Max Farnworth
@maxfarnworth.bsky.social
Fascinated by the evolution of the brain | Senior Research Associate at EBaB lab (University of Bristol) | 2025 PI Fellow (Company of Biologists) | Section Speaker Neurobiology DZG | he/him
https://linktr.ee/max.farnworth
https://linktr.ee/max.farnworth
Pinned
Max Farnworth
@maxfarnworth.bsky.social
· Aug 22
Pathway to Independence – an interview with Max Farnworth
Max Farnworth completed his PhD in Gregor Bucher's lab at the University of Göttingen, Germany, where he explored how heterochrony shapes the evolution and development of insect brains. He then joined...
doi.org
If you happen (…!) to be interested in what fascinates me about science and brain evolution and what I am up to, click here:
doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Thanks to @dev-journal.bsky.social and @biologists.bsky.social for the interview 🙏
doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Thanks to @dev-journal.bsky.social and @biologists.bsky.social for the interview 🙏
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Thrilled to share our new paper!
With @tomtom-auer.bsky.social team, we asked how #evolution reshapes what animals #eat to match their ecological niches. Using pan-neuronal Ca2+ imaging, we show that the changes are in how the brain processes #taste.
Link @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
With @tomtom-auer.bsky.social team, we asked how #evolution reshapes what animals #eat to match their ecological niches. Using pan-neuronal Ca2+ imaging, we show that the changes are in how the brain processes #taste.
Link @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Evolution of taste processing shifts dietary preference - Nature
Calcium imaging of taste neurons and the ventral brain provides insight into evolutionary divergence of food choice in Drosophila species, supporting a role of sensorimotor processing in addition to p...
www.nature.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Thrilled to share our new paper!
With @tomtom-auer.bsky.social team, we asked how #evolution reshapes what animals #eat to match their ecological niches. Using pan-neuronal Ca2+ imaging, we show that the changes are in how the brain processes #taste.
Link @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
With @tomtom-auer.bsky.social team, we asked how #evolution reshapes what animals #eat to match their ecological niches. Using pan-neuronal Ca2+ imaging, we show that the changes are in how the brain processes #taste.
Link @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Max Farnworth
High-resolution single-cell analyses reveal evolutionary constraints and evolvability of sexual circuits in Drosophila | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
High-resolution single-cell analyses reveal evolutionary constraints and evolvability of sexual circuits in Drosophila | PNAS
Understanding how the cellular and molecular composition of neural circuits evolves
to generate species-specific behaviors remains a major challeng...
www.pnas.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:05 PM
High-resolution single-cell analyses reveal evolutionary constraints and evolvability of sexual circuits in Drosophila | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Max Farnworth
We have an amazing opportunity for Early-Career Researchers to join our Board of Directors!
We're looking for someone with experience in leading #OpenScience projects to support and lead eLife in our mission to change research communication.
🔗 buff.ly/SZgtgVv
We're looking for someone with experience in leading #OpenScience projects to support and lead eLife in our mission to change research communication.
🔗 buff.ly/SZgtgVv
November 24, 2025 at 9:02 PM
We have an amazing opportunity for Early-Career Researchers to join our Board of Directors!
We're looking for someone with experience in leading #OpenScience projects to support and lead eLife in our mission to change research communication.
🔗 buff.ly/SZgtgVv
We're looking for someone with experience in leading #OpenScience projects to support and lead eLife in our mission to change research communication.
🔗 buff.ly/SZgtgVv
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Come and work with us in our new home @bristolbiosci.bsky.social ! This fully funded PhD opportunity is open to anyone interested in spiders/eyes/light pollution/evolution/development! 🕷️👀
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
November 24, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Come and work with us in our new home @bristolbiosci.bsky.social ! This fully funded PhD opportunity is open to anyone interested in spiders/eyes/light pollution/evolution/development! 🕷️👀
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Spiders that experience vibrations, visual stimuli, both or none during development do not differ strongly in the size of their brain areas. This is a surprising finding. Even more surprising is that siblings react alike. See our new publication in the J. comp. Neurology.
doi.org/10.1002/cne....
🧪🕷
doi.org/10.1002/cne....
🧪🕷
November 22, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Spiders that experience vibrations, visual stimuli, both or none during development do not differ strongly in the size of their brain areas. This is a surprising finding. Even more surprising is that siblings react alike. See our new publication in the J. comp. Neurology.
doi.org/10.1002/cne....
🧪🕷
doi.org/10.1002/cne....
🧪🕷
No brainer (🤓) choice for a PhD in brain evolution.
Also, lovely picture choice, Steve.
Also, lovely picture choice, Steve.
🚨RA/PhD position available in evolutionary neurobiology 🚨
Working on a deep dive into circuit changes during mushroom body expansion in Heliconius butterflies @camzoology.bsky.social
- employment benefits
- 4 years funding
- 1000% fun
Deadline: 14/1/2026
Details:
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Working on a deep dive into circuit changes during mushroom body expansion in Heliconius butterflies @camzoology.bsky.social
- employment benefits
- 4 years funding
- 1000% fun
Deadline: 14/1/2026
Details:
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
November 21, 2025 at 3:06 PM
No brainer (🤓) choice for a PhD in brain evolution.
Also, lovely picture choice, Steve.
Also, lovely picture choice, Steve.
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Check out our latest issue where we interview Cassandra Extavour, who studies the evolution of the genetic mechanisms employed during early animal embryogenesis to specify cell fate, development, and differentiation at Harvard University. www.cell.com/current-biol...
Q & A
Interview with Cassandra Extavour, who studies the evolution of the genetic mechanisms
employed during early animal embryogenesis to specify cell fate, development, and
differentiation at Harvard Univ...
www.cell.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Check out our latest issue where we interview Cassandra Extavour, who studies the evolution of the genetic mechanisms employed during early animal embryogenesis to specify cell fate, development, and differentiation at Harvard University. www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Max Farnworth
SO HAPPY to share our new paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social! Using volumetric EM, we found daily shifts in synapses, vesicles, and mitochondria that accompany neuronal remodeling, linking structural plasticity to changes in how s-LNv neurons influence their targets
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Daily ultrastructural remodeling of clock neurons
A cluster of Drosophila clock neurons remodel their axonal arbors daily. Using volumetric
electron microscopy at different times of day, Ispizua, Rodriguez-Caron, and colleagues
reveal ultrastructural...
www.cell.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:03 PM
SO HAPPY to share our new paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social! Using volumetric EM, we found daily shifts in synapses, vesicles, and mitochondria that accompany neuronal remodeling, linking structural plasticity to changes in how s-LNv neurons influence their targets
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Less than a week to go for #CBIAS2025! A few hours left to register, in person in London or online over Zoom (registration deadline on Nov 20th)
Find out all the information at the link below:
www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/cri...
Find out all the information at the link below:
www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/cri...
Crick BioImage Analysis Symposium 2025
www.crick.ac.uk
November 18, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Less than a week to go for #CBIAS2025! A few hours left to register, in person in London or online over Zoom (registration deadline on Nov 20th)
Find out all the information at the link below:
www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/cri...
Find out all the information at the link below:
www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/cri...
📢 PhD Position Alert! 🪲
Fully funded PhD position (65% TV-L E13) at @uni-goettingen.de to study the evolution of morphological novelties in a darkling beetle.
You will join the interdisciplinary "GönomiX" graduate school: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/home/6242...
Fully funded PhD position (65% TV-L E13) at @uni-goettingen.de to study the evolution of morphological novelties in a darkling beetle.
You will join the interdisciplinary "GönomiX" graduate school: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/home/6242...
November 18, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Max Farnworth
@rorycoleman.bsky.social and I wrote an opinion piece called
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution
The vast diversity of animal behaviors has long inspired ethologists and neuroscientists, but circuit mechanisms driving this variation remain elusive…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:57 AM
@rorycoleman.bsky.social and I wrote an opinion piece called
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Max Farnworth
periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
Atkinson Hyperlegible Font - Braille Institute
Read easier with Atkinson Hyperlegible Font, crafted for low-vision readers. Download for free and enjoy clear letters and numbers on your computer!
www.brailleinstitute.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:19 AM
periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
Reposted by Max Farnworth
So excited for the latest edition of “Evolution: Making Sense of Life” by @carlzimmer.com & Doug Emlen. Students in my evolution class regularly tell me it’s the best textbook they’ve had in a college course.
November 14, 2025 at 9:07 PM
So excited for the latest edition of “Evolution: Making Sense of Life” by @carlzimmer.com & Doug Emlen. Students in my evolution class regularly tell me it’s the best textbook they’ve had in a college course.
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Minos transgenesis enables robust, stable germline integration of transgenes in Lepidoptera; providing a reliable alternative to piggyBac, whose native transposases can cause transgene remobilization or instability in moths and butterflies:
It's out, Minos transgenesis in the pantry moth by
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Minos transgenesis enables robust, stable germline integration of transgenes in Lepidoptera; providing a reliable alternative to piggyBac, whose native transposases can cause transgene remobilization or instability in moths and butterflies:
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Thank you Denise Dalbosco Dell'Aglio @ficusorganensis.bsky.social @ebablab.bsky.social for sharing your experience of fee-free #OA publishing @jexpbiol.bsky.social via our #ReadAndPublish agreement @bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Read Denise’s paper: bit.ly/4977c7N
See all institutions bit.ly/3O7BxGi
Read Denise’s paper: bit.ly/4977c7N
See all institutions bit.ly/3O7BxGi
November 14, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Thank you Denise Dalbosco Dell'Aglio @ficusorganensis.bsky.social @ebablab.bsky.social for sharing your experience of fee-free #OA publishing @jexpbiol.bsky.social via our #ReadAndPublish agreement @bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Read Denise’s paper: bit.ly/4977c7N
See all institutions bit.ly/3O7BxGi
Read Denise’s paper: bit.ly/4977c7N
See all institutions bit.ly/3O7BxGi
Bristol science neighbours going strong 👇🏻👇🏻
Happy to share Jialin's first publication. She did a great job exploring the transition to land in animals. Co-supervised by the great Jordi Paps and me and in collaboration with Davide Pisani and @phil-donoghue.bsky.social
Nature research paper: Convergent genome evolution shaped the emergence of terrestrial animals
go.nature.com/4i0i61w
go.nature.com/4i0i61w
November 13, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Bristol science neighbours going strong 👇🏻👇🏻
Reposted by Max Farnworth
A game changer in our hands... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Universal consensus 3D segmentation of cells from 2D segmented stacks - Nature Methods
u-Segment3D is a universal framework that translates and enhances 2D instance segmentations to a 3D consensus instance segmentation without training data. It performs well across diverse datasets, inc...
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:48 PM
A game changer in our hands... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Follow this account. It will serve you well.
Picard management tip: If they know their jobs, leave them alone. If they don't, help them learn.
November 11, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Follow this account. It will serve you well.
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Big news last week, our project within @gevol.bsky.social got funded! 🤩 @nturetz.bsky.social @pechmannm.bsky.social @posnienlab.bsky.social, Niko Prpic-Schäper and myself will look into molecular mechanisms and phenotypic consequences of paralog divergence in insects and chelicerates. Stay tuned!
November 11, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Big news last week, our project within @gevol.bsky.social got funded! 🤩 @nturetz.bsky.social @pechmannm.bsky.social @posnienlab.bsky.social, Niko Prpic-Schäper and myself will look into molecular mechanisms and phenotypic consequences of paralog divergence in insects and chelicerates. Stay tuned!
Reposted by Max Farnworth
Do you work (/want to work) with caterpillars? Or sensory systems? Or BOTH?! Well good golly do we have the paper for you! We explain the senses that caterpillars have, what they use them for, and how anthropogenic sensory pollution might be messing it all up 🐛 doi.org/10.1007/s003...
The sensory ecology of caterpillars - Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Caterpillars (larval Lepidoptera) are one of the most ecologically and evolutionarily significant taxa on Earth. As both feeders and food, they shape the dynamics of enumerate ecosystems on land. Key ...
doi.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Do you work (/want to work) with caterpillars? Or sensory systems? Or BOTH?! Well good golly do we have the paper for you! We explain the senses that caterpillars have, what they use them for, and how anthropogenic sensory pollution might be messing it all up 🐛 doi.org/10.1007/s003...
Reposted by Max Farnworth
🎉We are happy to announce that our wonderful GEvol SPP will be funded by @dfg.de for another 3 years. Included are 17 great projects all over Germany with amazing people. You want to be part of this fantastic community? Soon you can find new PhD/Post-Doc positions here & on our website. Stay tuned🎉
November 10, 2025 at 11:39 AM
🎉We are happy to announce that our wonderful GEvol SPP will be funded by @dfg.de for another 3 years. Included are 17 great projects all over Germany with amazing people. You want to be part of this fantastic community? Soon you can find new PhD/Post-Doc positions here & on our website. Stay tuned🎉
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@ebablab.bsky.social and I helped a bit in this really informative article by Robin Grob in the el Jundi lab on spatial orientation strategies in Lepidoptera. Have a read :-)
@ebablab.bsky.social and I helped a bit in this really informative article by Robin Grob in the el Jundi lab on spatial orientation strategies in Lepidoptera. Have a read :-)
The diversity of lepidopteran spatial orientation strategies – neuronal mechanisms and emerging challenges in a changing world - Journal of Comparative Physiology A
The Lepidoptera, butterflies and moths, display an astonishing diversity of spatial orientation strategies essential for survival, reproduction, and ecological success. These spatial orientation strat...
link.springer.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:18 AM
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@ebablab.bsky.social and I helped a bit in this really informative article by Robin Grob in the el Jundi lab on spatial orientation strategies in Lepidoptera. Have a read :-)
@ebablab.bsky.social and I helped a bit in this really informative article by Robin Grob in the el Jundi lab on spatial orientation strategies in Lepidoptera. Have a read :-)
Reposted by Max Farnworth
If we had more of people like him… scientists like me would’ve never had a chance 😒
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
DNA scientist James Watson has a remarkably long history of sexist, racist public comments
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
www.vox.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:58 PM
If we had more of people like him… scientists like me would’ve never had a chance 😒
Massive grant proposal submitted 😭
a close up of a man 's face with the words `` it 's done '' written on the bottom .
ALT: a close up of a man 's face with the words `` it 's done '' written on the bottom .
media.tenor.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Massive grant proposal submitted 😭