Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alan McElligott @amcell.bsky.social · 3d

Is MDPI Predatory? www.predatoryjournals.org/news/is-mdpi... [if the question needs to be asked....]

Predatory Journals - Is MDPI Predatory

Is MDPI Predatory?

www.predatoryjournals.org

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 7d

Looking forward to working with 5 new, and one current, colleague. However, the number of Deans called Johanna will drop from three to two.

Jukka Mähönen @mahonen.bsky.social · 8d

New deans for six faculties at @helsinki.fi

www.helsinki.fi/en/news/univ...

Deans appointed for six University of Helsinki faculties | University of Helsinki

The leaders of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Theology, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will begin their five-year terms on 1 January 2026. At the the F...

www.helsinki.fi

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 7d

Congrats! Looking forward to working with you!

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Jukka Mähönen @mahonen.bsky.social · 8d

New deans for six faculties at @helsinki.fi

www.helsinki.fi/en/news/univ...

Deans appointed for six University of Helsinki faculties | University of Helsinki

The leaders of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Theology, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will begin their five-year terms on 1 January 2026. At the the F...

www.helsinki.fi

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 8d

Humane genetics and genomics position in Helsinki open for 9 more days!

Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 16

3 prof positions open in Helsinki!

🧬Human genetics and genomics (open rank, DL 10.10)
🧬Cellular physiology (TT, DL 17.8)
🏙️ Ecological restoration of urban environments (open rank, DL 17.8)

www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/...

Come and join us in the happiest country in the world 5 years running!

Open positions | University of Helsinki

Read about our range of career options and apply now. Application processes ends on the date indicated in the job ad at 23.59 local Helsinki time (EEST).

www.helsinki.fi

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Jane Goodall Institute of Canada @janegoodallcan.bsky.social · 8d

The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1st, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes.

She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 10d

Nice pun there too!

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 13d

Very fishy indeed!

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 13d

Always a special moment when a PhD student publishes their first paper for their thesis. This one was expertly supervised by senior author @jpverta.bsky.social and highlights the regulatory potential of lncRNAs in reproductive biology and maturation age variation in salmon

Jukka-Pekka Verta @jpverta.bsky.social · 14d

Surprise 🤗 So many uncharacterized transcripts in Atlantic salmon, including super interesting long non-coding RNAs!

Proud to share the 1st publication of Xindi Huang:

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

With @fishcongen.bsky.social

🖥️🧬🦑

A comprehensive analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary transcriptomes identifies novel players in sexual maturation - BMC Genomics

Sexual maturation is a key developmental process important for reproductive success. Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind variation in sexual maturation can provide insights into reproductive biology and how life history variation is encoded in the genome. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has become an excellent sexual maturation research model due to its diversity of life history strategies and its ecological and economic importance. A major challenge has been the lack of a comprehensive transcriptional investigation of reproductive tissues that captures the dynamic transcriptional changes across individuals, tissues, and developmental stages. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) also play crucial roles in maturation, yet their functions in salmon maturation remain underexplored. In this study, we sequenced 98 transcriptomes and found substantial transcriptomic complexity in the gonad and pituitary tissues of Atlantic salmon. We identified transcripts corresponding to 2,364 putative newly characterized protein-coding genes and 4,421 putative long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs), many with tissue-specific expression. Gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed tissue-specific gene network modules, linked to GO terms including Wnt signaling in immature testis, lipid metabolism, and cilia assembly in mature testis, ribosome biogenesis and DNA repair in the ovary, and hormone activity in pituitary. We identified new copies of known genes, such as gh1, pou3f2, and ier5 associated with the regulation of gonadal and pituitary functions. Some lncRNAs and their nearest genes showed correlated expression within modules, suggesting potential regulatory roles. Candidate lincRNAs indicated cis-acting regulatory potential on genes like tnfrsf11b and fgl1, which are implicated in immune privilege during gonadal development and sperm quality control. Our study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary tissues, significantly improving the functional annotation of the Atlantic salmon genome. These findings reveal key regulatory pathways and novel molecular players involved in sexual maturation, particularly in the testis. Importantly, our study highlights the regulatory potential of lncRNAs in reproductive biology and maturation age variation, advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing sexual maturation. They further unlock future gene expression analyses and regulatory network reconstruction for dissecting the roles of lncRNAs in Atlantic salmon life history variation.

link.springer.com

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Jukka-Pekka Verta @jpverta.bsky.social · 14d

Surprise 🤗 So many uncharacterized transcripts in Atlantic salmon, including super interesting long non-coding RNAs!

Proud to share the 1st publication of Xindi Huang:

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

With @fishcongen.bsky.social

🖥️🧬🦑

A comprehensive analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary transcriptomes identifies novel players in sexual maturation - BMC Genomics

Sexual maturation is a key developmental process important for reproductive success. Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind variation in sexual maturation can provide insights into reproductive biology and how life history variation is encoded in the genome. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has become an excellent sexual maturation research model due to its diversity of life history strategies and its ecological and economic importance. A major challenge has been the lack of a comprehensive transcriptional investigation of reproductive tissues that captures the dynamic transcriptional changes across individuals, tissues, and developmental stages. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) also play crucial roles in maturation, yet their functions in salmon maturation remain underexplored. In this study, we sequenced 98 transcriptomes and found substantial transcriptomic complexity in the gonad and pituitary tissues of Atlantic salmon. We identified transcripts corresponding to 2,364 putative newly characterized protein-coding genes and 4,421 putative long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs), many with tissue-specific expression. Gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed tissue-specific gene network modules, linked to GO terms including Wnt signaling in immature testis, lipid metabolism, and cilia assembly in mature testis, ribosome biogenesis and DNA repair in the ovary, and hormone activity in pituitary. We identified new copies of known genes, such as gh1, pou3f2, and ier5 associated with the regulation of gonadal and pituitary functions. Some lncRNAs and their nearest genes showed correlated expression within modules, suggesting potential regulatory roles. Candidate lincRNAs indicated cis-acting regulatory potential on genes like tnfrsf11b and fgl1, which are implicated in immune privilege during gonadal development and sperm quality control. Our study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of Atlantic salmon gonad and pituitary tissues, significantly improving the functional annotation of the Atlantic salmon genome. These findings reveal key regulatory pathways and novel molecular players involved in sexual maturation, particularly in the testis. Importantly, our study highlights the regulatory potential of lncRNAs in reproductive biology and maturation age variation, advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing sexual maturation. They further unlock future gene expression analyses and regulatory network reconstruction for dissecting the roles of lncRNAs in Atlantic salmon life history variation.

link.springer.com

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Johanna Mappes @jmappes.bsky.social · 14d

🚂 🚂 whoop whoop! Meillä @helsinki.fi #Viikki on yliopistonlehtorin pesti auki! Vastuullasi on kehittää ja opettaa tulevaisuuden ympäristöongelmien ja luontokadon ratkaisijoita.
Saa kernaasti jakaa!
jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Yliopistonlehtori, opetus- ja tutkimusalana ympäristöbiologia

jobs.helsinki.fi

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Pierre de Villemereuil @pdevillemereuil.bsky.social · 16d

In 2020, O Gaggiotti, J Goudet and I showed that Qst-Fst comparison was uncalibrated with high population structure.

During her PhD with us, Isa do O developed LogAV: a method that accounts for any population structure while testing for local adaptation :
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

A method for identifying local adaptation in structured populations

Species occupy diverse, heterogeneous environments, which expose populations to spatially varied selective pressures. Populations in different environments can diverge due to local adaptation. However...

journals.plos.org

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · 22d

@annaliisalaine.bsky.social, with wonderful urban biodiversity in the background, challenging the leaders of @helsinki.fi to think of how our decisions may have biodiversity impacts, and what their tradeoffs are

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Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 25d

Come and work with us! Three new academic posts (including Animal Behaviour) and superb facilities in the new Life & Mind Building

Oxford Biology @biology.ox.ac.uk · 25d

Oxford Biology is growing 📢

We’re appointing 3 Associate Professors in:
🌱 Plant Sciences
🦉 Animal Behaviour
🔬 Molecular Cell Biology

3 fields. 3 opportunities. One new home for Oxford Biology.

Learn more 👉 bit.ly/41S2Tc7
Apply now 👉 bit.ly/488CNW3

Photo showing the inside atrium of the new Life and Mind Building

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Kári Tulinius @kattullus.bsky.social · 27d

News from Finland. A 9-year-old lost an especially good stick he’d had since he was 2. He hung up 20 posters. A few days later it was returned. It had been found by a 2-year-old, who wanted to keep it for herself, but her mother made her return it. She got toys, flowers and candy as a reward.

46 460 1.9K

Julia Kemppinen @juliakemppinen.bsky.social · 28d

I am recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to conduct experiments on tundra plants and microclimates 🌱🌡️💧❄️ Call ends October 7! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Postdoctoral Researcher, Biodiversity Change

jobs.helsinki.fi

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Sep 5

Pekka Katajisto @katajistolab.bsky.social introducing Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka who will talk about 2 of my favorite topics: sciences and marathons

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Jaakko Erkinaro @jaakkoerkinaro.bsky.social · Sep 3

Two new papers about diversity and genetic structure of Atlantic salmon populations in two sub-arctic rivers in the northernmost Finland and Norway

doi.org/10.1007/s105...

doi.org/10.1111/jfb....

@fishcongen.bsky.social
@andersfoldvik.bsky.social @alamarins.bsky.social
@luke.fi @helsinki.fi

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Tanja Slotte @tanjaslotte.bsky.social · Sep 2

*Postdoc in Evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University*
We are recruiting a postdoc for a large interdisciplinary project to investigate evolutionary drivers and genomic consequences of pollen evolution in response to pollination mode shifts in flowering plants. 1/5

su.varbi.com/what:job/job...

Purple pollen visible in a dissected flower of Linum grandiflorum, flowering flax, an insect-pollinated species.

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Centre for Palaeogenetics @cpgsthlm.bsky.social · Sep 2

🚨JOB ALERT!🚨

Postdoc position at #CpgSthlm on Microtine Palaeogenomics!

Join our deep-time genomics project, funded by @erc.europa.eu, and help us explore lemming and vole evolution using ancient DNA from fossils spanning the last 2.6 million years 🐭🦴🧬

Apply here:
su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 29

Not indicating that you can't let go of disappointments or anything 😅

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Stephen I Wright @stepheniwright.bsky.social · Aug 27

Please share broadly: I am looking for a postdoctoral fellow to work on a collaborative project on the temporal population genomics of invasive Capeweed (using contemporary and herbarium genomics), with ‪‪@shaky-dingo.bsky.social‬ and colleagues

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 23

Team Evolcongen has signed off from #eseb2025. Thanks to @tonigabaldon.bsky.social and his team for arranging a great meeting! Now the countdown starts to #eseb2027

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 22

We need to come up with ways to help it work 👍

Flo Débarre @flodebarre.bsky.social · Aug 22

Next ESEB meeting will have an innovative format, across four hubs.
The aim is to make it easier to avoid plane travel, and to diversify the locations that can host a meeting
#ESEB2025 #ESEB2027

Photo of the presentation of the next meeting
Text:
ESEB
Hub Congress 2027
Istanbul
16-20 August 2027
www.eseb2027.org
London
Munchen
Göteborg
Why a Hub Congress?
> Plane travel to and from ESEB events contributes >90% of their carbon emissions.
> ESEB is pioneering the organisation of a Hub congress:
> To act as a role model amongst scientific societies,
> To demonstrate that as a scientific community we are proactive and innovative in our response to the climate crisis.
Advantages of the format?
> Favours local participation and climate-friendly, shorter travel to the nearest hub.
> Increases the involvement of organizers from diverse countries and universities.

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Judith Mank @judithmank.bsky.social · Aug 22

Many of us are using LLMs in coding and scientific writing. They are very helpful tools, but we need to be thoughtful as we integrate them into our work flows to preserve accountability, voice and trust. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan.... An editorial at @evolletters.bsky.social for discussion:

Editorial: Accountability, voice, and trust - responsible use of GenAI in scientific publishing

Over the last few years, the development and rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatG

academic.oup.com

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 22

Aurelien Tellier presenting the details of #eseb2027 which will be a hub meeting, with connected and local sessions in 4 hubs (Gothenburg, Munich, London, Istanbul) eseb2027.org #eseb2025

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Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · Aug 22

@robinaraya.bsky.social @naturalselection.bsky.social @kjetillsj.bsky.social et al. investigate TEs in four large inversions in Atlantic cod - TEs accumulate in breakpoints, suggesting they drive inversions through ectopic recombination.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf131

#genome #evolution #TEsky

Chromosomal Inversions Mediated by Tandem Insertions of Transposable Elements

Abstract. Chromosomal inversions play a crucial role in evolution by influencing phenotypes through the linkage of coadapted alleles. While inversions have

doi.org

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 22

@jmappes.bsky.social continues a long line of @eseb.bsky.social keynotes with a history at @helsinki.fi . Others include @kokkonut.bsky.social @annaliisalaine.bsky.social and Ilkka Hanski. #eseb2025

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Craig Primmer @fishcongen.bsky.social · Aug 22

@jmappes.bsky.social is the final plenary speaker at #eseb2025 talking about the ecology and genetics of being dangerous in her beloved wood tiger moths

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