Simona Kralj Fišer
@simonakraljfiser.bsky.social
Evolution, sexual selection, sexual size dimorphism, reproductive biology, animal personalities, quantitative genetics, maternal effects. Spiders. Love all kind of animals, travelling, cooking, hikes and more. https://www.simonakraljfiser.com
Review was 3 days overdue. I carved out ~4 hours during the holidays to finish it. Submission status on upload: editorial decision already made; no longer available for review 😲. How is your day?
December 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Review was 3 days overdue. I carved out ~4 hours during the holidays to finish it. Submission status on upload: editorial decision already made; no longer available for review 😲. How is your day?
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
The long-held belief that only female mosquitoes bite may not be true after all.
Very excited to have had the opportunity to contribute to this study showing that male mosquitoes can also bite and feed on blood.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Very excited to have had the opportunity to contribute to this study showing that male mosquitoes can also bite and feed on blood.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 29, 2025 at 11:12 AM
The long-held belief that only female mosquitoes bite may not be true after all.
Very excited to have had the opportunity to contribute to this study showing that male mosquitoes can also bite and feed on blood.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Very excited to have had the opportunity to contribute to this study showing that male mosquitoes can also bite and feed on blood.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Apply for a PhD position in the Pan lab @miyapan.bsky.social at MPI Biology 🇩🇪 to study the molecular mechanisms and evolution of sex determination in haplodiploid insects 🐜🐝.
December 30, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Apply for a PhD position in the Pan lab @miyapan.bsky.social at MPI Biology 🇩🇪 to study the molecular mechanisms and evolution of sex determination in haplodiploid insects 🐜🐝.
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
The semi-aquatic, internationally Vulnerable Fen Raft Spider Dolomedes plantarius overwinters as immature stages, including sub-adults. They're torpid in very cold weather and rarely seen in winter. Today, they have been out and about @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Redgrave & Lopham Fen #ClimateChange
December 9, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The semi-aquatic, internationally Vulnerable Fen Raft Spider Dolomedes plantarius overwinters as immature stages, including sub-adults. They're torpid in very cold weather and rarely seen in winter. Today, they have been out and about @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Redgrave & Lopham Fen #ClimateChange
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function. www.idiv.de/majority-of-... #biodiversity
Majority of local insect biomass decline linked to species loss
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function.
www.idiv.de
December 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function. www.idiv.de/majority-of-... #biodiversity
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
If you are working on developing a consortium to respond to the upcoming call HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 Understanding and tackling the decline of insects ... please get in touch www.sib.swiss/environmenta...
Environmental Bioinformatics
Focus on the group's mission To protect and restore the environment that sustains humankind we need to understand it. The Environmental Bioinformatics Group, led by Robert W...
www.sib.swiss
December 9, 2025 at 12:30 PM
If you are working on developing a consortium to respond to the upcoming call HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 Understanding and tackling the decline of insects ... please get in touch www.sib.swiss/environmenta...
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Osmooka aphana: new spider genus and species discovered in Madagascar
YouTube video by EZ lab
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
🕷️🥬The discovery of chemosensory sensilla with different distributions on the body appendages and between the sexes of a cursorial spider, combined with evidence of olfactory mate attraction, provides insights into chemical communication in spiders. @uhl-lab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
December 4, 2025 at 3:26 PM
🕷️🥬The discovery of chemosensory sensilla with different distributions on the body appendages and between the sexes of a cursorial spider, combined with evidence of olfactory mate attraction, provides insights into chemical communication in spiders. @uhl-lab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
🕷️🕸️ New Reference genome available: Leviellus thorelli, a orb-weaving spider - a key resource for comparative studies of the #genomic basis of orb web and silk #evolution.
🔗https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-365
#Spider #genomics #genomes for #biodiversity @cnag-eu.bsky.social
🔗https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-365
#Spider #genomics #genomes for #biodiversity @cnag-eu.bsky.social
December 4, 2025 at 10:36 AM
🕷️🕸️ New Reference genome available: Leviellus thorelli, a orb-weaving spider - a key resource for comparative studies of the #genomic basis of orb web and silk #evolution.
🔗https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-365
#Spider #genomics #genomes for #biodiversity @cnag-eu.bsky.social
🔗https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-365
#Spider #genomics #genomes for #biodiversity @cnag-eu.bsky.social
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
🕷️🌍🕸️ Spiders aren't creepy crawlies—they're ecosystem heroes! From pest control to biotech inspiration to key figures in our collective culture, a new review reveals the many services spiders provide:
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/brv....
(drawing by @jmalumbresolarte.bsky.social)
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/brv....
(drawing by @jmalumbresolarte.bsky.social)
June 4, 2025 at 7:44 AM
🕷️🌍🕸️ Spiders aren't creepy crawlies—they're ecosystem heroes! From pest control to biotech inspiration to key figures in our collective culture, a new review reveals the many services spiders provide:
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/brv....
(drawing by @jmalumbresolarte.bsky.social)
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/brv....
(drawing by @jmalumbresolarte.bsky.social)
Very happy to see our opinion article out in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social today. 🥳 We ask whether sexual signals can influence the evolutionary trajectory of naturally selected adaptations, such as protective colouration, for better or for worse 🧐 1/n
doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
December 1, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
🆕 in "Ecology": Who spreads more disease - males or females? At least in water fleas, it depends on temperature
📄The sicker sex is plastic: Thermal plasticity determines sex biases in pathogen transmission
doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
📄The sicker sex is plastic: Thermal plasticity determines sex biases in pathogen transmission
doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
November 25, 2025 at 8:16 PM
🆕 in "Ecology": Who spreads more disease - males or females? At least in water fleas, it depends on temperature
📄The sicker sex is plastic: Thermal plasticity determines sex biases in pathogen transmission
doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
📄The sicker sex is plastic: Thermal plasticity determines sex biases in pathogen transmission
doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
New publication!
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Extreme silk toughness in Caerostris spiders is limited to adult females
Spider silks are protein fibers, renowned for their remarkable intrinsic mechanical properties. Dragline or major ampullate (MA) silk is particularly noteworthy for its combination of high tensile str...
www.ezlab.si
November 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
New publication!
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Here comes Carolina's first paper on the effects of winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in wasp spiders. Thanks go to all coauthors for their various contribution that made this work possible!🧪🕷
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
November 27, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Here comes Carolina's first paper on the effects of winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in wasp spiders. Thanks go to all coauthors for their various contribution that made this work possible!🧪🕷
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
A specialized appendage responds to female sex hormones, allowing male octopuses to find their sex organs in the dark. https://scim.ag/4roFry3
‘Superarm’ helps male octopuses deliver sperm to females
Specialized appendage responds to female sex hormones, allowing males to find sex organs in the dark
scim.ag
November 26, 2025 at 11:12 PM
A specialized appendage responds to female sex hormones, allowing male octopuses to find their sex organs in the dark. https://scim.ag/4roFry3
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
New study from @michellebeyer.bsky.social published in Animal Behaviour: Silk of females performing maternal care elicits reduced courtship responses in male spiders.
November 26, 2025 at 9:46 PM
New study from @michellebeyer.bsky.social published in Animal Behaviour: Silk of females performing maternal care elicits reduced courtship responses in male spiders.
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Anyone interested in learning about why journals make a proactive effort to increase women's participation in the peer review process should take the time look at some actual evidence about why this is needed. Ditto journalists covering such a story. Do some reporting! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Women are credited less in science than men - Nature
The difference between the number of men and women listed as authors on scientific papers and inventors on patents is at least partly attributable to unacknowledged contributions by women scientists.
www.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Anyone interested in learning about why journals make a proactive effort to increase women's participation in the peer review process should take the time look at some actual evidence about why this is needed. Ditto journalists covering such a story. Do some reporting! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
How the elephant lost his tail
October 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
How the elephant lost his tail
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Louvre robbery. French police release image of suspect.
October 19, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Louvre robbery. French police release image of suspect.
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Meet our plenary speaker Renata Sousa-Lima!
Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), Renata ‘s research focuses on bioacoustics of aquatic mammals and has pioneered the field of ecoacoustics and soundscape ecology in Brazil.
Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), Renata ‘s research focuses on bioacoustics of aquatic mammals and has pioneered the field of ecoacoustics and soundscape ecology in Brazil.
October 18, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Meet our plenary speaker Renata Sousa-Lima!
Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), Renata ‘s research focuses on bioacoustics of aquatic mammals and has pioneered the field of ecoacoustics and soundscape ecology in Brazil.
Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), Renata ‘s research focuses on bioacoustics of aquatic mammals and has pioneered the field of ecoacoustics and soundscape ecology in Brazil.
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Male mice that exercise can pass their newly gained fitness on to male offspring.
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
Well-exercised male mice appear to pass fitness to their male offspring
Surprising epigenetic effect relies on snippets of RNA packaged within sperm
scim.ag
October 13, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Male mice that exercise can pass their newly gained fitness on to male offspring.
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
This week members of the @isbe2026 Local Organizing Committee are sharing their own favourite impressions of the host city! Discover Turin through their eyes!
October 12, 2025 at 10:28 AM
This week members of the @isbe2026 Local Organizing Committee are sharing their own favourite impressions of the host city! Discover Turin through their eyes!
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Start planning your stay in Turin! Accommodation can be easily booked directly on our website ➡️ isbe2026.com/accommodation/
October 12, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Start planning your stay in Turin! Accommodation can be easily booked directly on our website ➡️ isbe2026.com/accommodation/
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Sperm microRNAs have been shown to transmit the metabolic and endurance benefits of paternal exercise to offspring, highlighting a molecular pathway for intergenerational health adaptation.
Sperm microRNAs may enable transmission of exercise benefits from fathers to children
In a recent study published in Cell Metabolism, a research paper provides the first evidence that sperm microRNAs act as carriers of epigenetic information, enabling the intergenerational transmission of paternal exercise capacity and metabolic health, thereby exerting profound effects on offspring development.
medicalxpress.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Sperm microRNAs have been shown to transmit the metabolic and endurance benefits of paternal exercise to offspring, highlighting a molecular pathway for intergenerational health adaptation.
Reposted by Simona Kralj Fišer
Divergent alternative mating tactics in convergent male reproductive morphs
#AlternativeReproductiveTactic #Insect #Bioacoustics
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
#AlternativeReproductiveTactic #Insect #Bioacoustics
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
a close up of a cricket walking on the ground .
ALT: a close up of a cricket walking on the ground .
media.tenor.com
September 29, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Divergent alternative mating tactics in convergent male reproductive morphs
#AlternativeReproductiveTactic #Insect #Bioacoustics
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
#AlternativeReproductiveTactic #Insect #Bioacoustics
doi.org/10.1093/behe...