Sercan Sayin
@sercansayin.bsky.social
Postdoc @ Excellence Cluster “The Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour”
VR, locust behavior and neurobiology
VR, locust behavior and neurobiology
Pinned
Sercan Sayin
@sercansayin.bsky.social
· Feb 28
Virtual reality rewrites the rules of the swarm. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We find that classical models of collective behavior fail to account for collective motion.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We find that classical models of collective behavior fail to account for collective motion.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The behavioral mechanisms governing collective motion in swarming locusts
Collective motion, which is ubiquitous in nature, has traditionally been explained by “self-propelled particle” models from theoretical physics. Here we show, through field, lab, and virtual reality e...
www.science.org
A locust swarm descended upon collective behavior!
Excited to share my postdoc work with @icouzin.bsky.social
Excited to share my postdoc work with @icouzin.bsky.social
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Job Alert! The Institute for Neuro- and Behavioural Biology at the Faculty of Biology @uni-muenster.de invites applications for a Full Professorship (W3) in “Systems Neuroscience” - Highly attractive research environment at the Multiscale Imaging Center. Apply by January 5th. See shorturl.at/VczFp
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Job Alert! The Institute for Neuro- and Behavioural Biology at the Faculty of Biology @uni-muenster.de invites applications for a Full Professorship (W3) in “Systems Neuroscience” - Highly attractive research environment at the Multiscale Imaging Center. Apply by January 5th. See shorturl.at/VczFp
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins and their changing roles in different organisms across evolution
Nature Reviews Neuroscience - Recent studies have shed further light on the evolutionary origins of chemical synapses, In this Review, Colgren and Burkhardt explore how ancient proteins were...
rdcu.be
October 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Finally, someone has solved a real problem with AI! No more having to take a paper in the format for a journal that rejected you, and reformat it for a new journal. Well done!! formatmypaper.com
October 15, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Finally, someone has solved a real problem with AI! No more having to take a paper in the format for a journal that rejected you, and reformat it for a new journal. Well done!! formatmypaper.com
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Which processes underlie collective intelligence in naturalistic human groups?
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
First-Person Perspective of the Voluntary Payoff-Sharing (VP) Condition
YouTube video by Valerii Chirkov
www.youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Which processes underlie collective intelligence in naturalistic human groups?
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
New study from #UniKonstanz @cbehav.bsky.social and @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social shows: animal swarms don’t need to follow fixed rules; their coordination emerges from brain dynamics. Flexible “ring attractor” networks create complexity from simplicity: https://t1p.de/4c6cd @icouzin.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 1:03 PM
New study from #UniKonstanz @cbehav.bsky.social and @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social shows: animal swarms don’t need to follow fixed rules; their coordination emerges from brain dynamics. Flexible “ring attractor” networks create complexity from simplicity: https://t1p.de/4c6cd @icouzin.bsky.social
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Proud of my PhD student @rodento.bsky.social for her first study on the effect of environmental structure on social phenotype of desert locusts.
An amazing collaboration with @einatcouzin.bsky.social , who got me to work on locusts.
You want to know more: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
An amazing collaboration with @einatcouzin.bsky.social , who got me to work on locusts.
You want to know more: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 28, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Proud of my PhD student @rodento.bsky.social for her first study on the effect of environmental structure on social phenotype of desert locusts.
An amazing collaboration with @einatcouzin.bsky.social , who got me to work on locusts.
You want to know more: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
An amazing collaboration with @einatcouzin.bsky.social , who got me to work on locusts.
You want to know more: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
"Superefficient" weaver ants show remarkable strength in numbers.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4lpTGOQ
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4lpTGOQ
August 14, 2025 at 1:52 PM
"Superefficient" weaver ants show remarkable strength in numbers.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4lpTGOQ
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4lpTGOQ
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Harvard University lays off fly database team
The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
In humans, bigger teams often mean less effort per person — the #Ringelmann effect. Weaver #ants 🐜 flip the script: #teamwork makes them superefficient!
Video + paper out now in Current Biology!
@cellpress.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/44yrvp6m
tinyurl.com/3jnnevfn
Video + paper out now in Current Biology!
@cellpress.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/44yrvp6m
tinyurl.com/3jnnevfn
Superefficient teamwork in weaver ants / Curr. Biol., Aug. 12, 2025 (Vol. 35, Issue 17)
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
tinyurl.com
August 12, 2025 at 5:59 PM
In humans, bigger teams often mean less effort per person — the #Ringelmann effect. Weaver #ants 🐜 flip the script: #teamwork makes them superefficient!
Video + paper out now in Current Biology!
@cellpress.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/44yrvp6m
tinyurl.com/3jnnevfn
Video + paper out now in Current Biology!
@cellpress.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/44yrvp6m
tinyurl.com/3jnnevfn
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Check out the newest episode of our podcast "In the Swarm"!
Have you ever wondered how tiny insects navigate the world? In this episode, @anna-stoeckl.bsky.social explains how the tiny but mighty insect brain controls behaviour of stunning complexity.
www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/collective-b...
Have you ever wondered how tiny insects navigate the world? In this episode, @anna-stoeckl.bsky.social explains how the tiny but mighty insect brain controls behaviour of stunning complexity.
www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/collective-b...
August 1, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Check out the newest episode of our podcast "In the Swarm"!
Have you ever wondered how tiny insects navigate the world? In this episode, @anna-stoeckl.bsky.social explains how the tiny but mighty insect brain controls behaviour of stunning complexity.
www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/collective-b...
Have you ever wondered how tiny insects navigate the world? In this episode, @anna-stoeckl.bsky.social explains how the tiny but mighty insect brain controls behaviour of stunning complexity.
www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/collective-b...
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Registration for the ASAB conference is now open - come join us!
Join us for #ASABWinter2025 in Edinburgh Dec 15-16 🏴
Abstracts for posters/talks due Aug 29
More details here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/
Abstracts for posters/talks due Aug 29
More details here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/
July 31, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Registration for the ASAB conference is now open - come join us!
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Our postdoc Dr Dila Atak has received a big grant from Health Institutes of Türkiye to investigate alterations in human astrocytes associated with epilepsy. Thanks to fantastic clinicians of Koç University School of Medicine Drs: Solaroglu, Kulac, Gurses, Akyoldas, Baran for their generous support.
July 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Our postdoc Dr Dila Atak has received a big grant from Health Institutes of Türkiye to investigate alterations in human astrocytes associated with epilepsy. Thanks to fantastic clinicians of Koç University School of Medicine Drs: Solaroglu, Kulac, Gurses, Akyoldas, Baran for their generous support.
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
New paper out 🥳
The physiological costs of leadership in collective movements. - Trying to lead the group can be stressful, so it might not always be worth it!#openaccess at @currentbiology.bsky.social @cbehav.bsky.social @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
The physiological costs of leadership in collective movements. - Trying to lead the group can be stressful, so it might not always be worth it!#openaccess at @currentbiology.bsky.social @cbehav.bsky.social @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
Led by @hanjabrrr.bsky.social, @damienfarine.bsky.social, and I, we combined ECG and GPS tracking from a whole group of vulturine guineafowl to show that collective movements, and especially attempting to lead under disagreement greatly increased Heart Rates.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The physiological cost of leadership in collective movements
Individuals can gain substantial benefits from collective actions.1,2,3,4,5,6,7 However, collective behaviors introduce new challenges, like coordinat…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 23, 2025 at 6:55 AM
New paper out 🥳
The physiological costs of leadership in collective movements. - Trying to lead the group can be stressful, so it might not always be worth it!#openaccess at @currentbiology.bsky.social @cbehav.bsky.social @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
The physiological costs of leadership in collective movements. - Trying to lead the group can be stressful, so it might not always be worth it!#openaccess at @currentbiology.bsky.social @cbehav.bsky.social @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
Crazy two weeks: From the field research with mormon crickets at arid Utah/Colorado to lush Tuscany, discussing desert locusts collectives #grc #neuroethology. In either case, cannibalistic insects are cool 😎
June 30, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Crazy two weeks: From the field research with mormon crickets at arid Utah/Colorado to lush Tuscany, discussing desert locusts collectives #grc #neuroethology. In either case, cannibalistic insects are cool 😎
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Are you a scientist with an interest in photography? We're delighted to announce that the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition is now open for entries until 15 August 2025! 🎉 Find out more: royalsociety.org/journals/pub... #RSPphotocomp
June 2, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Are you a scientist with an interest in photography? We're delighted to announce that the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition is now open for entries until 15 August 2025! 🎉 Find out more: royalsociety.org/journals/pub... #RSPphotocomp
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
🚨 New paper out! 🚨
We used interpretable machine learning on data from 55 countries (N = 4,635) to identify the most important individual- and nation-level factors predicting climate beliefs, policy support, and behaviors.
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
Led by @todorova.bsky.social
We used interpretable machine learning on data from 55 countries (N = 4,635) to identify the most important individual- and nation-level factors predicting climate beliefs, policy support, and behaviors.
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
Led by @todorova.bsky.social
Machine learning identifies key individual and nation-level factors predicting climate-relevant beliefs and behaviors - npj Climate Action
npj Climate Action - Machine learning identifies key individual and nation-level factors predicting climate-relevant beliefs and behaviors
doi.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:25 AM
🚨 New paper out! 🚨
We used interpretable machine learning on data from 55 countries (N = 4,635) to identify the most important individual- and nation-level factors predicting climate beliefs, policy support, and behaviors.
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
Led by @todorova.bsky.social
We used interpretable machine learning on data from 55 countries (N = 4,635) to identify the most important individual- and nation-level factors predicting climate beliefs, policy support, and behaviors.
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
Led by @todorova.bsky.social
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Excited to share my PhD paper is out! We studied how motion vision is processed beyond the optic lobes to help flies walk straight. It has been a wonderful collaboration with @michaelreiser.bsky.social, @dddavi.bsky.social and many others not in bluesky!
Paper + digest here: bsky.app/profile/cham...
Paper + digest here: bsky.app/profile/cham...
🪰How does a fruit fly walk or fly in a perfectly straight line — even at high speed? It’s not just sharp vision. A sophisticated neural computation is at work.
🧠New study led by @champalimaudf.bsky.social Eugenia Chiappe.
📖 www.fchampalimaud.org/news/researc...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧠New study led by @champalimaudf.bsky.social Eugenia Chiappe.
📖 www.fchampalimaud.org/news/researc...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
May 2, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Excited to share my PhD paper is out! We studied how motion vision is processed beyond the optic lobes to help flies walk straight. It has been a wonderful collaboration with @michaelreiser.bsky.social, @dddavi.bsky.social and many others not in bluesky!
Paper + digest here: bsky.app/profile/cham...
Paper + digest here: bsky.app/profile/cham...
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Please mark your calendars and join us next May 20th in the next session of the webinar series "The future of Neuroethology". We will have a line-up of amazing scientists as usual, we will learn about locusts, newts and cichlids!
April 16, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Please mark your calendars and join us next May 20th in the next session of the webinar series "The future of Neuroethology". We will have a line-up of amazing scientists as usual, we will learn about locusts, newts and cichlids!
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Fly larvae keep on surprising us - check out this new paper from the Louis lab: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Sensation of electric fields in the Drosophila melanogaster larva.
Such cool little critters 🪰
Sensation of electric fields in the Drosophila melanogaster larva.
Such cool little critters 🪰
Sensation of electric fields in the Drosophila melanogaster larva
Tadres et al. show that Drosophila larvae detect electric fields, moving toward the
cathode via electrotaxis. Gr66a neurons encode field orientation, revealing a new
larval sensory ability and expandi...
www.cell.com
April 16, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Fly larvae keep on surprising us - check out this new paper from the Louis lab: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Sensation of electric fields in the Drosophila melanogaster larva.
Such cool little critters 🪰
Sensation of electric fields in the Drosophila melanogaster larva.
Such cool little critters 🪰
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
When bats emerge from roosts by the thousands, they experience a "cocktail party nightmare" of jammed echolocations. Scientists didn't know how bats avoid colliding. Now, they do. Study by @ayagoldshtein.bsky.social and team from Tel Aviv Uni
▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
youtu.be/mIockHSehYw
▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
youtu.be/mIockHSehYw
Scientists solve "cocktail party nightmare" of bat echolocation
YouTube video by Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
youtu.be
April 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
When bats emerge from roosts by the thousands, they experience a "cocktail party nightmare" of jammed echolocations. Scientists didn't know how bats avoid colliding. Now, they do. Study by @ayagoldshtein.bsky.social and team from Tel Aviv Uni
▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
youtu.be/mIockHSehYw
▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
youtu.be/mIockHSehYw
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
🌍 We are launching a new #ManyLabs!!! Join the Heat & Cognition project! We're studying how extreme heat affects human thinking, social behavior & well-being — globally.
Contribute & co-author:
🔗 Info: heatandmind.wordpress.com
📋 Sign up: www.soscisurvey.de/HeatandCogni...
#EnvironmentalPsychology
Contribute & co-author:
🔗 Info: heatandmind.wordpress.com
📋 Sign up: www.soscisurvey.de/HeatandCogni...
#EnvironmentalPsychology
March 27, 2025 at 3:26 PM
🌍 We are launching a new #ManyLabs!!! Join the Heat & Cognition project! We're studying how extreme heat affects human thinking, social behavior & well-being — globally.
Contribute & co-author:
🔗 Info: heatandmind.wordpress.com
📋 Sign up: www.soscisurvey.de/HeatandCogni...
#EnvironmentalPsychology
Contribute & co-author:
🔗 Info: heatandmind.wordpress.com
📋 Sign up: www.soscisurvey.de/HeatandCogni...
#EnvironmentalPsychology
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Hello World!
After almost a month of starting a research group - finally the announcement :)
We are the 'Active Sensing Collectives' group (tinyurl.com/yckehxys) at the CASCB in the University of Konstanz. We're still growing, see PhD position ad below. @cbehav.bsky.social @uni-konstanz.de z.de
After almost a month of starting a research group - finally the announcement :)
We are the 'Active Sensing Collectives' group (tinyurl.com/yckehxys) at the CASCB in the University of Konstanz. We're still growing, see PhD position ad below. @cbehav.bsky.social @uni-konstanz.de z.de
March 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Hello World!
After almost a month of starting a research group - finally the announcement :)
We are the 'Active Sensing Collectives' group (tinyurl.com/yckehxys) at the CASCB in the University of Konstanz. We're still growing, see PhD position ad below. @cbehav.bsky.social @uni-konstanz.de z.de
After almost a month of starting a research group - finally the announcement :)
We are the 'Active Sensing Collectives' group (tinyurl.com/yckehxys) at the CASCB in the University of Konstanz. We're still growing, see PhD position ad below. @cbehav.bsky.social @uni-konstanz.de z.de
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
The first paper from the lab is out on biorxiv - enjoy reading! Social context and interactions influence our behavioral decisions - the same is true for the little fly larva!
March 24, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The first paper from the lab is out on biorxiv - enjoy reading! Social context and interactions influence our behavioral decisions - the same is true for the little fly larva!
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
Our next Collective Behaviour Seminar #CollBehavSeminar is by @sercansayin.bsky.social from @uni-konstanz.de on 18th March 2025, @2pm UK time.
Talks are 15 minutes long, with 15 minutes of questions. Subscribe to lnkd.in/eCWT2dvF to keep up to date and for information on our seminars.
Talks are 15 minutes long, with 15 minutes of questions. Subscribe to lnkd.in/eCWT2dvF to keep up to date and for information on our seminars.
March 12, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Our next Collective Behaviour Seminar #CollBehavSeminar is by @sercansayin.bsky.social from @uni-konstanz.de on 18th March 2025, @2pm UK time.
Talks are 15 minutes long, with 15 minutes of questions. Subscribe to lnkd.in/eCWT2dvF to keep up to date and for information on our seminars.
Talks are 15 minutes long, with 15 minutes of questions. Subscribe to lnkd.in/eCWT2dvF to keep up to date and for information on our seminars.
Reposted by Sercan Sayin
New field/lab work from Sercan Sayin,…& Iain Couzin at Universität Konstanz. More evidence the classic “self propelled particle” model is insufficient. Who even proposed THAT?!
Overview: www.campus.uni-konstanz.de/en/science/s...
Paper: doi.org/10.1126/scie...
#ALife #collective #behavior #locusts
Overview: www.campus.uni-konstanz.de/en/science/s...
Paper: doi.org/10.1126/scie...
#ALife #collective #behavior #locusts
Locust swarms call for a rewrite of the swarming rules
YouTube video by Collective Behaviour
www.youtube.com
February 28, 2025 at 6:02 PM
New field/lab work from Sercan Sayin,…& Iain Couzin at Universität Konstanz. More evidence the classic “self propelled particle” model is insufficient. Who even proposed THAT?!
Overview: www.campus.uni-konstanz.de/en/science/s...
Paper: doi.org/10.1126/scie...
#ALife #collective #behavior #locusts
Overview: www.campus.uni-konstanz.de/en/science/s...
Paper: doi.org/10.1126/scie...
#ALife #collective #behavior #locusts