottom right. The each print is 11" by 14" (28 cm by 35.6 cm), on ivory Japanese kozo paper with "chine-collé" white and mauve paper.⁠
⁠

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

EMBO @embo.org · Jul 17

The Maria Leptin | EMBO Science Journalism Fellowships provides journalists with placements at #research institutions.

Photographed is science journalist Maria Bolevich @mariabolevich89.bsky.social during her placement in Brussels.

Apply now:
www.embo.org/funding/fell...
#ScienceCommunication 🧪

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Ed Banigan @irate-physicist.bsky.social · Jul 8

A little belated posting, but we (Emily Navarrete, Leonid Mirny, me) have an updated preprint in collaboration the Ines Drinnenberg, Héloïse Muller, José Gil Jr, + others on the strange and striking compartmentalization of silkworm chromatin: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Unique territorial and compartmental organization of chromosomes in the holocentric silkworm

Hallmarks of multicellular eukaryotic genome organization are chromosome territories, compartments, and loop-extrusion-mediated structures, including TADs. However, these are mainly observed in model organisms, and most eukaryotes remain unexplored. Using Hi-C in the silkworm Bombyx mori we discover a novel chromatin folding structure, compartment S, which is “secluded” from the rest of the chromosome. This compartment exhibits loop extrusion features and a unique genetic and epigenetic landscape, and it localizes towards the periphery of chromosome territories. While euchromatin and heterochromatin display preferential compartmental contacts, S domains are remarkably devoid of contacts with other regions, including with other S domains. Polymer simulations show that this contact pattern can only be explained by high loop-extrusion activity within compartment S, combined with low extrusion elsewhere through the genome. This unique, targeted extrusion represents a novel phenomenon and underscores how evolutionarily conserved mechanisms—compartmentalization and loop extrusion—can be repurposed to create new 3D genome architectures. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

www.biorxiv.org

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

The Coral Reef Research Hub @coralreefresearch.bsky.social · Jul 6

NOW OPEN!! RFP - Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship

www.smithfellows.org

#fellowships #postdoc #postdoctoral #research #science #marine #ocean #coral #education #funding #marinescience #conservation #nature

Smith Fellows

The David H. Smith Postdoctoral Conservation Research Fellowship Program provides a unique opportunity for early-career conservation scientists to pursue novel research, build professional networks,…

www.smithfellows.org

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Canadian Journal of Zoology @canjzoology.bsky.social · Jul 4

📢 Now #hiring: @canjzoology.bsky.social is recruiting an #ECR Associate Editor! This is a great volunteer opportunity for a postdoc or early-career faculty member to gain editorial experience and build connections!

▶️ buff.ly/hpVApYd

#AcademicSky #SciComm 🧪 #AcWri #PHDSky #ScholComms

Social card featuring bird for the Canadian Journal of Zoology Call for Applications: Early Career Researcher Associate Editor.

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Kristel Zilmer @kristelzilmer.bsky.social · Jul 4

“Laulupidu is not just one of the largest choral events in the world. It's a more than 150-year-old Estonian tradition born out of an aspiration to attain national self-determination after centuries of being ruled over by foreign powers.” news.err.ee/1609724700/u...

Unity and strength: The history of Estonia's Song Festival

This weekend, tens of thousands of Estonians from every corner of the country will flock to the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds for the 28th laulupidu (Song Festival). ERR News outlines the history of t...

news.err.ee

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Jaanus Suurväli

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · Jul 3

Most prevalent drivers of decline for vertebrates: agriculture & aquaculture (56.4%), invasive alien species (42.9%), and logging (35.6%).
For invertebrates: invasive alien species (32.5%), followed by agriculture & aquaculture (29.9%) and pollution (27%).
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

The status, threats and conservation of Critically Endangered species - Nature Reviews Biodiversity

Species classified as Critically Endangered are at greatest risk of extinction, and their preservation and recovery are crucial to meeting global biodiversity aims. This Review assesses the geographic...

www.nature.com

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Angela Andersen @angelaandersen.bsky.social · Jul 3

Katy writes extraordinary and timely Snippets for @lifescienceeditors.bsky.social Check out her latest: A trove of antiviral TRIM family E3 ligases in reptiles www.lifescienceeditors.com/2025/06/30/a...

A trove of antiviral TRIM family E3 ligases in reptiles - Scientific editing and writing experts - Life Science Editors

Scientific editing and writing experts for manuscripts and grants

www.lifescienceeditors.com

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Bohao Fang @fangbohao.bsky.social · Jul 2

Our new preprint @scottvedwards.bsky.social 🧬🐦 Long-read genomes show songbird germline-restricted chromosomes (GRCs; expelled from somatic cells) are 70 % repeats and packed with active LTR retroviruses. A hidden reservoir for TE-driven innovation/diversification! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Noah Bressman, PhD @noahwithfish.bsky.social · Jul 2

Please share! For Disability Pride Month, we are seeking neurodivergent academic faculty, instructors, & researchers at all levels to participate in a brief anonymous survey about their work experiences, coping strategies, & well-being. For info, go to: salisbury.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Andrew Rambaut @arambaut.bsky.social · Jul 2

BEAST X v10.5.0 finally released – you can't just do beta releases forever. github.com/beast-dev/be...

Details and instructions for installing on the BEAST website: beast.community

Reposted by Håvard Kauserud, Jaanus Suurväli, Álvaro Gaytán

Rike Stelkens @stelkens.bsky.social · Jun 30

Job alert! We have a postdoc position available in the Stelkens Lab at Stockholm University. Join us and apply experimental evolution and comparative genomics in the model system yeast to test for parallel climate adaptation. Apply through this link: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/... Deadline 15 August.

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · Jun 29

A look at the average global mean temperature for each March to May period since the year 1850...

Data from NOAAGlobalTemp v6.0.0 at www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/lan...

Line graph time series of global mean surface temperature anomalies for each March-May period from 1850 through 2025. There is a long-term increasing trend and large year-to-year variability. The mean surface temperature anomaly averaged for March-May 2025 was 1.22°C for the global mean. Anomalies are computed relative to a 1901-2000 climate baseline. Data from NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI NOAAGlobalTemp v6.0.0.

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Inverse Complexity Lab @invcomplexity.skewed.de · Jun 29

Are you from the US and would like to work as a postdoc in Austria, maybe in our lab? 25 new fellowships will be available in July from the @oeaw.bsky.social: www.oeaw.ac.at/en/news/25-n...

If you are interested; get in touch!

25 new scholarships for US researchers

Fonds Zukunft Österreich (FZÖ) is providing €10 million in funding for an academy program to bring postdocs from the USA to Austria ++ Faßmann: “The right signal in these turbulent times”

www.oeaw.ac.at

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Biodiversity Council @biodivcouncil.bsky.social · Jun 27

This week, researchers uncovered an underground trove of invertebrates in caves under the Nullarbor - including a unique species of parasitic, cave-adapted wasp with no eyes.

Scientists warn the fragile cave ecosystems face high extinction risks from development and human impacts.

#insects

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Leo Speidel @leospeidel.bsky.social · Jun 25

Postdoc position in my group in Tokyo!
Please get in touch if you are interested.

And happy to discuss projects - these would range from developing new methods to analysis of new genomes that we are now sequencing in the lab.

Job Ad: www.riken.jp/en/careers/r...
Lab page: speidellab.github.io

Seeking a few Postdoctoral Researchers at Mathematical Genomics RIKEN ECL Research Unit (25-695)

www.riken.jp

Reposted by Emma Andersson, Wolfgang Huber, Jaanus Suurväli

Karolinska Institutet @ki.se · Jun 25

Applications are now open! We are recruiting 20 Assistant Professors in a wide range of subject areas. We're looking for early-career researchers with strong scientific merits and future potential.
🔗 All positions: ki.se/en/about-ki/...

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Department of Biology, Lund University @biologylu.bsky.social · Jun 25

We're hiring a postdoc in aquatic ecology! Help us explore how artificial reefs can aid cod recovery in Swedish waters. Collaborate with experts, develop analytical tools, and make a real impact on marine conservation.
🗓️ Apply by 25 July 2025
🔗 lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:837890

Some fish are swimming. Photo by Per Harald Olsen/NTNU. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

FishEvo Zuzana Musilova @fishevo.bsky.social · Jun 23

We're hiring a postdoc!👀
Join us to explore the amazing world of (deep-sea) fish vision! We're looking for a curious researcher to work with histology, FISH, and even crispr!
Apply by 14 July 2025.
Thks for sharing!
#PostdocJobs #DeepSea #FishVision #Evolution www.fishevo.com/open-postdoc...

Reposted by Doerthe Tetzlaff, Jaanus Suurväli

Alison Hoens @physioktbroker.bsky.social · Jun 21

“… female participation in exact sciences [in Africa] has grown significantly, with Engineering and Technology rising from 16% to 21%, Physical Sciences from 19% to 23%, and Life Sciences and Biomedicine from 29% to 35%” 🧪 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Bridging the Gender Gap in African Scientific Publishing: Insights From Web of Science Indexed Journals

African women researchers represent a minority within Africa's scientific community, accounting for 29.3%—a figure significantly lower than in other regions: 39% in Europe, 41% in Asia, 43% in South ...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Jaanus Suurväli

Chris Nagano @charliesaito22.bsky.social · Jun 19

Scientists surprised to discover sharks’ pancreas is an important part of their immune system

www.science.org/content/arti...

Sharks may use an unexpected organ to fight microbial invaders

The pancreas, which helps control blood sugar in humans, may be critical part of shark immune system

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