Rob Waterhouse
LightNews LightNews
banner
rmwaterhouse.bsky.social
Rob Waterhouse
@rmwaterhouse.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.7K following 1.7K posts
Director, Environmental Bioinformatics Group at SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics @sib.swiss. Chair, European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA, @ergabiodiv.bsky.social). #biodiversity #genomics www.rmwaterhouse.org
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
rmwaterhouse.bsky.social
Rob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 1d
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function. www.idiv.de/majority-of-... #biodiversity
Majority of local insect biomass decline linked to species loss
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function.
www.idiv.de
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
plosbiology.org
The traditional pipeline view of academia no longer reflects the reality of scientific #careers. In this Perspective, Alexandra A-T Weber @eawag.bsky.social reframes success as a network of paths that recognizes excellence in its many forms 🧪 #AcademicSky plos.io/4pSgzx5
Image shows a network of circular nodes joined by lines. The central node says PhD training. The surrounding nodes list different careers, including government, education, publishing, applied research, NGOs and industry.
December 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
rmwaterhouse.bsky.social
🟢 Are you a researcher in #Switzerland involved in collecting species observations #data ? 🗺️🦋🐸🦉
🟣 Then you can help assess the needs, practices, & challenges on Swiss #biodiversity data mobilisation, publication, & sharing !
🔵 How ? Fill this short survey: form.jotform.com/253342763497...
BIODIVERSITY DATA MOBILIZATION INTO GBIF
Please click the link to complete this form.
form.jotform.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
gbif.org
📣 After years of development and earlier informal feedback rounds, the official @tdwg.org #DarwinCore public review is now live, your input is needed!

This is your chance to have your say in the official review for ratification! 🚀

🔗www.tdwg.org/news/20...
two meerkats looking mischievous
December 9, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
sib.swiss
🗣️ “Getting recognition and external validation for this, and all the work involved, feels very good” , said Ilan Gold from the @scverse.bsky.social core team, SIB Bioinformatics Innovative Resource Award 2025 laureate.
Read full interview www.sib.swiss/news/getting...
“Getting recognition and external validation for this, and all the work involved, feels very good”
scverse, a set of foundational tools for single-cell omics data analysis, received the SIB Bioinformatics Innovative Resource Award 2025. The jury was particularly impressed by scverse’s fo...
www.sib.swiss
December 9, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
sib.swiss
“This public recognition is an important step towards my goal of setting up my own lab” says @meyerdh.bsky.social, PhD Paper Award Laureate 2025 in his interview www.sib.swiss/news/this-pu...
“This public recognition is an important step towards my goal of setting up my own lab”
David Meyer, Bioinformatician at the Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease, Uniklinik Köln, received the SIB Bioinformatics PhD Paper Award 2025 for his paper “Aging...
www.sib.swiss
November 10, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
sib.swiss
🗣️ “Several of the past winners of this award and their work have been very inspiring and important to me”, said @skinnider.bsky.social, SIB Bioinformatics Early Career Award 2025 laureate.

Read full interview. www.sib.swiss/news/several...
“Several of the past winners of this award and their work have been very inspiring and important to me”
Michael Skinnider, assistant professor at Princeton University (US), received the SIB Bioinformatics Early Career Award 2025 at the [BC]2 conference in Basel. The jury was particularly impressed by th...
www.sib.swiss
November 24, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
eccb-europe.bsky.social
🚀 Partner with ECCB 2026 in Geneva (31 Aug–4 Sept), gathering 1,000+ experts in compbio, bioinformatics, AI, biodiversity & data-driven health, to:
🔹Showcase your innovations
🔹Increase your visibility in Europe
🔹Recruit top talents
👉 Explore our packages: eccb2026.org/become-partner
November 25, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
biogeneurope.bsky.social
We are proud to count the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics among our partners, and thankful for their efforts in connecting the expertise from the DNA barcoding and genomics communities within BGE.
Read more 👉 www.swisscore.org/connecting-s...

@sib.swiss
December 3, 2025 at 12:55 PM
rmwaterhouse.bsky.social
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function. www.idiv.de/majority-of-... #biodiversity
Majority of local insect biomass decline linked to species loss
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function.
www.idiv.de
December 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
denbi.bsky.social
🚀 Big news in genome annotation! The latest Nature Methods paper presents Helixer. Developed as part of the @denbi.bsky.social infrastructure, Helixer makes high-quality genome annotations more accessible and efficient for the community.
🔗 nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02939-1
Helixer: ab initio prediction of primary eukaryotic gene models combining deep learning and a hidden Markov model - Nature Methods
By leveraging both deep learning and hidden Markov models, Helixer achieves broad taxonomic coverage for ab initio gene annotation of eukaryotic genomes from fungi, plants, vertebrates and invertebrat...
www.nature.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
mstange.bsky.social
@debbiemleigh.bsky.social and I are inviting abstracts for our symposium S05 showcasing research at the interface of molecular evolution, population genomics, and biodiversity monitoring.
official-smbe.bsky.social Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution @official-smbe.bsky.social · 5d
SMBE2026 Symposium 5 | Molecular evolution in the era of genetic diversity decline

📨 Abstract submission
smbe2026.org/abstracts

📋 Programme details
smbe2026.org/programme

#SMBE2026
SMBE2026 Symposium 5 | Molecular evolution in the era of genetic diversity decline
December 8, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
martykardos.bsky.social
Our Editorial for our upcoming special issue in Molecular Ecology: Conservation Genomics—Making a Difference onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Conservation Genomics—Making a Difference
Conservation genomics has increasingly transitioned from a promising concept to a science that integrates a range of advanced analytical approaches, providing new insights into inbreeding, genetic lo....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 4, 2025 at 8:31 PM
rmwaterhouse.bsky.social
December 6, 2025 at 8:48 AM
rmwaterhouse.bsky.social
Connecting Swiss bioinformatics to the EU www.swisscore.org/connecting-s... a briefing from @swissmissioneu.bsky.social highlighting @sib.swiss participation in Horizon Europe projects @biogeneurope.bsky.social & UNCAN-Connect
Connecting Swiss bioinformatics to the EU - Swisscore
Swiss bioinformatics excellence strengthens EU research, from cancer data platforms to genomic tools for biodiversity and conservation.
www.swisscore.org
December 5, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
official-smbe.bsky.social
SMBE2026 Symposium 4 | Mining the archive: evolutionary genomics from public repositories

📨 Abstract submission
smbe2026.org/abstracts

📋 Programme details
smbe2026.org/programme

#SMBE2026
SMBE2026 Symposium 4 | Mining the archive: evolutionary genomics from public repositories
December 4, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
nature.com
Nature research paper: Dated gene duplications elucidate the evolutionary assembly of eukaryotes

go.nature.com/4azJDF8
Dated gene duplications elucidate the evolutionary assembly of eukaryotes - Nature
Analysis of eukaryotic gene sequences using a relaxed molecular clock methodology indicate that eukaryotes emerged 3.0–2.25 billion years ago as a result of mitochondrial endosymbiosis with complex archaea that already possessed an elaborated cytoskeleton, membrane trafficking, endomembrane, phagocytotic machinery and a nucleus.
go.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
ergabiodiv.bsky.social
🔹 Phylogenomics workflows using #BUSCO genes: Genome-scale datasets are transforming biodiversity #genomics, but paralogy in BUSCO genes poses challenges for robust phylogenies. The goal is to develop a FAIR-compliant #phylogenomics pipeline to resolve paralogy and benchmark BUSCO gene performance.
September 26, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
woodwideants.bsky.social
One of the WWA missions is to bring research into high schools—sharing #biodiversity #genomics, #myrmecology, #entomology & #CitizenScience straight with students!📚🐜🧬🖥️

Learn more about our school programmes in the link in bio🌐🔗 #OpenScience #bugsky @ergabiodiv.bsky.social @biogeneurope.bsky.social
A photograph of a classroom or laboratory setting where a small group of students is engaged in a science activity. In the foreground, two students are looking through a microscope positioned on a desk. On the desk are papers, small pins, and an illustration of an ant. Other students are working at a separate table in the background. The WWA logo, featuring a black circle with a stylized red ant head, is visible in the bottom right corner. A photograph taken from above, showing a student's hands holding an open text document over a table with other papers, a tablet, and headphones. The visible text on the open document is in Italian and discusses the structure and characteristics of an ant's genome and body, mentioning the head, antennae, and abdomen. The tablet screen displays handwritten notes in Italian. The WWA logo, featuring a black circle with a stylized red ant head, is visible in the bottom right corner. A photograph taken outdoors, showing a student kneeling down, taking a picture with a silver smartphone of a dark, weathered wooden plank or pallet lying on a grassy area, partially covered in dirt. The WWA logo, featuring a black circle with a stylized red ant head, is visible in the bottom right corner. A photograph of three students in a dense, slightly overgrown garden or park area surrounded by apartment buildings. The foreground is dominated by various green plants and large agave succulents. Two students are standing close together among the foliage on the right, and a third one is standing on a paved path to the left, looking into the garden. The WWA logo, featuring a black circle with a stylized red ant head, is visible in the bottom right corner.
October 13, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
biogeneurope.bsky.social
The #conference marked the conclusion of BGE’s “Genome Applications” work package and had the goal to demonstrate the many different ways genomic #science is being used to help address real-world issues, such as #biodiversity conservation and the development of the #bioeconomy.
November 10, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
biogeneurope.bsky.social
The presentations emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration between the barcoding and reference genome communities in Europe, and represented BGE as a successful example of this.
#dna #biodiversity #europe #genomics #science
November 18, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
ebpgenome.bsky.social
🌍✨ Why genome sequence mega-diverse countries?
A handful of countries hold >70% of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity — packed with species found nowhere else. These places are evolution’s playground… and extinction’s front line.

#Biodiversity 🌿 #GenomeSequencing 🧬
#Genomics 🔬 #ConservationGenomics 🌍
November 18, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
ergabiodiv.bsky.social
🕷️🕸️ New Reference genome available: Leviellus thorelli, a orb-weaving spider - a key resource for comparative studies of the #genomic basis of orb web and silk #evolution.

🔗https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-365

#Spider #genomics #genomes for #biodiversity @cnag-eu.bsky.social
December 4, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
official-smbe.bsky.social
Organisers
- Allie M Graham | University of Kansas
- Wynn Meyer | Lehigh University

Invited Speaker
- @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social | @sib.swiss
SMBE2026 Symposium 4 | Mining the archive: evolutionary genomics from public repositories Organisers - Allie M Graham — University of Kansas, USA (Female) - Wynn Meyer — Lehigh University, USA (Female) Invited Speaker - Robert M Waterhouse, PhD — SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland (Male)
December 4, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
ngscn-de.bsky.social
As the year draws to a close, join our final webinar on December 11th to explore the European Reference Genome Atlas with Camila Mazzoni.

When? 11.12.2025 at 11 CET
Where? Zoom, register here: rwth.zoom-x.de/meeting/regi...
December 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Rob Waterhouse
ergabiodiv.bsky.social
🔊 New reference #genome for Xanthium orientale subsp. italicum - a valuable resource for understanding the genetic basis of invasiveness
🔗 open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-367

@genoscopeumr.bsky.social @genolage.bsky.social @biogeneurope.bsky.social
#invasivespecies #plantgenomes
December 3, 2025 at 8:52 AM