A chelicera-bearing arthropod reveals the Cambrian origin of chelicerates - Nature Megachelicerax cousteaui gen. et sp. nov. is a large soft-bodied arthropod from the middle Cambrian of Utah featuring massive three-segmented chelicerae, along with five pairs of pseudobiramous prosomal limbs with non-foliaceous exopodal rami, and plate-like lamellae-bearing opisthosomal appendages.

Nature research paper: A chelicera-bearing arthropod reveals the Cambrian origin of chelicerates
go.nature.com/4m1uyzX

Seeing the world through the eyes of an octopus Roy Caldwell leaves behind a wealth of fond memories that speak not only to his research, but also to his collegiality, curiosity, and photographic talent.

cover photo from late Roy Caldwell (UC Berkeley) with nice remembrances here: www.science.org/content/blog...

@dev-journal.bsky.social does the same!

Switching fields or wanting to become an expert in #zebrafish research?
The @mblscience.bsky.social 2026 Zebrafish Development & Genetics course offers a fantastic opportunity to learn from leaders in the field!

Application deadline: March 2

Please spread the word!

www.mbl.edu/education/ad...

The Quiet Power of Program Officers How invisible decisions shape what science gets done—and whether it matters

This is an outstanding essay describing some of the important roles and influences of NIH program officers (from an insider perspective).

Read!

elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/the-quiet-...

Make your spring term unforgettable! 🌊 Join MBL’s Semester in Biological Discovery for an immersive, hands-on dive into parasitology, biodiversity, neurophysiology & more.
📅 Mar 1–May 23, 2026
🗓️ Apply by Dec 12: go.mbl.edu/sbd
No research experience required!

I – like Trump and RFK Jr. – do not have a medical degree.

So, when questions surrounding medical treatments emerge, I listen to people who do.

I get my information from doctors and public health experts – and urge you to do the same.

Thrilled to share that the lab has been awarded a @wellcometrust.bsky.social Discovery Award to keep exploring the evolution of 6-methyladenine #6mA in Eukaryotes. We'll open postdoc (3️⃣) and tech (1️⃣) positions to start in 2026, please share with candidates or reach out if you’d like to join us.

Now Hiring! Whitney Laboratory Assistant/Associate Professor in Marine Bioscience
Apply & More Info - explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...
We seek a creative, collaborative scientist whose research harnesses or advances cutting-edge tools. Please help spread the word & reach out with any questions!

Hi! Did you know that you aren’t pronouncing axolotl correctly?

Suppression of indigenous languages by the Spanish is one of the Four Wounds of Colonization. This is a small subversion of colonial power you can use!

Axolotl is a Nahuatl word, and it sounds like this:

Drosophila Genetic Database The Drosophila Genetic Database, FlyBase, is on the brink of collapse due to the sudden termination of the FlyBase NIH grant, which includes salaries for 5 literature curators based at the University ...

Flybase lost all of the NIH support overnight - it is a disaster for the community. Please consider donating. I just did! www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...

Calling all cephalopod scientists! The Cephalopod Neuroscience Gordon Research Conference is coming up! To be considered for a talk, please submit your abstract before the September 30 deadline!!

www.grc.org/cephalopod-n...

Join us! The Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History is hiring a curatorial associate! For more information : careers.amnh.org/postings/4529

#OnThisDay in 1858, a seminal journal article comprised of papers by Alfred Russel Wallace FRS and Charles Darwin FRS on the theory of evolution by natural selection was published by the Linnean Society, the first public announcement of the theory of evolution. bit.ly/3k8fq4u

My Department (Biology) at @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social is hiring this year! We have an opening for a Tenure Track Cell and/or Molecular biologist (broadly defined).

Please share with your trainees/labmates/friends and reach out if you have questions.

apply.interfolio.com/171625

Call your reps. Science is not political. It helps everyone. 🔬🧬🧫🥼🧪⚗️

MBL Announces Largest Ever Gift for Its Renowned Biological Education and Research Programs | Marine Biological Laboratory Cell Biology Researcher Mark Terasaki’s $25 Million Unrestricted Gift Will Support Operations and Infrastructure Contact: Samantha Cummis scummis@mbl.edu; 973.800.4119

We're thrilled to announce the largest private gift in our 137-year history: a $25 million unrestricted donation from MBL Whitman Scientist Mark Terasaki.

His extraordinary generosity will bolster our renowned research and education programs. 🔬

Learn more: bit.ly/452WL1m

🥳 Our amazing community reunited to talk about evodevo in our #PASEDB2025!

Find yourself in this nice evodevo-ist people puzzle
🐟🪸🐌🐙🐚🪲🦋🐝

#evodevo #PASEDB2025 #PASEDB

When I was little, the U.S. military came to our home at gunpoint and took me and my family away. We were imprisoned for years in barbed wire camps simply because we were Japanese American. I have spent my life telling that story, hoping it would never be repeated.

Assistant Professor Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on: September 14, 2025 If a date is not listed above, review the Applicant Instructions below for more details. Available Title(s): 270-NN_FACULTY -...

Assistant Professor position in Vert Ecology including areas of physiological ecology at WSU

I still can’t believe that all NIH grants to my colleagues at Harvard and Harvard Medical School have been nullified. And that, as a nation, we’re somehow okay with this illegal, arbitrary, and petty act. Just think of the consequences: scientists, students, and patients will all suffer.

Please comment on this! The complexity of living systems cannot be fully recapitulated by in vitro or computational approaches alone. While advances in non-animal model technologies offer complementary tools, they lack the full physiological and developmental context of a living organism.

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

Please watch the workshop video and COMMENT by 5:00 Monday 7/14

This is the source of the "no more model organism only grants in NIH-funded research" decree.

FDA-NIH Workshop: Reducing Animal Testing The FDA is hosting a workshop on reducing animal testing. The workshop is open to current FDA and NIH employees.

Birth defects kill twice as many children as cancer. Animal model are crucial; no stem-cell or computer models can yet recapitulate the embryo's complexity. If you support birth defects research tell NIH that animal models are important! Click & scroll below to comment.

tinyurl.com/mr3he6bx

FDA-NIH Workshop: Reducing Animal Testing The FDA is hosting a workshop on reducing animal testing. The workshop is open to current FDA and NIH employees.

The NIH is asking scientists and the public to comment on plans to drastically limit animal model research. If you think animal models remain important tools for basic and clinical research tell them! Click the link below and scroll down to send your comments!

www.fda.gov/news-events/...

Dear all, PLEASE add comments on the importance of model organism research at this link:

Congrats!

Applications are open for the first Cephalopod Neuroscience Gordon Conference, to be held February 2026! Hope to see many of you there! 🐙🧠🔬
www.grc.org/cephalopod-n...

Reupping. So important for our country to invest in science.

Call your congressperson and tell them your story. As a scientist, or as a patient or caregiver.

Why we study shrimp on treadmills: The case for curiosity-driven research “If we cut or limit funding for curiosity-driven research, we risk shutting down the pipeline of future innovation,” writes Carole LaBonne of Northwestern.

My ode to Curiosity Driven Research

www.statnews.com/2025/04/03/b...