Angus Davison
@snaildoc.bsky.social
Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at University of Nottingham. Evolution and genetics/genomics of colour and left-right asymmetry (chirality) in snails. Hand-model for snails - available for hire. Mostly posting at @snailman@ecoevo.social
Pinned
Angus Davison
@snaildoc.bsky.social
· Mar 30
Snails of Cuba! We found 5 species, including the most endangered and most beautiful, Polymita sulphurosa. Project on evolution/conservation of these snails, led by Cuba, me @ #UoN, and working with London zoo, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
#snails #cuba #fieldwork
#snails #cuba #fieldwork
Problems and progress in getting molluscan 🐌 genome assemblies, new paper out. Although the publication was much delayed, we recently redid the analysis, finding that actually not much ahs improved 😔 academic.oup.com/mollus/artic...
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
Molluscan genome assemblies—problems and progress
A reference genome assembly is a starting point for research (Davison & Neiman, 2021) in a wide variety of subdisciplines of biology, including mollusc
academic.oup.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Problems and progress in getting molluscan 🐌 genome assemblies, new paper out. Although the publication was much delayed, we recently redid the analysis, finding that actually not much ahs improved 😔 academic.oup.com/mollus/artic...
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
Reposted by Angus Davison
How does a single cuckoo species evolve eggs that mimic those of many different hosts?
In a new Science study, researchers report genomic data that reveal a complex geographic mosaic of cuckoo-host coevolution.
Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/4nEZIfY
In a new Science study, researchers report genomic data that reveal a complex geographic mosaic of cuckoo-host coevolution.
Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/4nEZIfY
November 5, 2025 at 2:26 PM
How does a single cuckoo species evolve eggs that mimic those of many different hosts?
In a new Science study, researchers report genomic data that reveal a complex geographic mosaic of cuckoo-host coevolution.
Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/4nEZIfY
In a new Science study, researchers report genomic data that reveal a complex geographic mosaic of cuckoo-host coevolution.
Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/4nEZIfY
Reposted by Angus Davison
We are still interested in any found twite feathers for a study on the relationships and genetic diversity between the British groups - particularly now for birds of Scottish origin in the NE of England or, birds on the Avon.
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
October 28, 2025 at 7:20 AM
We are still interested in any found twite feathers for a study on the relationships and genetic diversity between the British groups - particularly now for birds of Scottish origin in the NE of England or, birds on the Avon.
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
Reposted by Angus Davison
Talk about an in-flight meal.
For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn
For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn
October 27, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Talk about an in-flight meal.
For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn
For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn
Reposted by Angus Davison
New research w/ @jacobphd.bsky.social et al. published today in Nature Communications: Genes linked to schistosome resistance identified in a genome-wide association study of African snail vectors doi.org/10.1038/s414... 🐌🪱🧬
Genes linked to schistosome resistance identified in a genome-wide association study of African snail vectors - Nature Communications
A genome wide association study of an African vector of schistosomiasis revealed two genomic regions associated with resistance to Schistosoma mansoni. These findings will inform novel control strateg...
doi.org
July 27, 2025 at 9:42 AM
New research w/ @jacobphd.bsky.social et al. published today in Nature Communications: Genes linked to schistosome resistance identified in a genome-wide association study of African snail vectors doi.org/10.1038/s414... 🐌🪱🧬
Reposted by Angus Davison
Read 'Ancient origin of an urban underground mosquito' by @sangerinstitute.bsky.social and @princeton.edu in @science.org here ⤵️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ancient origin of an urban underground mosquito
Understanding how life is adapting to urban environments represents an important challenge in evolutionary biology. In this work, we investigate a widely cited example of urban adaptation, Culex pipie...
www.science.org
October 24, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Read 'Ancient origin of an urban underground mosquito' by @sangerinstitute.bsky.social and @princeton.edu in @science.org here ⤵️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Angus Davison
Exciting news!
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
Population Genetics group 59
populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
September 29, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Exciting news!
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
The next #PopGroup meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris.
This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics.
More info: populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
Reposted by Angus Davison
A statement from the President of the #RoyalSociety - royalsociety.org/news/2025/10... actually, it's a declaration of abject cowardice #shame #musk
A statement from the President of the Royal Society | Royal Society
A statement from Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, regarding threats to the values that allow science to flourish.
royalsociety.org
October 2, 2025 at 7:43 AM
A statement from the President of the #RoyalSociety - royalsociety.org/news/2025/10... actually, it's a declaration of abject cowardice #shame #musk
Reposted by Angus Davison
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
Reposted by Angus Davison
If we act quickly, a massive public outcry could convince Ofgem to reject it.
More than 25,000 people have signed in the last 24 hours. Add your name now: 38d.gs/MuskEnergy_b...
More than 25,000 people have signed in the last 24 hours. Add your name now: 38d.gs/MuskEnergy_b...
I thought this headline was a joke when I first read it, but no…it's real.
I've signed a petition telling Ofgem to reject Musk's application to supply electricity to British households. Will you join me and add your name?
38d.gs
August 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM
If we act quickly, a massive public outcry could convince Ofgem to reject it.
More than 25,000 people have signed in the last 24 hours. Add your name now: 38d.gs/MuskEnergy_b...
More than 25,000 people have signed in the last 24 hours. Add your name now: 38d.gs/MuskEnergy_b...
Reposted by Angus Davison
RFK has announced that he is developing a vaccine against all viruses. Yes, every single one. The whole, uh, "phylum"
August 8, 2025 at 7:35 PM
RFK has announced that he is developing a vaccine against all viruses. Yes, every single one. The whole, uh, "phylum"
Reposted by Angus Davison
Check out this awesome study from my phenomenally talented colleague @accorsi-alice.bsky.social ! Apple snails can regrow their eyes! How do they do this? 👀 Read below ⬇️ to find out more! #regeneration
Snails with human-like eyes?!
Published in @natcomms.nature.com, the @planaria1.bsky.social & @accorsi-alice.bsky.social Labs have established apple snails as a novel model for studying vision restoration. They have complex camera-type eyes & the ability to regrow them in 28 days: bit.ly/4mvaxkq
Published in @natcomms.nature.com, the @planaria1.bsky.social & @accorsi-alice.bsky.social Labs have established apple snails as a novel model for studying vision restoration. They have complex camera-type eyes & the ability to regrow them in 28 days: bit.ly/4mvaxkq
August 7, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Check out this awesome study from my phenomenally talented colleague @accorsi-alice.bsky.social ! Apple snails can regrow their eyes! How do they do this? 👀 Read below ⬇️ to find out more! #regeneration
Reposted by Angus Davison
Evolution’s eye game is wild, but mollusks take it to another level
CRISPR in apple snails gives us a new model to dissect how nature rebuilds complex organs like the camera-type eyes we humans possess
It turns out Evolution doesn’t just innovate, it rewinds, remixes, & regenerates
rdcu.be/ezw0t
CRISPR in apple snails gives us a new model to dissect how nature rebuilds complex organs like the camera-type eyes we humans possess
It turns out Evolution doesn’t just innovate, it rewinds, remixes, & regenerates
rdcu.be/ezw0t
A genetically tractable non-vertebrate system to study complete camera-type eye regeneration
Nature Communications - Accorsi et al. show that the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata has eyes similar to humans and can fully regenerate them. They then developed genetic tools to establish these...
url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com
August 6, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Evolution’s eye game is wild, but mollusks take it to another level
CRISPR in apple snails gives us a new model to dissect how nature rebuilds complex organs like the camera-type eyes we humans possess
It turns out Evolution doesn’t just innovate, it rewinds, remixes, & regenerates
rdcu.be/ezw0t
CRISPR in apple snails gives us a new model to dissect how nature rebuilds complex organs like the camera-type eyes we humans possess
It turns out Evolution doesn’t just innovate, it rewinds, remixes, & regenerates
rdcu.be/ezw0t
Reposted by Angus Davison
🐌👀What do apple snails have to do with human vision?
Stowers scientists took a chance on a tiny creature, with big results. Learn how @planaria1.bsky.social & then postdoc @accorsi-alice.bsky.social brought apple snails to the Institute. ⬇️ #ResearchSky #SciSky
Learn more: youtu.be/U-yQ7z1e6nA
Stowers scientists took a chance on a tiny creature, with big results. Learn how @planaria1.bsky.social & then postdoc @accorsi-alice.bsky.social brought apple snails to the Institute. ⬇️ #ResearchSky #SciSky
Learn more: youtu.be/U-yQ7z1e6nA
How Apple Snail research began at the Stowers Institute: unlocking the secrets of eye regeneration
YouTube video by Stowers Institute for Medical Research
youtu.be
August 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
🐌👀What do apple snails have to do with human vision?
Stowers scientists took a chance on a tiny creature, with big results. Learn how @planaria1.bsky.social & then postdoc @accorsi-alice.bsky.social brought apple snails to the Institute. ⬇️ #ResearchSky #SciSky
Learn more: youtu.be/U-yQ7z1e6nA
Stowers scientists took a chance on a tiny creature, with big results. Learn how @planaria1.bsky.social & then postdoc @accorsi-alice.bsky.social brought apple snails to the Institute. ⬇️ #ResearchSky #SciSky
Learn more: youtu.be/U-yQ7z1e6nA
Reposted by Angus Davison
Snails with human-like eyes?!
Published in @natcomms.nature.com, the @planaria1.bsky.social & @accorsi-alice.bsky.social Labs have established apple snails as a novel model for studying vision restoration. They have complex camera-type eyes & the ability to regrow them in 28 days: bit.ly/4mvaxkq
Published in @natcomms.nature.com, the @planaria1.bsky.social & @accorsi-alice.bsky.social Labs have established apple snails as a novel model for studying vision restoration. They have complex camera-type eyes & the ability to regrow them in 28 days: bit.ly/4mvaxkq
August 6, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Snails with human-like eyes?!
Published in @natcomms.nature.com, the @planaria1.bsky.social & @accorsi-alice.bsky.social Labs have established apple snails as a novel model for studying vision restoration. They have complex camera-type eyes & the ability to regrow them in 28 days: bit.ly/4mvaxkq
Published in @natcomms.nature.com, the @planaria1.bsky.social & @accorsi-alice.bsky.social Labs have established apple snails as a novel model for studying vision restoration. They have complex camera-type eyes & the ability to regrow them in 28 days: bit.ly/4mvaxkq
Reposted by Angus Davison
This week's post is about snails! Beautiful snails, but endangered snails, and the relationship between art and science - and the work of @snaildoc.bsky.social makingsciencepublic.com/2025/08/08/b...
Beauty and the snail
Since around 2016, the year I retired, I have followed the blossoming career of another University of Nottingham academic, Angus Davison, a professor of evolutionary genetics and expert on snails a…
makingsciencepublic.com
August 8, 2025 at 6:15 AM
This week's post is about snails! Beautiful snails, but endangered snails, and the relationship between art and science - and the work of @snaildoc.bsky.social makingsciencepublic.com/2025/08/08/b...
Reposted by Angus Davison
Just a few years ago we were celebrating mRNA vaccine development - new therapeutic modality, speed of development, life-saving… now, the US is cancelling its funding for further development.
Illogical, inexplicable & damaging!
🧪 #MedicalSky
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Illogical, inexplicable & damaging!
🧪 #MedicalSky
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Despite RFK’s funding block, mRNA vaccines are too impressive to ignore
Scientists fear decision may increase vaccine hesitancy, but other countries are still willing to invest in research
www.theguardian.com
August 8, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Just a few years ago we were celebrating mRNA vaccine development - new therapeutic modality, speed of development, life-saving… now, the US is cancelling its funding for further development.
Illogical, inexplicable & damaging!
🧪 #MedicalSky
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Illogical, inexplicable & damaging!
🧪 #MedicalSky
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Angus Davison
Jesus. Excellent work by Michael Le Page, and utterly infuriating scenario. As Michael points out, the press release from Colossal called these dire wolves throughout. But now they want to argue that they never claimed that. Scandalous, really.
www.newscientist.com/article/2481...
www.newscientist.com/article/2481...
Colossal scientist now admits they haven’t really made dire wolves
Despite a huge media fanfare in which Colossal Biosciences claimed to have resurrected the extinct dire wolf, the company's chief scientist now concedes that the animals are merely modified grey wolve...
www.newscientist.com
May 22, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Jesus. Excellent work by Michael Le Page, and utterly infuriating scenario. As Michael points out, the press release from Colossal called these dire wolves throughout. But now they want to argue that they never claimed that. Scandalous, really.
www.newscientist.com/article/2481...
www.newscientist.com/article/2481...
Reposted by Angus Davison
Their website is pretty explicit in saying that a) it's a dire wolf and that b) they have brought it back from extinction. Attempting to say they never claimed this is quite an extraordinary piece of chutzpah:
colossal.com/direwolf/
colossal.com/direwolf/
May 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Their website is pretty explicit in saying that a) it's a dire wolf and that b) they have brought it back from extinction. Attempting to say they never claimed this is quite an extraordinary piece of chutzpah:
colossal.com/direwolf/
colossal.com/direwolf/
Turned my Cuban adventures back in March into "breaking news", snail-bombing the whole of the BBC and beyond 🤔😄. 1/3 www.bbc.com/news/article...
Mission under way to save 'world's most beautiful' snails
Researchers in Cuba and the UK are working together to reveal the biological secrets of the beautiful but endangered Polymita snail.
www.bbc.com
August 7, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Turned my Cuban adventures back in March into "breaking news", snail-bombing the whole of the BBC and beyond 🤔😄. 1/3 www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Angus Davison
Biologist folk (especially in evolutionary biology and/or ecology, but it don’t matter):
Can you give me your favorite examples of trade offs in biology? Organism or system don’t matter. Primary literature or reviews preferred.
Can you give me your favorite examples of trade offs in biology? Organism or system don’t matter. Primary literature or reviews preferred.
July 27, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Biologist folk (especially in evolutionary biology and/or ecology, but it don’t matter):
Can you give me your favorite examples of trade offs in biology? Organism or system don’t matter. Primary literature or reviews preferred.
Can you give me your favorite examples of trade offs in biology? Organism or system don’t matter. Primary literature or reviews preferred.
For snail Friday, new image of Polymita picta from Tetas de Santa*, Cuba #cuba #snail #snailfriday #alliterationfail #polymita *try translating that 😭, I am going with Santa's tits although that might not be exactly correct
July 25, 2025 at 4:21 PM
For snail Friday, new image of Polymita picta from Tetas de Santa*, Cuba #cuba #snail #snailfriday #alliterationfail #polymita *try translating that 😭, I am going with Santa's tits although that might not be exactly correct
Reposted by Angus Davison
👏 Exceptional front page by @scotnational.bsky.social ahead of Donald Trump's visit this weekend...
July 25, 2025 at 9:30 AM
👏 Exceptional front page by @scotnational.bsky.social ahead of Donald Trump's visit this weekend...
Reposted by Angus Davison
Introducing PGShield™ - our new room-temperature sample solution for Hi-C. No more dry ice shipments. Improved data quality and library yields. Store your samples for months without sacrificing data quality. Get a FREE 10mL bottle today! #genomics #HiC
🔗https://hubs.la/Q03yhGWf0
🔗https://hubs.la/Q03yhGWf0
July 23, 2025 at 7:48 PM