Michael Bok
@mikebok.bsky.social
Biologist at Lund University, Sweden. Interested in the evolution and function of vision in invertebrates. Middling photographer.
My collaborator at University of Copenhagen, Anders Garm, is looking for a 3 year postdoc to work on bioluminescence, neurobiology and ecology of ctenophores. More information here:
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
January 21, 2026 at 10:45 AM
My collaborator at University of Copenhagen, Anders Garm, is looking for a 3 year postdoc to work on bioluminescence, neurobiology and ecology of ctenophores. More information here:
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
Reposted by Michael Bok
Ever wanted to know how the visual system of a long distance migratory moth looks like? Then you'll find your answers in our new paper. Finally out, after about a decade of collecting data by a group af amazing co-authors. Find it here, open access: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
December 18, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Ever wanted to know how the visual system of a long distance migratory moth looks like? Then you'll find your answers in our new paper. Finally out, after about a decade of collecting data by a group af amazing co-authors. Find it here, open access: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Michael Bok
Thanks so much to ASAB and the #ASABwinter2025 organisers for a cracking conference. Not sure why I’m so excited here, I guess the yoghurt and granola had just been served…
December 17, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Thanks so much to ASAB and the #ASABwinter2025 organisers for a cracking conference. Not sure why I’m so excited here, I guess the yoghurt and granola had just been served…
Reposted by Michael Bok
Some more shenanigans on the Ctenophora Porifera debate from @rcply.bsky.social academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
Sponges, ctenophores and the statistical significance of syntenies
Abstract. Shared fusions between ancestral chromosomal linkage groups have previously been used to support phylogenetic groupings, notably sponges with cni
academic.oup.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Some more shenanigans on the Ctenophora Porifera debate from @rcply.bsky.social academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
Reposted by Michael Bok
Big congratulations to our biology researchers @cnilsson.science and @mikebok.bsky.social – who get @erc.europa.eu Consolidator grants! Well deserved! 👏👏👏
Read the full story: www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/thre...
Read the full story: www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/thre...
December 9, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Big congratulations to our biology researchers @cnilsson.science and @mikebok.bsky.social – who get @erc.europa.eu Consolidator grants! Well deserved! 👏👏👏
Read the full story: www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/thre...
Read the full story: www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/thre...
Reposted by Michael Bok
Listening and #gazing at the first keynote talk from @mikebok.bsky.social from Lund University at the #biophdday_ku at @ucph.bsky.social. So interesting to hear and see the diversity of visual sensory organs from different invertebrates!
November 13, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Listening and #gazing at the first keynote talk from @mikebok.bsky.social from Lund University at the #biophdday_ku at @ucph.bsky.social. So interesting to hear and see the diversity of visual sensory organs from different invertebrates!
Reposted by Michael Bok
Congrats Staffan Bensch, @mikebok.bsky.social, Yedra Garcia Garcia, Dennis Hasselquist, Prof. Anders Hedenström, Lina Herbertsson, Sebastian Marquardt, Erik Selander, Ernö Vinzce, Prof. Eric Warrant, Dan-Dan Zhang and @kruthsatz.bsky.social – all awarded grants from @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social!
November 4, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Congrats Staffan Bensch, @mikebok.bsky.social, Yedra Garcia Garcia, Dennis Hasselquist, Prof. Anders Hedenström, Lina Herbertsson, Sebastian Marquardt, Erik Selander, Ernö Vinzce, Prof. Eric Warrant, Dan-Dan Zhang and @kruthsatz.bsky.social – all awarded grants from @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social!
Reposted by Michael Bok
..with a huge payoff, in gradual steps:
✅Choice of right depth
✅Body Posture
✅Visually - guided locomotion, eventually
7/n
✅Choice of right depth
✅Body Posture
✅Visually - guided locomotion, eventually
7/n
September 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
..with a huge payoff, in gradual steps:
✅Choice of right depth
✅Body Posture
✅Visually - guided locomotion, eventually
7/n
✅Choice of right depth
✅Body Posture
✅Visually - guided locomotion, eventually
7/n
Reposted by Michael Bok
Extremely grateful to @wellcometrust.bsky.social @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @hfspo.bsky.social @ukri.org @leverhulme.ac.uk @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social for their generous support of our eye evolution endeavours 👁️🦗🐋
September 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Extremely grateful to @wellcometrust.bsky.social @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @hfspo.bsky.social @ukri.org @leverhulme.ac.uk @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social for their generous support of our eye evolution endeavours 👁️🦗🐋
Reposted by Michael Bok
Very excited about our new preprint, led by @gkafetzis.bsky.social /w @mikebok.bsky.social & @denilsson.bsky.social. We suggest that the vertebrate 'duplex' retina emerged from interconnecting two ancient median-eye microcircuits. Say goodbye to the 'simplex' retina - it probably never existed!
September 12, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Very excited about our new preprint, led by @gkafetzis.bsky.social /w @mikebok.bsky.social & @denilsson.bsky.social. We suggest that the vertebrate 'duplex' retina emerged from interconnecting two ancient median-eye microcircuits. Say goodbye to the 'simplex' retina - it probably never existed!
Reposted by Michael Bok
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
But vertebrate eyes are a mash-up:
🪡Ciliary (rods & cones) and
💈Rhabdomeric (ganglion, amacrine, horizontal)
…all packed into a multilayered circuit.
2/n
September 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
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
But vertebrate eyes are a mash-up:
🪡Ciliary (rods & cones) and
💈Rhabdomeric (ganglion, amacrine, horizontal)
…all packed into a multilayered circuit.
2/n
Reposted by Michael Bok
👁️The retina — strikingly conserved across vertebrates, but an oddity among bilaterians!
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
a black and white dog is sitting on a couch with its tongue sticking out .
ALT: a black and white dog is sitting on a couch with its tongue sticking out .
media.tenor.com
September 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
👁️The retina — strikingly conserved across vertebrates, but an oddity among bilaterians!
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
Reposted by Michael Bok
Fresh(ish) from the week at BESSY II @helmholtz.de looking at the changes associated with eye loss in spiders! Not pictured: our valiant night shifters, @mikebok.bsky.social, Karla Lopez Reyes, and Constance Coubris 💪🏼🌃
July 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Fresh(ish) from the week at BESSY II @helmholtz.de looking at the changes associated with eye loss in spiders! Not pictured: our valiant night shifters, @mikebok.bsky.social, Karla Lopez Reyes, and Constance Coubris 💪🏼🌃
Reposted by Michael Bok
Very excited and proud to finally share this story! 🐙
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Novel dopaminergic neurotransmission in the Octopus visual system
Coleoid cephalopods such as the common octopus have a complex visual system, with a camera-type eye and a large optic lobe, that evolved independently from its counterpart in vertebrates. However, the...
doi.org
April 4, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Very excited and proud to finally share this story! 🐙
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We discovered surprising roles for dopamine and acetylcholine in the Octopus visual system…
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Michael Bok
I know there's a 𝒍𝒐𝒕 going on right now, but I couldn’t be prouder to share this long-incubated labor of love: the complete connectome of the male 𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑎 optic lobe 🧠🪰
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Connectome-driven neural inventory of a complete visual system - Nature
A connectome of the right optic lobe from a male fruitfly is presented together with an extensive collection of genetic drivers matched to a comprehensive neuron-type catalogue.
www.nature.com
March 27, 2025 at 10:58 PM
I know there's a 𝒍𝒐𝒕 going on right now, but I couldn’t be prouder to share this long-incubated labor of love: the complete connectome of the male 𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑎 optic lobe 🧠🪰
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Super excited to have received a @hfspo.bsky.social grant with with @neurofishh.bsky.social for our proposal: Eyes inside out: Visual coding without a multilayered retina in squid and worms.
March 27, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Super excited to have received a @hfspo.bsky.social grant with with @neurofishh.bsky.social for our proposal: Eyes inside out: Visual coding without a multilayered retina in squid and worms.
Reposted by Michael Bok
oh INTERESTING! So apparently this FOUR EYED thing is a consistent anomaly cross different strombid taxa ?!?#molluscmonday www.inaturalist.org/observations...
bubble conch (Euprotomus bulla)
bubble conch from Mabini, Batangas, Philippines on May 8, 2019 at 01:50 PM by Albert Kang. This was a special find of a Euprotomus bulla as they normally have only 2 eyes whereas this one ...
www.inaturalist.org
March 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
oh INTERESTING! So apparently this FOUR EYED thing is a consistent anomaly cross different strombid taxa ?!?#molluscmonday www.inaturalist.org/observations...
Reposted by Michael Bok
“We are losing sight of the academic mission: to think, to enquire, to design and perform new research, to innovate, to teach and communicate our findings for the purpose of societal improvement”
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
On the responsibilities of intellectuals and the rise of bullshit jobs in universities
You may never have considered yourself to be one. Why would you? But if you’re reading this, there is more than a likelihood that you are one. If you’re a
academic.oup.com
March 17, 2025 at 7:52 AM
“We are losing sight of the academic mission: to think, to enquire, to design and perform new research, to innovate, to teach and communicate our findings for the purpose of societal improvement”
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
Reposted by Michael Bok
A fun case of usual-unusual: Most luminescence in the sea is blue-green, but Tomopteris worms emit yellow light.
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
March 11, 2025 at 6:13 AM
A fun case of usual-unusual: Most luminescence in the sea is blue-green, but Tomopteris worms emit yellow light.
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
Reposted by Michael Bok
A polychaete worm with tiny googly eyes, drifting in the great blue.
March 11, 2025 at 9:06 AM
A polychaete worm with tiny googly eyes, drifting in the great blue.
Reposted by Michael Bok
New issue of Ecology chose one of my pictures as cover image. Amazing to see hunting broadclub on the cover!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
Cover Image
COVER PHOTO: A broadclub cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus) passes dark stripes downward over its head while approaching prey in the waters off Kri Island (Raja Ampat, Indonesia). By observing this species...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
March 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM
New issue of Ecology chose one of my pictures as cover image. Amazing to see hunting broadclub on the cover!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Bok
New Scientist video about our recent cuttlefish paper. @ecologyofvision.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social @matteosanton.bsky.social
youtube.com
February 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
New Scientist video about our recent cuttlefish paper. @ecologyofvision.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social @matteosanton.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Bok
First paper out on this incredible study system! We describe the remarkably different hunting displays used by the broadclub cuttlefish in the wild.
Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Stay tuned for more!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @vancedberg.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Stay tuned for more!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @vancedberg.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
February 19, 2025 at 9:16 AM
First paper out on this incredible study system! We describe the remarkably different hunting displays used by the broadclub cuttlefish in the wild.
Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Stay tuned for more!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @vancedberg.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Stay tuned for more!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @vancedberg.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Bok
Mantis shrimp can break glass with their powerful punches. Now we know why they don't break their own claws. That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
February 7, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Mantis shrimp can break glass with their powerful punches. Now we know why they don't break their own claws. That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
Did you know some single-cell dinoflagellates have a lens eye? Anders Garm at the University of Copenhagen is recruiting a postdoc to help find out why. Check out the advertisement, below 🧪
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
photo: Franz Neidl
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
photo: Franz Neidl
February 3, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Did you know some single-cell dinoflagellates have a lens eye? Anders Garm at the University of Copenhagen is recruiting a postdoc to help find out why. Check out the advertisement, below 🧪
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
photo: Franz Neidl
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
photo: Franz Neidl