Steve Haddock
@stevehaddock.bsky.social
Marine biology, ctenophores, bioluminescence, deep-sea, genomics, computing for biologists.
The Radiant Sea. Photo book.
Cello? Views my own.
bit.ly/arms-deep bit.ly/radsea
The Radiant Sea. Photo book.
Cello? Views my own.
bit.ly/arms-deep bit.ly/radsea
Pinned
Steve Haddock
@stevehaddock.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Our science photo book The Radiant Sea is out Sept 2nd!!
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
Related to high pressure, @ibudin.bsky.social and Jacob Winnikoff led a study which showed that a particular lipid headgroup (PPE) is more abundant in membranes of deep #ctenophores. 🧪🦑
What was amazing was when they put PPE into bacterial membranes, the bacteria became more pressure tolerant!
What was amazing was when they put PPE into bacterial membranes, the bacteria became more pressure tolerant!
January 9, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Related to high pressure, @ibudin.bsky.social and Jacob Winnikoff led a study which showed that a particular lipid headgroup (PPE) is more abundant in membranes of deep #ctenophores. 🧪🦑
What was amazing was when they put PPE into bacterial membranes, the bacteria became more pressure tolerant!
What was amazing was when they put PPE into bacterial membranes, the bacteria became more pressure tolerant!
The re-analysis of this #sponge #ctenophore study made me realize how important it is to really *look* at your data.
Their filtering pipeline was meant to retain "strong" genes, but many of them had NO ctenophores and most had polyphyletic sponges.
Time to put down the pitchforks for a while.
Their filtering pipeline was meant to retain "strong" genes, but many of them had NO ctenophores and most had polyphyletic sponges.
Time to put down the pitchforks for a while.
Our eLetter github.com/caseywdunn/s... responding to a recent Science paper was just posted. The paper found more genes with consistent support for sponge-sister than ctenophore-sister. We found several technical issues that, when corrected, reverse the conclusions and recover ctenophore-sister.
January 9, 2026 at 4:52 PM
The re-analysis of this #sponge #ctenophore study made me realize how important it is to really *look* at your data.
Their filtering pipeline was meant to retain "strong" genes, but many of them had NO ctenophores and most had polyphyletic sponges.
Time to put down the pitchforks for a while.
Their filtering pipeline was meant to retain "strong" genes, but many of them had NO ctenophores and most had polyphyletic sponges.
Time to put down the pitchforks for a while.
This is a limited, regionally relevant post, but… I’ll be giving a talk at the Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz on Friday Jan 16th. Come say hi if you’re in town. 🦑🧪
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
January 7, 2026 at 5:28 AM
This is a limited, regionally relevant post, but… I’ll be giving a talk at the Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz on Friday Jan 16th. Come say hi if you’re in town. 🦑🧪
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
Reposted by Steve Haddock
‘Cleave’ can refer to splitting something apart.
‘Cleave’ can also refer to the uniting of two things.
…what?
A word that is also its own opposite is called a ‘contronym.’
‘Cleave’ can also refer to the uniting of two things.
…what?
A word that is also its own opposite is called a ‘contronym.’
January 5, 2026 at 5:13 PM
‘Cleave’ can refer to splitting something apart.
‘Cleave’ can also refer to the uniting of two things.
…what?
A word that is also its own opposite is called a ‘contronym.’
‘Cleave’ can also refer to the uniting of two things.
…what?
A word that is also its own opposite is called a ‘contronym.’
Reposted by Steve Haddock
Thrilled to see our review article "The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins" highlighted on the cover of Nature Reviews Neuroscience 🤩.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@msarscentre.bsky.social 🧠✨🧬🌊🪼🧽
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@msarscentre.bsky.social 🧠✨🧬🌊🪼🧽
December 17, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Thrilled to see our review article "The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins" highlighted on the cover of Nature Reviews Neuroscience 🤩.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@msarscentre.bsky.social 🧠✨🧬🌊🪼🧽
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@msarscentre.bsky.social 🧠✨🧬🌊🪼🧽
Reposted by Steve Haddock
This could be your dream job: working full time at the Friday Harbor Labs on marine invertebrate organismal biology. Nine month salary from an endowment, teaching and research faculty position.
apply.interfolio.com/178804
apply.interfolio.com/178804
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM
This could be your dream job: working full time at the Friday Harbor Labs on marine invertebrate organismal biology. Nine month salary from an endowment, teaching and research faculty position.
apply.interfolio.com/178804
apply.interfolio.com/178804
A survey for Ctenophore Ctuesday:
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
![A pinkish, translucent, roughly bell-shaped jelly on a black background. Iridescent and red vertical stripe run down its tapered body. The top comes to a point, and the bottom is slightly flared. Upon close inspection, you can see little grape-like clusters of gonads next to the vertical stripes, which are the comb rows and main canals.
This [relatively] massive Beroe was observed on a blue-water scuba dive off California. It is 18cm (7 inches) long. Photo: S.Haddock ©MBARI 2025
Fun faCT: If you look closely, you can see the reproductive cells on both sides of the canals. Viewed from the end, rather than the side, the female eggs develop next to the major body axis (like North, S, E, W), and male cells develop on the sides of the canal that are 45° off from the axes (NorthEast, SE, SW, NW). So here you can see 2 sets of eggs, and 4 sets of male gonads.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:funpixcztysgcgvutfyjabnl/bafkreihzme4m42oopw2rfdb7aerfad2nwu3vmg2nggav5fhulfewam5on4@jpeg)
December 16, 2025 at 12:15 PM
A survey for Ctenophore Ctuesday:
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
OK, this is wild!
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
December 10, 2025 at 5:57 AM
OK, this is wild!
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
Not to mention… we just had our 4th ever sighting of Haliphron in over 35 years (7000+ ROV dives).
Its arms were closed up but we followed it until we could see that it was again holding a jellyfish…
m.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lt...
See also: www.nature.com/articles/sre...
Its arms were closed up but we followed it until we could see that it was again holding a jellyfish…
m.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lt...
See also: www.nature.com/articles/sre...
December 4, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Not to mention… we just had our 4th ever sighting of Haliphron in over 35 years (7000+ ROV dives).
Its arms were closed up but we followed it until we could see that it was again holding a jellyfish…
m.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lt...
See also: www.nature.com/articles/sre...
Its arms were closed up but we followed it until we could see that it was again holding a jellyfish…
m.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lt...
See also: www.nature.com/articles/sre...
Our book The Radiant Sea was chosen as one of five "Must Buy" science books by the Wall Street Journal! :^D
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
November 24, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Our book The Radiant Sea was chosen as one of five "Must Buy" science books by the Wall Street Journal! :^D
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
Reposted by Steve Haddock
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins and their changing roles in different organisms across evolution
Nature Reviews Neuroscience - Recent studies have shed further light on the evolutionary origins of chemical synapses, In this Review, Colgren and Burkhardt explore how ancient proteins were...
rdcu.be
October 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Reposted by Steve Haddock
“Cellular Olympics” our catalog of freeky ultra fast cellular superhero’s is freely available “Ann Rev of microbiology”
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
October 24, 2025 at 10:57 AM
“Cellular Olympics” our catalog of freeky ultra fast cellular superhero’s is freely available “Ann Rev of microbiology”
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
Let's do another #ctenophore survey.
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
October 20, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Let's do another #ctenophore survey.
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
Apologies that I'm going to be all about THE RADIANT SEA for the foreseeable future, but .... 😉
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
October 10, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Apologies that I'm going to be all about THE RADIANT SEA for the foreseeable future, but .... 😉
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
Thanks to those of you brave enough to vote. :^)
Still time to sway the results with your own thoughts on #ctenophore anatomy. 🦑🧪
Still time to sway the results with your own thoughts on #ctenophore anatomy. 🦑🧪
For CTENOPHORE DAY, a little survey:
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
October 6, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Thanks to those of you brave enough to vote. :^)
Still time to sway the results with your own thoughts on #ctenophore anatomy. 🦑🧪
Still time to sway the results with your own thoughts on #ctenophore anatomy. 🦑🧪
For CTENOPHORE DAY, a little survey:
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
October 4, 2025 at 2:38 PM
For CTENOPHORE DAY, a little survey:
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Not to hijack this thread, but our book The Radiant Sea includes 35 pages of fluorescent animals (and humans.. and asparagus).
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
October 1, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Not to hijack this thread, but our book The Radiant Sea includes 35 pages of fluorescent animals (and humans.. and asparagus).
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
@sonkejo.bsky.social and I were interviewed by @mdlaplante.bsky.social for his UnDisciplined podcast
www.upr.org/podcasts/103...
I don’t like hearing myself speak so I haven’t listened back, but my mom “LOVED IT”, so that counts for something. 😉
Support public radio, Utah PR, and @npr.org
🦑🧪🌊
www.upr.org/podcasts/103...
I don’t like hearing myself speak so I haven’t listened back, but my mom “LOVED IT”, so that counts for something. 😉
Support public radio, Utah PR, and @npr.org
🦑🧪🌊
September 15, 2025 at 5:54 PM
@sonkejo.bsky.social and I were interviewed by @mdlaplante.bsky.social for his UnDisciplined podcast
www.upr.org/podcasts/103...
I don’t like hearing myself speak so I haven’t listened back, but my mom “LOVED IT”, so that counts for something. 😉
Support public radio, Utah PR, and @npr.org
🦑🧪🌊
www.upr.org/podcasts/103...
I don’t like hearing myself speak so I haven’t listened back, but my mom “LOVED IT”, so that counts for something. 😉
Support public radio, Utah PR, and @npr.org
🦑🧪🌊
It is great to see Mackenzie Gerringer's taxonomic work, describing a fish we collected from 3800 meters, featured in the @nytimes.com. We tried to spin this story to combat the blobfish's "ugliest creature" reputation, to get people excited by deep-sea exploration, not turned away. 🧪🦑
September 8, 2025 at 10:42 PM
It is great to see Mackenzie Gerringer's taxonomic work, describing a fish we collected from 3800 meters, featured in the @nytimes.com. We tried to spin this story to combat the blobfish's "ugliest creature" reputation, to get people excited by deep-sea exploration, not turned away. 🧪🦑
My first sighting of The Radiant Sea in the wild, at our local bookshop. If you have any “encounters” I would love to see them. 🙃 #booksky
September 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM
My first sighting of The Radiant Sea in the wild, at our local bookshop. If you have any “encounters” I would love to see them. 🙃 #booksky
Thanks to your incredible support, THE RADIANT SEA is already the top-selling new release in... Entomology?
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
August 29, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Thanks to your incredible support, THE RADIANT SEA is already the top-selling new release in... Entomology?
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
BTW I updated the Bioluminescence and Biooptics starter pack with a couple new faces. Let me know if you should be included..! go.bsky.app/9wFuWB9
August 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
BTW I updated the Bioluminescence and Biooptics starter pack with a couple new faces. Let me know if you should be included..! go.bsky.app/9wFuWB9
Reposted by Steve Haddock
I hope to take a PhD student in 2026 to study siphonophores. Please reach out if you are interested in applying this fall. For examples of recent lab projects see www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... and academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
August 28, 2025 at 12:45 PM
I hope to take a PhD student in 2026 to study siphonophores. Please reach out if you are interested in applying this fall. For examples of recent lab projects see www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... and academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
Our science photo book The Radiant Sea is out Sept 2nd!!
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
August 28, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Our science photo book The Radiant Sea is out Sept 2nd!!
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
Reposted by Steve Haddock
Ctenophores possess a unique aboral organ that acts as a multisensory center, controlling complex behaviors. We’ve now created a ctenophore model integrated with our 3D volume EM data. Puts it into perspective.
Check out our recent work here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#ctenophores #volumeEM
Check out our recent work here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#ctenophores #volumeEM
August 7, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Ctenophores possess a unique aboral organ that acts as a multisensory center, controlling complex behaviors. We’ve now created a ctenophore model integrated with our 3D volume EM data. Puts it into perspective.
Check out our recent work here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#ctenophores #volumeEM
Check out our recent work here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#ctenophores #volumeEM