Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Brian Gallagher @bkgallagher.bsky.social · 12d

Check out our new paper in Nature describing trends in US freshwater fish biodiversity! Great to be part of such an amazing team.

Nature @nature.com · 13d

Nature research paper: Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams

go.nature.com/42JFObR

Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams - Nature

In the past three decades, fish abundance, richness and uniqueness have diverged across cold and warm streams, and the effects on native fish communities of stream warming and increases in introduced fishes have magnified each other.

go.nature.com

6 15

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Georgios Kafetzis @gkafetzis.bsky.social · 26d

Most bilaterians keep photoreceptor types separate.
But vertebrate eyes are a mash-up:

🪡Ciliary (rods & cones) and
💈Rhabdomeric (ganglion, amacrine, horizontal)
…all packed into a multilayered circuit.

2/n

1 2 6

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · 26d

Die Macht von #Blackrock, #Vanguard & Co: Vermögensverwalter, die passiv in #ETFs investieren, sind in vielen Unternehmen größte Anteilseigner – eine dominierende Stellung, die sie unternehmerisch und politisch auszunutzen versuchen. mpg.de/25364502/pas... w/th
@mpifg.bsky.social

Blackrock, Vanguard und die State Street Corporation sind global die größten Investoren und heißen in der Sozioökonomie Big Three: die großen Drei. Gemeinsam verwalten sie 2025 ein Kapital von 27,3 Billionen US Dollar. Zum Vergleich das Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) Deutschlands (4,3 Billionen US Dollar), der EU (17,9 Billionen US Dollar) und der USA 2024 (29,2 Billionen US Dollar). Quelle: GCO für Max-Planck-Gesellschaft)

1 6 17

Reposted by César Bertinetti

BonnBrain Conference @bonnbrainconf.bsky.social · Sep 8

Application is open! Come join us and our fantastic line-up of speakers next year in March in Bonn!

Flyer advertising the BonnBrain Conference 2026, "From Genes to Circuits and Behavior".

21 31

Reposted by César Bertinetti

The Integrative Biology of Brain Evolution (TIBBE)- Network @tibbe-evolneuro.bsky.social · Sep 4

🤩 Join us for the next TIBBE seminar:
Evolution of brain cell types.
September 10, 2–3pm UTC

This event brings together 2 outstanding evolutionary and developmental neuroscientists who will present their work, followed by an interactive discussion with the audience: www.crowdcast.io/c/evolution-...

1 17 18

César Bertinetti @cesarbertinetti.bsky.social · Aug 30

Incredibly excited for my first cover! 🐟🧬👁️ We reviewed the data on fish color vision and quantified the magnitude and factors influencing plasticity in opsin gene expression! Thanks to @jexpbiol.bsky.social for highlighting our work, Isaac Szabo for providing the picture and my great advisor!🎉🎉

2 4

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Martin Genner @mgenner.bsky.social · Aug 28

In crater Lake Masoko one fish species is splitting into shallow and deep-living ecotypes occupying different light environments. New research shows their visual systems are diverging, and how colours of male eggspots have changed to maximise their visibility. doi.org/10.1093/molb...

Lake Masoko in Southern Tanzania, also known as Lake Kisiba, is only ~40m deep and 600m in diameter. It was formed around 50,000 years ago, and is isolated from all nearby rivers and lakes. Genetic data suggest it was colonised by Astatotilapia calliptera around 10,000 years ago.

In Lake Masoko, Astatotilapia calliptera has two ecotypes. The shallow living "littoral" ecotype has yellowish males, while the deep living "benthic" ecotype has blueish males. Recently published research led by Madeleine Carruthers and colleagues shows how these fish occupy different light regimes, and have correspondingly different visual sensitivities. Males of these ecotypes have brightly coloured eggspots, used to signal their prowess. The colours of those spots have shifted to maximise their visibility to other fish of the same ecotype. Genetic data suggest these ecotypes are largely reproductively isolated, and started to separate only 1000 years ago. Photos are kindly provided by Ad Konings.

3 12 57

Reposted by César Bertinetti

MPI for Biological Intelligence @mpiforbi.bsky.social · Aug 28

SAVE THE DATE: We, the @mpiforbi.bsky.social and @mpibiochem.bsky.social,‬ are opening our doors for you on October 25! Tours, talks, experiments – Join us to learn more about us and our science!

More information: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/

2 3

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Neil Gilbert @gilbert-lab.bsky.social · Aug 21

our paper on how light pollution affects bird vocal behavior is out today in Science!!

w/ @brentpease.bsky.social

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

5 49 120

Reposted by César Bertinetti

IRB Barcelona @irbbarcelona.org · Aug 18

🧬 Today starts the most relevant event in evolutionary biology: the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) Congress (@eseb2025.bsky.social @eseb.bsky.social).

🔝 #IRBBarcelona's group leader @tonigabaldon.bsky.social is the chair of this major event that will gather +1900 participants.

👇

The CCIB will welcome over 1,900 scientists to explore the origin and evolution of life - CCIB

Barcelona to host the Leading Event in Evolutionary Biology ESEB 2025

ccib.es

1 8 19

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Christian Drerup @christiandrerup.com · Aug 15

🚨Our new paper is out NOW in @jexpbiol.bsky.social 👀 Here we show that cuttlefish use visual contrast cues to inform their 3D camouflage, but these contrast cues can derive from true background features as well as exposure to dynamic lighting patterns. 🦑🔆
🔗 doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

2 6 6

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution @official-smbe.bsky.social · Aug 14

All early-career researchers affiliated with the SMBE are welcome to apply to the SMBE Fellows Program before August 31. Please find more details on the program and the application procedure on our website:

🔗 www.smbe.org/smbe-fellows...

Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution @official-smbe.bsky.social · Jul 28

We are excited to announce the SMBE Fellows Program! ✍️

Designed to provide networking and mentorship opportunities to early-career researchers through scientific writing in evolutionary biology for @molbioevol.bsky.social and @genomebiolevol.bsky.social

📆 Aug. 31

🔗 smbe.org/smbe-fellows-program

8 10

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra @jrossibarra.bsky.social · Aug 11

Our paper showing that variation in transcription factor binding sites underlies the majority of additive genetic variance for phenotypic variation in maize is finally out!

Sadly they didn't use our suggested cover image below (made by the inimitable Andi Kur).

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

6 75 250

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Katja Reinhard @katjareinhard.bsky.social · Jul 23

Finally it's out! www.nature.com/articles/s41... How flexible are essential innate behaviours and their underlying neural circuits? @felixbaier.bsky.social & I, with Hopi Hoekstra and @farrowlab.bsky.social, addressed this by studying the #evolution of threat avoidance in Peromyscus mice.

The neural basis of species-specific defensive behaviour in Peromyscus mice - Nature

Visual threat triggers contrasting freeze and escape defensive responses in two species of deer mice as a result of different activation thresholds downstream of the superior colliculus in the do...

www.nature.com

3 23 80

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · Jul 2

We can't alter our vision depending on the colour of light around us, but fish can, & now scientists from @NotreDame reveal that fish fine tune their vision throughout life as the colour of the light changes, also depending on their lifestyle and diet

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Two convict cichlids, one in front of the other, swimming above a bed of sand and gravel. Photo credit: Ad Konings.

3 6 10

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Wouter van der Bijl @vdbijl.bsky.social · Jul 1

🚨 Super exited to see our paper on the inheritance and genetic basis of guppy color variation come out in @natecoevo.nature.com‬ rdcu.be/eugWV

Guppy males have enormous variation in color patterns, with many combinations of ornamental spots and stripes. But where does all this variation come from?

Photo of guppy males from lab population, each showing a unique combination of black and orange ornaments. Photo by Wouter van der Bijl.

3 41 110

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Molecular Biology and Evolution @molbioevol.bsky.social · Jun 30

@cesarbertinetti.bsky.social & Torres-Dowdall investigate the rate of phenotypic plasticity in visual sensitivity across Nicaraguan cichlid populations, finding that plasticity rates vary by lineage, age, and environmental conditions.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf144

#evobio #cichlids #plasticity

Genetic and Environmental Factors Shape Rates of Plasticity: The Temporal Dynamics of Opsin Gene Expression in Aquatic Environments

Abstract. Phenotypic plasticity enables organisms to adjust their traits in response to environmental changes, potentially enhancing survival under fluctua

doi.org

2 8

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · Jun 25

Ryan, @rishidekayne.bsky.social et al. present six new chromosome-level genome assemblies for Poeciliidae, providing a foundation for studies on convergent evolution, repeat content, and demographic history.

🔗 academic.oup.com/gbe/article/17/6/evaf111/8169767

#genome #evolution

New Genome Assemblies for Poeciliidae: A Foundation for Adaptation Studies

Abstract. Multiple lineages in the family Poeciliidae have independently adapted to hydrogen-sulfide-rich springs. The independent colonizations of such sp

academic.oup.com

7 9

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Andi Kautt @akautt.bsky.social · Jun 25

Started interviewing folks, but there’s still time to apply!

Please share and get in touch if you think this would be a good fit for you or someone you know!

Andi Kautt @akautt.bsky.social · Jun 6

🧬🐭 Postdoc Opportunity!

We're looking to fill a position in our lab at WashU on the evolution of behaviors in deer mice!

Perfect fit if you have experience with rodent behavior, olfaction research, and quantitative skills, combined with a passion for evolutionary questions.

tinyurl.com/meevhdep

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Biology

Position Summary A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Andreas Kautt in the Department of Biology on the Danforth Campus at WashU in St. Louis. The Kautt Lab studies the mechan...

wustl.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

3 3

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Big Biology | A Science Podcast @bigbiology.bsky.social · May 25

In our most recent episode we talk with Bill Zamer and Sam Scheiner, two former BIO program officers at the NSF, about the recently proposed 56% budget cut to the NSF.

🎙️Listen now: bigbiology.substack.com/p/savensf-ep...

#scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #SaveNSF #NSF

22 39

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · May 15

The tuatara and many lizards possess a parietal eye, where non-visual opsins are expressed. Romero & @fsjsouza.bsky.social compared 60+ genomes to study the evolution of non-visual opsins, suggesting a functional role associated with the parietal eye.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf058

#genomes #opsins

2 6

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Zebrafish Rock! @zebrafishrock.bsky.social · May 6

Eric Miska Lab @miskalab.bsky.social · May 6

@fxquah.bsky.social 's paper is finally out @genomeresearch.bsky.social and we made the cover!! This was only possible due to the brilliant illustration by @sonhita.bsky.social

Paper here:
genome.cshlp.org/content/35/5...

See below for more details 🧵

2 7

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Sally Aitken 🇨🇦 @sallyaitken.bsky.social · May 2

Brilliant new paper by Jill Anderson and colleagues using 9 years of transplant experiments and integral projection models to predict the capacity of populations for adaptation and persistence under new climates in Boechera stricta. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Adaptation and gene flow are insufficient to rescue a montane plant under climate change

Climate change increasingly drives local population dynamics, shifts geographic distributions, and threatens persistence. Gene flow and rapid adaptation could rescue declining populations yet are seld...

www.science.org

24 58

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Sara Lipshutz (she/her) @jacanamama.bsky.social · Apr 28

Now published!!!! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

13 69 180

Reposted by César Bertinetti

Judith Mank @judithmank.bsky.social · Apr 14

Check out the latest @evolletters.bsky.social cover article: Parallel and convergent evolution in genes underlying seasonal migration, by Zamudio-Beltrán and colleagues
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...

2 6