Bergen

Fruit flies are often thought of as an annoying pest, feasting on the forgotten bananas at the bottom of the fruit bowl. However, they are actually an important model organism, having been used for research since 1910.
Not convinced? Let me tell you about fruit flies and their contributions to modern society, not to mention the multiple Nobel prizes attributed to discoveries from flies. I will then move onto how we use them in research and why we still are over 100 years later. Finally I will speak about how I use them as tiny warriors against cancer.

Jellyfish are often seen as a nuisance, a pest, and feared for terrifying encounters that can ruin a nice day at the beach. Even within the research community, jellyfish were perceived as not so relevant in the food webs and the clear winners of the global climate change. However, jellyfish are a very diverse group playing key roles in marine ecosystems, and from which we can learn many lessons about the health of our planet. In polar regions, jellyfish share their cool home with many other fascinating life forms that thrive in these difficult conditions. Among them, a few species are present in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, the so-called bipolar jellyfish. But, are they really the same species? During the talk, we will travel to the poles to discover the hidden diversity of polar (and bipolar) jellyfish, and the associated challenges of studying fragile, transparent creatures living in these extreme environments.

Heatwaves during summer are rapidly becoming the norm for all of us. Such heatwaves are not only found over land, with heatwaves in the ocean - termed marine heatwaves - becoming more frequent due to climate change. Marine heatwaves have become a major concern in climate change research largely due to their impact on marine organisms. Recently, evidence has emerged showing an increase in marine heatwaves in the Arctic Ocean. However, patterns of marine heatwaves in the Arctic Ocean remain relatively understudied. This talk will give a brief introduction to how we can define a marine heatwave and provide evidence of an increase in marine heatwaves in the Arctic Ocean. This talk will also discuss the potential impacts of marine heatwaves on marine organisms in the Arctic Ocean who do not have the luxury of switching on the AC during a heatwave.

Chemical cues determine whether an organism consumes, fights with, runs from, or mates with the creatures next to them. As well as whether they are eaten by, infected by, or overgrown by natural enemies. Dive into the world of marine chemical ecology with me as I explore some of the chemical conversations taking place under the surface of our oceans, and how our changing oceans may be influencing them.