Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
Dean of Faculty of Biol. & Env. Sci. @helsinkiuni.bsky.social| evolution, conservation, genomics| own thoughts, some in (bad) Finnish.
๐ฆ๐บ immigrant in ๐ซ๐ฎ
http://www.helsinki.fi/evolution-conservation-and-genomics
Biology
51%
Environmental science
28%
Pinned
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Apr 21
About 15-20 yrs ago, a bunch of reviews (inc. 1 by me) made predictions about the future of genomics in conservation. 1 yr ago at ICISB, Robin Waples assessed which of those predictions had been fulfilled. Sam May & Sam Rosenbaum now led the effort to turn this into a review:
doi.org/10.1111/mec....
doi.org/10.1111/mec....
They are only doing it because the grid can't handle the amounts at peak times. And they keep running coal plants for other low periods
Associate Professor in Zoology with focus on ecology and evolution
Department of Zoology ย at Stockholm University includes ca. 80 employees counting researchers, PhD students, and administrative staff. Research and education at the department occurs in an internatio
su.varbi.com
We're looking for a new colleague at Asssoc Prof level! Come join us in the Zoology Department at Stockholm University. A teaching profile in ecology, faunistics and/or physiology is beneficial. Find the full job advertisemnt here: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Validate User
academic.oup.com
European graying, but species doesn't have defined sex chromosomes academic.oup.com/g3journal/ar...
Congratulations to Tomas Roslin who yesterday gave his inaugural lecture @helsinki.fi, here with Dean @fishcongen.bsky.social joining the ceremony! All four @rececochange.bsky.social PIs are now back in Finland and full professors - we couldnโt be happier ๐ฅณ!!!
Always nice to welcome new professors, and glad we are able to create FOMO to get former members to return to @helsinki.fi and bring their international experience with them
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer, Jussi T. Eronen, Jarno Vanhatalo
Congratulations to Tomas Roslin who yesterday gave his inaugural lecture @helsinki.fi, here with Dean @fishcongen.bsky.social joining the ceremony! All four @rececochange.bsky.social PIs are now back in Finland and full professors - we couldnโt be happier ๐ฅณ!!!
Anna-Liisa Laine
@annaliisalaine.bsky.social
ยท Nov 24
Herbivory Modifies the Role of Spatial Processes in a Grassland Plant Metacommunity
We empirically examined how mammalian herbivory interacts with habitat size and connectivity to affect plant diversity in a natural grassland metacommunity. We found that herbivory increased plant di...
doi.org
New study out in Ecology Letters ๐ฑ๐!
Using long-term ร land monitoring data, we found that herbivory increases plant diversity across scales and flips the diversityโarea relationship: a positive relationship is found in grazed sites while a negative one in ungrazed sites.
๐ doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Using long-term ร land monitoring data, we found that herbivory increases plant diversity across scales and flips the diversityโarea relationship: a positive relationship is found in grazed sites while a negative one in ungrazed sites.
๐ doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Reposted by Simon Roux, Craig R. Primmer, Terry Gaasterland
Judith Mank
@judithmank.bsky.social
ยท Nov 20
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Nov 18
But reduce amusement ๐
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer, Andrew Pomiankowski
Alison Wright
@alielw.bsky.social
ยท Nov 17
Join us! ๐งฌ๐ชฐ๐๐ฌ
We are currently advertising two #PhD projects to study the #evolution, #development and #genomics of sexual traits in stalk-eyed flies.
Deadline for applying is Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Get in touch for more info!
We are currently advertising two #PhD projects to study the #evolution, #development and #genomics of sexual traits in stalk-eyed flies.
Deadline for applying is Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Get in touch for more info!
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
Martin Johnsson
@mrtnj.bsky.social
ยท Nov 17
PhD Student in Animal Science | slu.se
SLU - Science and Education for Sustainable Life
www.slu.se
We're hiring a PhD student to work on genomic prediction and genetic variation in farm animals.
There will be cattle, genomics, simulation, and there might be poultry.
And if you already have a PhD, consider sharing with someone who hasn't, and might be a good fit. :)
www.slu.se/en/about-slu...
There will be cattle, genomics, simulation, and there might be poultry.
And if you already have a PhD, consider sharing with someone who hasn't, and might be a good fit. :)
www.slu.se/en/about-slu...
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
David N. Thomas
@dnthomas01.bsky.social
ยท Nov 8
New publication:
A framework for assessing global health impacts of polar change: An urgent call for interdisciplinary research
Open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
A framework for assessing global health impacts of polar change: An urgent call for interdisciplinary research
Open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
A framework for assessing global health impacts of polar change: An urgent call for interdisciplinary research - Ambio
Research on the human health risks of climate change is expanding, yet the influence of polar region shifts on these risks remains underexplored. This paper presents a framework to assess global and r...
link.springer.com
A seriously important paper about the links between health and climate change in Polar regions โฌ๏ธ
This really is an urgent call
#Arctic #COP30 #ClimateChange
This really is an urgent call
#Arctic #COP30 #ClimateChange
Nick Brown
@steamtraen.eu
ยท Nov 7
Oops. Ooooooooooooops.
I do hope that nobody has been given or denied a job/promotion based on their SpringerNature citation counts in the past 15 years.
arxiv.org/pdf/2511.01675
h/t @nathlarigaldie.bsky.social
I do hope that nobody has been given or denied a job/promotion based on their SpringerNature citation counts in the past 15 years.
arxiv.org/pdf/2511.01675
h/t @nathlarigaldie.bsky.social
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
Suomi on pitkรค maa.
Toisessa pรครคssรค suunnitellaan tunnin junaa vรคlille Hki-Turku.
Toisessa pรครคssรค on suunnitteilla Ivalon terveyskeskuksen ilta- ja yรถpรคivystyksen lakkauttaminen ja nรคin esim. Utsjoelta lรคhimpรครคn pรคivystykseen (Rovaniemi 450 km) olis matkaa 5-6 tuntia.
Toisessa pรครคssรค suunnitellaan tunnin junaa vรคlille Hki-Turku.
Toisessa pรครคssรค on suunnitteilla Ivalon terveyskeskuksen ilta- ja yรถpรคivystyksen lakkauttaminen ja nรคin esim. Utsjoelta lรคhimpรครคn pรคivystykseen (Rovaniemi 450 km) olis matkaa 5-6 tuntia.
No Free Lunch: Sustainable Aquaculture Requires Recognizing Past Science, Improvements, and Comparative Assessment
Aquaculture has become an established and important part of the global food system. Several critiques of aquaculture continue to resurface, seemingly ignoring past research and improvements of (1) aq....
doi.org
A recent Science Advances special issue focused on #aquaculture, but seemed to have missed the mark in a multitude of ways. My incredible colleagues and I wrote this sweeping Open Access opinion article (with 80 citations!) in response. Hope it's useful! ๐ ๐ฆ ๐ฃ doi.org/10.1111/raq....
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
Laura Bertola
@lauradbertola.bsky.social
ยท Oct 20
๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฃ CONSERVATION GENETICS WORKSHOP -
Few more spaces left!
ConGen Population Genomic Data Analysis Course
๐งฌ๐ป๐ก
University of Pretoria, South Africa ๐
7-14 December + field trip to Kruger NP!
๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฆ
More info & registration here: www.umt.edu/congen/africa/
Few more spaces left!
ConGen Population Genomic Data Analysis Course
๐งฌ๐ป๐ก
University of Pretoria, South Africa ๐
7-14 December + field trip to Kruger NP!
๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฆ
More info & registration here: www.umt.edu/congen/africa/
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Oct 13
Ping @inmice.bsky.social
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
Alan McElligott
@amcell.bsky.social
ยท Oct 7
Predatory Journals - Is MDPI Predatory
Is MDPI Predatory?
www.predatoryjournals.org
Is MDPI Predatory? www.predatoryjournals.org/news/is-mdpi... [if the question needs to be asked....]
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Oct 2
Looking forward to working with 5 new, and one current, colleague. However, the number of Deans called Johanna will drop from three to two.
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Oct 2
Congrats! Looking forward to working with you!
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
Jukka Mรคhรถnen
@mahonen.bsky.social
ยท Oct 2
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
Reposted by Jussi T. Eronen
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Oct 1
3 prof positions open in Helsinki!
๐งฌHuman genetics and genomics (open rank, DL 10.10)
๐งฌCellular physiology (TT, DL 17.8)
๐๏ธ 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!
๐งฌHuman genetics and genomics (open rank, DL 10.10)
๐งฌCellular physiology (TT, DL 17.8)
๐๏ธ 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
Humane genetics and genomics position in Helsinki open for 9 more days!
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.
She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Sep 29
Nice pun there too!
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Sep 27
Very fishy indeed!
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Sep 27
Surprise ๐ค 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
๐ฅ๏ธ๐งฌ๐ฆ
Proud to share the 1st publication of Xindi Huang:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
With @fishcongen.bsky.social
๐ฅ๏ธ๐งฌ๐ฆ
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
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
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
Jukka-Pekka Verta
@jpverta.bsky.social
ยท Sep 26
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
Surprise ๐ค 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
๐ฅ๏ธ๐งฌ๐ฆ
Proud to share the 1st publication of Xindi Huang:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
With @fishcongen.bsky.social
๐ฅ๏ธ๐งฌ๐ฆ
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
Johanna Mappes
@jmappes.bsky.social
ยท Sep 26
Yliopistonlehtori, opetus- ja tutkimusalana ympรคristรถbiologia
Yliopistonlehtori, opetus- ja tutkimusalana ympรคristรถbiologia
jobs.helsinki.fi
๐ ๐ whoop whoop! Meillรค @helsinki.fi #Viikki on yliopistonlehtorin pesti auki! Vastuullasi on kehittรครค ja opettaa tulevaisuuden ympรคristรถongelmien ja luontokadon ratkaisijoita.
Saa kernaasti jakaa!
jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...
Saa kernaasti jakaa!
jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...
Reposted by Craig R. Primmer
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
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...
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...
Craig Primmer
@fishcongen.bsky.social
ยท Sep 18
@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
Ben Sheldon
@sheldonbirds.bsky.social
ยท Sep 15
Oxford Biology is growing ๐ข
Weโre appointing 3 Associate Professors in:
๐ฑ Plant Sciences
๐ฆ Animal Behaviour
๐ฌ Molecular Cell Biology
3 fields. 3 opportunities. One new home for Oxford Biology.
Learn more ๐ bit.ly/41S2Tc7
Apply now ๐ bit.ly/488CNW3
Weโre appointing 3 Associate Professors in:
๐ฑ Plant Sciences
๐ฆ Animal Behaviour
๐ฌ Molecular Cell Biology
3 fields. 3 opportunities. One new home for Oxford Biology.
Learn more ๐ bit.ly/41S2Tc7
Apply now ๐ bit.ly/488CNW3
Come and work with us! Three new academic posts (including Animal Behaviour) and superb facilities in the new Life & Mind Building