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Thomas Desvignes

@notothentoma.bsky.social

1.2K followers 400 following 170 posts

🐟🐠🐡Fish Ecophysiologist and Evolutionary Biologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). I love all aquatic life, but my heart goes to Antarctic notothenioid fishes.🇨🇵 🇦🇶 🇺🇲 https://www.thomasdesvignes.com

www.thomasdesvignes.com

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Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 20

First "official" lab meeting in the books at UAB Biology! 🐟🧪🧬

Lab members of Thomas Desvignes' lab in the department of biology at UAB.

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · 15d

I guess I'll do that and then the trispot darter fest!

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · 26d

Yes, thanks! I'll email you!

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · 26d

I need to get that setup!

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · 28d

I think my first scuba diving encounter with a Mola mola is still in my top 3 scuba moments! ❤️

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Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Sep 9

Wow! Beautiful!!

Reposted by Thomas Desvignes

Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · Sep 8

IT'S ADORABLE!
New fish species just dropped: the bumpy snailfish at 10,000 ft down in the ocean
gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...

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Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Sep 4

I hope some of the new fish I'm planning on studying here in alabama will be as compliant!

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Sep 4

Really nice work! I wish I could do all those crosses too on my Antarctic fishes! 😅

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Reposted by Thomas Desvignes

Rachel Moran @rachelmoran.bsky.social · Sep 4

First pop gen paper from our lab! We find repeated evolutionary turn over of sex chromosomes in darters contributes to reproductive isolation. Turnover may be an escape hatch to resolve mitonuclear conflict & neo sex chromosomes evolved via a rare recessive mutation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Top left: Results of genome-wide association study (GWAS) for sex in E. caeruleum, E. radiosum, and E. spectabile showing sex chromosome turnover has occurred repeatedly. Top right: Phylogeny showing sex chromosome turnover in darters and non-darter percids. Chromosome 9 is the putative ancestral sex chromosome, shared by Perca flavescens and multiple members of the orangethroat darter complex (e.g., E. spectabile, E. pulchellum). Bottom: Schematic depicting repeated turnover of sex chromosomes as a mechanism to resolve mitonuclear conflict and promote speciation.

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Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 25

It does look really good! Thanks again!!

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 25

Here's the paper describing the species:
mapress.com/zt/article/v...

Akarotaxis gouldae , a new species of Antarctic dragonfish (Notothenioidei: Bathydraconidae) from the western Antarctic Peninsula | Zootaxa

mapress.com

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 25

Few months ago I commissioned artist @hidet0shi.bsky.social a drawing of the Antarctic dragonfish we described last year, with if possible both the fish and the RV Laurence M Gould as the fish was named after the ship: Akarotaxis gouldae!

It turned out so beautiful I made stickers out it!
🧪🌎🐟🧊🇦🇶

A sticker with represented the recently described Antarctic dragonfish Akarotaxis gouldae and in the background the research vessel Laurence M Gould

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Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 23

Hahaha! Nice! It's indeed a cool one!
All the credit for the graphical abstract goes to the first author, Luca Schiavon!

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 22

There are no two similar dolmen, cumulus or other stone assemblage, and they're always worth the trip!

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 22

This was a great collaboration with Luca Schiavon and Chiara Papetti from the University of Padova in Italy, @mmatschiner.bsky.social and and many others not on Bluesky.

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 22

While trying to see if two populations of the Antarctic longfin icedevil fish Aethotaxis mitopteryx were genetically differentiated, we uncovered a clear sex signal demonstrating that in this rarely encountered species males are the heterogametic sex!
🧪🐟🌎🐧🧊🧬

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Sex Differentiation and Long‐Distance Gene Flow in the Elusive Antarctic Fish Aethotaxis mitopteryx

This genetic study of a rare Antarctic fish, the longfin icedevil (Aethotaxis mitopteryx) investigates population connectivity across the Weddel Sea, revealing little to no differentiation even over ...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Thomas Desvignes

Polar Journal @polarjournal.bsky.social · Aug 22

For six years, we've shared the stories of the polar worlds. Now, our own story is coming to a close. We've written a final message to our incredible community to say thank you and goodbye. Our journey will end on August 31, 2025. Read our full farewell here
polarjournal.net/a-farewell-f...

A Farewell from the Polarjournal.net Team To our Incredible Community | Polar Journal

After six years, the voyage of polarjournal.net has come to an end and the team bids a heartfelt Goodbye to all of you

polarjournal.net

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Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 21

I can't believe I'm just seeing this now! But Congrats!! 🥳

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 20

First "official" lab meeting in the books at UAB Biology! 🐟🧪🧬

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 12

There's one Antarctic fish with a XY1Y2 system, but quite a few are X1X2Y instead! 🐟🧊

Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Aug 12

The link doesn't seem to work for me...

Reposted by Thomas Desvignes

Eos @eos.org · Jul 29

Scientists have asked the NSF to reconsider plans to terminate the lease for its only Antarctic research icebreaker, the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer. eos.org/research-and...

Scientists Ask NSF to Keep Only Antarctic Icebreaker Afloat - Eos

On 28 July, more than 170 researchers sent a letter to National Science Foundation leaders and Congress, urging them to reconsider the decision to terminate the lease of the Nathaniel B. Palmer, the U...

eos.org

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Thomas Desvignes @notothentoma.bsky.social · Jul 29

I know. So many i had to change...

Reposted by Thomas Desvignes

Science Magazine @science.org · Jul 28

The National Science Foundation plans to abruptly end operation of the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer, the sole U.S. research ship capable of braving the farthest reaches of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. scim.ag/4mB8LOX

NSF plans abrupt end to lone U.S. Antarctic research icebreaker

Imminent termination of the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer shocks polar scientists

scim.ag

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Reposted by Thomas Desvignes

David N. Thomas @dnthomas01.bsky.social · Jul 23

Amazing animation of satellite data showing the seasonal cycle of sea-ice extent around Antarctica and in the Arctic, along with global sea surface temperature, over five years from 2020 to 2025

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYDf...

Sea ice is a global climate driver

YouTube video by Australian Antarctic Program Partnership

www.youtube.com

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