Michalis Averof
@michalis-averof.bsky.social
Comparative developmental biology, regeneration, non-conventional model organisms, live imaging; see www.averof-lab.org
Pinned
Our lab studies how animals regenerate their body, e.g. how crustaceans regenerate broken legs. One of our aims is to understand if regeneration re-uses the gene networks that built the legs in the first place. Arthur Monternier, an artist in our team, captured the question in this cartoon.
That's what 'the napolitans' we up to when they briefly invaded our lab! Wonderful memories from December 2021 and November 2022. Congratulations!!
November 5, 2025 at 8:11 PM
That's what 'the napolitans' we up to when they briefly invaded our lab! Wonderful memories from December 2021 and November 2022. Congratulations!!
Our lab studies how animals regenerate their body, e.g. how crustaceans regenerate broken legs. One of our aims is to understand if regeneration re-uses the gene networks that built the legs in the first place. Arthur Monternier, an artist in our team, captured the question in this cartoon.
October 27, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Our lab studies how animals regenerate their body, e.g. how crustaceans regenerate broken legs. One of our aims is to understand if regeneration re-uses the gene networks that built the legs in the first place. Arthur Monternier, an artist in our team, captured the question in this cartoon.
What are these?
You are looking at embryos of a sea squirt. Each of the 'soap bubbles' is a living cell, about a fourtieth of a millimetre in size. The outlines of the cells are visible thanks to fluorescent markers identified by Hitoyoshi Yasuo @hitoyas.bsky.social
see doi.org/10.1101/2024... 🧵
You are looking at embryos of a sea squirt. Each of the 'soap bubbles' is a living cell, about a fourtieth of a millimetre in size. The outlines of the cells are visible thanks to fluorescent markers identified by Hitoyoshi Yasuo @hitoyas.bsky.social
see doi.org/10.1101/2024... 🧵
October 26, 2025 at 8:55 AM
What are these?
You are looking at embryos of a sea squirt. Each of the 'soap bubbles' is a living cell, about a fourtieth of a millimetre in size. The outlines of the cells are visible thanks to fluorescent markers identified by Hitoyoshi Yasuo @hitoyas.bsky.social
see doi.org/10.1101/2024... 🧵
You are looking at embryos of a sea squirt. Each of the 'soap bubbles' is a living cell, about a fourtieth of a millimetre in size. The outlines of the cells are visible thanks to fluorescent markers identified by Hitoyoshi Yasuo @hitoyas.bsky.social
see doi.org/10.1101/2024... 🧵
How can we see the cells that make up a living organism? Membrane-localising tags can drive fluorescent proteins to the cell's outer membrane, making their outlines visible. But the tags don't work well in all organisms. How do you find one for your species of interest? 🧵
Check our latest preprint
Check our latest preprint
A toolkit for testing membrane-localising tags across species
Transgenic markers and tools have revolutionised how we study cells and developing organisms. Some of the elements needed to construct those tools are universally applicable (e.g. fluorescent proteins...
www.biorxiv.org
October 23, 2025 at 8:16 AM
How can we see the cells that make up a living organism? Membrane-localising tags can drive fluorescent proteins to the cell's outer membrane, making their outlines visible. But the tags don't work well in all organisms. How do you find one for your species of interest? 🧵
Check our latest preprint
Check our latest preprint
interesting article by @yoginho.spore.social.ap.brid.gy
Artificial Intelligence is algorithmic mimicry: why artificial “agents” are not (and won’t be) proper agents
arxiv.org/pdf/2307.07515
Artificial Intelligence is algorithmic mimicry: why artificial “agents” are not (and won’t be) proper agents
arxiv.org/pdf/2307.07515
arxiv.org
October 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM
interesting article by @yoginho.spore.social.ap.brid.gy
Artificial Intelligence is algorithmic mimicry: why artificial “agents” are not (and won’t be) proper agents
arxiv.org/pdf/2307.07515
Artificial Intelligence is algorithmic mimicry: why artificial “agents” are not (and won’t be) proper agents
arxiv.org/pdf/2307.07515
Here it is! Postdoctoral position to identify the progenitors sensory organs in the regenerating legs of Parhyale
apply here: www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
1/3
apply here: www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
1/3
We've just been awarded a grant to study the cellular basis of regeneration – to track the progenitors of sensory organs in the context of leg regeneration, in our favourite crustacean tinyurl.com/parhyale, based on live imaging and cell tracking. The project involves some cool collaborations... 1/3
October 3, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Here it is! Postdoctoral position to identify the progenitors sensory organs in the regenerating legs of Parhyale
apply here: www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
1/3
apply here: www.averof-lab.org/pages/tracman
1/3
X-ray imaging of crustacean legs at the DESY synchrotron, Hamburg. Cross-section of regenerating Parhyale leg (~1/10 of a mm in width). X-rays give accurate 3D view with almost cellular resolution. With Angelika Svetlove, Kevin Grüner & Mathilde Paris @zoocell.biologists.social.ap.brid.gy
September 24, 2025 at 1:17 PM
X-ray imaging of crustacean legs at the DESY synchrotron, Hamburg. Cross-section of regenerating Parhyale leg (~1/10 of a mm in width). X-rays give accurate 3D view with almost cellular resolution. With Angelika Svetlove, Kevin Grüner & Mathilde Paris @zoocell.biologists.social.ap.brid.gy
Interested in a sabbatical in Lyon? The Collegium de Lyon provides accommodation and attractive interdisciplinary environment for 1 or 2 semesters. Open to all disciplines. You can be affiliated with any local department/lab. Apply now for 2026-27. collegium.universite-lyon.fr/2026-2027-un...
September 2, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Interested in a sabbatical in Lyon? The Collegium de Lyon provides accommodation and attractive interdisciplinary environment for 1 or 2 semesters. Open to all disciplines. You can be affiliated with any local department/lab. Apply now for 2026-27. collegium.universite-lyon.fr/2026-2027-un...
Latest paper elifesciences.org/articles/107... closes an important cycle in our efforts to study regeneration: week-long recordings allow us to observe the behaviour of cells during the entire course of regeneration in a crustacean leg – bright objects in movie are fluorescent nuclei of cells. 1/6
August 8, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Latest paper elifesciences.org/articles/107... closes an important cycle in our efforts to study regeneration: week-long recordings allow us to observe the behaviour of cells during the entire course of regeneration in a crustacean leg – bright objects in movie are fluorescent nuclei of cells. 1/6
We've just been awarded a grant to study the cellular basis of regeneration – to track the progenitors of sensory organs in the context of leg regeneration, in our favourite crustacean tinyurl.com/parhyale, based on live imaging and cell tracking. The project involves some cool collaborations... 1/3
July 13, 2025 at 2:55 PM
We've just been awarded a grant to study the cellular basis of regeneration – to track the progenitors of sensory organs in the context of leg regeneration, in our favourite crustacean tinyurl.com/parhyale, based on live imaging and cell tracking. The project involves some cool collaborations... 1/3
Reposted by Michalis Averof
John Maynard Smith on natural history.
(London Review of Books, April 1982)
(London Review of Books, April 1982)
June 27, 2025 at 5:53 PM
John Maynard Smith on natural history.
(London Review of Books, April 1982)
(London Review of Books, April 1982)
In the brain of intertidal crustaceans (Eurydice and Parhyale), circadian clock genes are expressed with a daily rhythm (24h) in some cells and a tidal rhythm (12.4h) in other cells. Two different clocks working in the same brain, using the same components.
Expression of clock genes tracks daily and tidal time in brains of intertidal crustaceans Eurydice pulchra and Parhyale hawaiensis
Intertidal organisms, such as the crustaceans Eurydice pulchra and Parhyale hawaiensis, express daily and tidal rhythms of physiology and behavior to …
www.sciencedirect.com
June 23, 2025 at 9:07 PM
In the brain of intertidal crustaceans (Eurydice and Parhyale), circadian clock genes are expressed with a daily rhythm (24h) in some cells and a tidal rhythm (12.4h) in other cells. Two different clocks working in the same brain, using the same components.
Trichoplax adhaerens is one of the simplest and most enigmatic animals on earth. Its body shows incredible fluidity, changing shape within minutes. In a recent visit by Andrea Pasini we had the chance to host and observe these amazing animals live.
[movie accelerated 3x; animal 0.5 to 1 mm in size]
[movie accelerated 3x; animal 0.5 to 1 mm in size]
May 10, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Trichoplax adhaerens is one of the simplest and most enigmatic animals on earth. Its body shows incredible fluidity, changing shape within minutes. In a recent visit by Andrea Pasini we had the chance to host and observe these amazing animals live.
[movie accelerated 3x; animal 0.5 to 1 mm in size]
[movie accelerated 3x; animal 0.5 to 1 mm in size]
Reposted by Michalis Averof
Intriguing findings from our Sendai collaborators Ruka Kitsui and Ryusaku Deguchi. While C. hemispherica spawns at dawn, Clytia IZ-D species spawns at dusk. This is not triggered by dark but, unexpectedly, by light-mediated extension of an autonomously-running 20h cycle. doi.org/10.1101/2025...
May 5, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Intriguing findings from our Sendai collaborators Ruka Kitsui and Ryusaku Deguchi. While C. hemispherica spawns at dawn, Clytia IZ-D species spawns at dusk. This is not triggered by dark but, unexpectedly, by light-mediated extension of an autonomously-running 20h cycle. doi.org/10.1101/2025...
I prepared these as banners for the #StandUpForScience demonstration on Friday. Happy to share the high-res files, if anyone wants to use them.
March 5, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I prepared these as banners for the #StandUpForScience demonstration on Friday. Happy to share the high-res files, if anyone wants to use them.
Do you have experience in generating transgenic tools and fluorescent markers? Are you interested in developing new tools in a non-conventional model, to observe and genetically manipulate cells during leg regeneration? We are recruiting!
www.averof-lab.org/pages/3560
www.averof-lab.org/pages/3560
February 28, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Do you have experience in generating transgenic tools and fluorescent markers? Are you interested in developing new tools in a non-conventional model, to observe and genetically manipulate cells during leg regeneration? We are recruiting!
www.averof-lab.org/pages/3560
www.averof-lab.org/pages/3560
Rita Levi-Montalcini defied fascism, which excluded her from university due to her jewish ancestry, by setting up a clandestine lab in her own bedroom. During 1940-42 she carried out experiments that set the foundations for her Nobel-prize-winning research a decade later.
nautil.us/a-lab-of-her...
nautil.us/a-lab-of-her...
February 27, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Rita Levi-Montalcini defied fascism, which excluded her from university due to her jewish ancestry, by setting up a clandestine lab in her own bedroom. During 1940-42 she carried out experiments that set the foundations for her Nobel-prize-winning research a decade later.
nautil.us/a-lab-of-her...
nautil.us/a-lab-of-her...
As the world of science wakes up to modern fascism, it's worth remembering older generations who stood up for humanity in much harsher circumstances. Jacques Monod worked actively for the resistance in WWII, while pursuing early stages of his research in occupied Paris. @standupforscifr.bsky.social
February 26, 2025 at 5:40 PM
As the world of science wakes up to modern fascism, it's worth remembering older generations who stood up for humanity in much harsher circumstances. Jacques Monod worked actively for the resistance in WWII, while pursuing early stages of his research in occupied Paris. @standupforscifr.bsky.social
Looking for a tag to localise fluorescent proteins to the plasma membrane? Unsure which tag might work in your species? We generated a toolkit of 11 membrane-localising tags, which can be screened rapidly by microinjecting mRNA in your species of interest. 1/4
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A toolkit for testing membrane localisation tags across species
Transgenic markers and tools have revolutionised how we study cells and developing organisms. Some of the elements needed to construct those tools are universally applicable (e.g. fluorescent proteins...
www.biorxiv.org
November 12, 2024 at 11:05 PM
Looking for a tag to localise fluorescent proteins to the plasma membrane? Unsure which tag might work in your species? We generated a toolkit of 11 membrane-localising tags, which can be screened rapidly by microinjecting mRNA in your species of interest. 1/4
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Can we observe how the injured leg of an animal is regenerated? We have figured out how to do this in the crustacean Parhyale. Over the course of a week, we can record the entire process of regeneration at cell-by-cell resolution. 1/3
vimeo.com/802413847
vimeo.com/802413847
Time lapse movie of regenerating crustacean leg
Video made by Cagri Cevrim. (hpa = hours post amputation)
vimeo.com
September 12, 2024 at 2:45 PM
Can we observe how the injured leg of an animal is regenerated? We have figured out how to do this in the crustacean Parhyale. Over the course of a week, we can record the entire process of regeneration at cell-by-cell resolution. 1/3
vimeo.com/802413847
vimeo.com/802413847
Looking for a membrane localisation tag? unclear what will work in your spp? We gathered 10 tags (diff mechanisms of memb localisation) + fused them with red FP. Interested in joining us for a comparative screen? We'll share plasmids for making mRNA, you can inject in your favourite model. #evodevo
July 13, 2024 at 7:18 PM
Looking for a membrane localisation tag? unclear what will work in your spp? We gathered 10 tags (diff mechanisms of memb localisation) + fused them with red FP. Interested in joining us for a comparative screen? We'll share plasmids for making mRNA, you can inject in your favourite model. #evodevo
Remembering Claus Nielsen for his gentleness and dry humour while teaching us about marine organisms in Kristineberg
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
February 21, 2024 at 6:20 PM
Remembering Claus Nielsen for his gentleness and dry humour while teaching us about marine organisms in Kristineberg
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...