Ctenopalooza Ctwo – a meeting of those interested in ctenophores About the meetingThe past decade has seen remarkable advances in our understanding of these fascinating animals—spanning genomics, cell and developmental biology, neurobiology, systematics, ecology, population biology, and evolution. With new experimental systems, comparative genomic resources, and growing attention to ctenophores’ ecological and phylogenetic significance, the time is ideal to bring together researchers from diverse disciplines to integrate these discoveries and identify new frontiers.A meeting that unites experts across neural, developmental, and cellular systems; molecular and physiological processes; ecological interactions; and evolutionary and biodiversity studies will help synthesize knowledge across scales—from molecules and cells to populations and ecosystems—and to foster collaborations that advance a truly integrative understanding of ctenophore biology.We are also inviting scientific communicators and illustrators in the hopes that collaborations will generate more stories, media, publications, and public interest in the amazing ctenophores. Funding from the Dalio Philanthropies will support these experts to attend this workshop. Equally important, the meeting will offer trainees and early-career scientists an invaluable opportunity to engage with established investigators, exchange ideas, and shape the next decade of discovery. DirectionsMBARI is located in Moss Landing, halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey off Highway 1. The Moss Landing power plant is a visible landmark just inland of Moss Landing Harbor. From Highway 1, turn West (toward the ocean) onto Moss Landing Road. Turn on Sandholdt Road and cross the bridge. MBARI is on the west side of the road (The building with the glass front doors). You can park in any of the open parking spots inside the parking lot. The building is locked but you can ring the doorbell for access or we will have someone at the front door in the morning to let you into the building. ScheduleThe draft schedule for this meeting is below. Abstracts for the talks can be found here.And for fun – can you ID all the ctenophores on our shirt? Google form or QR Code aboveDaily Schedule of Talks and EventsMONDAY • 24 Aug 202609:00Welcome & opening remarks09:15Should the phylogenetic position of Ctenophora be controversial?Nathan V. Whelan09:30A Tale of Two Bumps: the Story of Ctenophore ProtrusionsJoseph Ryan, Yuriy Bobkov, Leslie Babonis, Yuma Tani, Kogiku Shiba, Kazuo Inaba09:45A new un-ctenophoreGustav Paulay, Claudia E. Mills, Larissa Frühe, Vincent Pieribone, F. Benzoni, Kevin Kocot10:00Uncovering the hidden diversity of Beroid Ctenophores in the World Ocean.Nicholas Bezio, Steve Haddock, Dhugal Lindsay, Claudia Mills, Allen Collins10:15Euplokamis dunlapae and the ancestral ctenophore karyotypeD.T. Schultz, S.H.D. Haddock10:30Coffee break11:00FEATURED One Animal, Many Problems for NeurobiologyPawel Burkhardt11:30New ctenos in the pipeline? Fossils?Steven Haddock, Claudia Mills, Shannon Johnson, and others depending on the species11:45Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Is an Ancestral Hallmark of Early Development in AnimalsLabib Rouhana, Allison Edgar, Fredrik Hugosson, Valeria Dountcheva, Mark Q. Martindale, and Joseph F. Ryan.12:00The organization of the tentacle of adult Mnemiopsis is not what you think!Anthony Moss and Gen Dong12:15Lunch (hosted)14:00FEATURED Morphogenesis of the cydippid-to-lobate transitionYinghui Wang, Elias Joseph, Orianna Duh, Phillip M. Barden, Allison Edgar14:30Reconstructing cell-type specification in Mnemiopsis from scRNAseq timecourseN. Padillo-Anthemides, Y. Bobkov, F. Hugosson, B. Foster, M.Q. Martindale, K. Inaba, R. Bacher, J.F. Ryan14:45The curious case of Mnemiopsis leidyi: first evidence of reverse development in CtenophoraJoan J. Soto-Angel, Pawel Burkhardt15:00Molecular components of ctenophore comb platesMio Kosaka, Yu Sato, Ke Jokura, Kogiku Shiba, Kazuo Inaba15:15Building a molecular atlas of the ctenophore comb plateKazuo Inaba, Miguel Leung15:30Coffee break1600Greeting from MBARI President Antje Boetius16:05LIGHTNING Characterization of novel ctenophore photoproteins using transcriptomics and biochemical approachesLena Vincent, Isabelle Santiago, Anik Grearson, Steve Haddock16:10LIGHTNING Combing the deep: what ctenophores can teach us about deep sea cell membranes Anik Grearson, Jacob Winnikoff, Itay Budin, Steven Haddock16:15LIGHTNING Opsins in CtenophoresNatasha Picciani, Steven Haddock16:20LIGHTNING Environmental zinc causes a highly specific hatching defect in ctenophoresElias Joseph, Yinghui Wang, Orianna Duh, Allison Edgar16:25LIGHTNING The 9 stages of MnemiopsisAnthony Moss16:30LIGHTNING The ctenophores Hormiphora and Pleurobrachia are the same but different.Shannon B. Johnson, Claudia E. Mills, Jacob R. Winnikoff, Darrin T. Schultz, Sanna Majaneva, Anela Choy, Anik Grearson, and Steven H.D. Haddock16:35LIGHTNING Ctenophore’s molecular response to hypoxiaPedro G. Suzuki, Antonio C. Marques, Mark Q. Martindale.16:45Poster session, Blackwater video, & welcome mixer POSTER Spontaneous Rhythmic Electrical Activity in Mnemiopsis leidyiGen Dong, Anthony Moss POSTER Characterizing gene expression during gastrovascular canal development in Mnemiopsis leidyiJason S Presnell, Nicasio S Jurani, Allie M Graham POSTER Prey sensingMariana Rodriguez-Santiago and Kei Jokura POSTER Assessment of presence and diet of ctenophores in NantucketValeria Dountcheva, Labib Rouhana18:00Dinner (hosted)TUESDAY • 25 Aug 202609:00FEATURED Cilia, Circuits, and Behavior in CtenophoresKei Jokura09:30Expansion of the C1A cysteine peptidase family plays dual roles in development and innate immunity in the ctenophore MnemiopsisGracie Scheve, Ingrid Miranda Perez, Lauren Vandepas, Kevin H. Wong, William E. Browne09:45From hidden homology to antimicrobial function: saposin-like peptides in Mnemiopsis phagocytesIngrid Miranda Perez, Gracie Scheve, Kevin H. Wong, Antoni Luque, Cynthia Silveira, William E. Browne10:00Structural and functional properties of the complete reference genome for the MV31 laboratory strain of Mnemiopsis leidyiSteven S. Plotkin, William E. Browne, Matt R. K. Peng, Pranav Garg, Charlotte Barclay, Gabriel Dall’Alba10:15Early diversification of metazoan molecular immune defense programs and immune-competent cells informed by Mnemiopsis gene expression and cell behaviorLauren E. Vandepas, Kevin H. Wong, Ingrid Miranda Perez, Gracie Scheve, William E. Browne10:30Coffee break11:00The Rhythm of the OceanJeff Milisen11:15Highly impactful predation of oceanic ctenophores – What’s their secret?Sean Colin, Jack Costello, Brad Gemmell, Mande Holford, Kelly Sutherland11:30Ctenophore Culturing and Husbandry MethodsMacKenzie Bubel & Tommy Knowles11:45Creation of a mobile oxygen minimum zone holding system for deep sea midwater speciesEvan Firl12:00Cteno Ctube: Closing the Life Cycle of Leucothea in CultureWyatt Patry12:15Lunch (hosted) and Aquaculture roundtable13:30FEATURED Ctenophore diversityClaudia E. Mills14:00Swim Down: Finding Neurodivergent Identity in the DepthsLilianna Watson, illustrations by Freya Hammar14:15Increasing Public Engagement with Ctenophores through Art and Outreach in the Salish SeaJamie Andersen M Fields14:30Integration of STEAM concepts for ctenophore visibility and outreachKip Howell14:45LIGHTNING – Braiding Science & Story: Connecting People to Ocean Science Through Digital MediaCalista Kerba14:50LIGHTNING – Science and Discovery: A Human StoryMarike Pinsonneault15:00Roundtable: What is up with ctenophores? Polarity, development, and historical baggage15:30Closing remarks & white paper discussionWEDNESDAY • 26 Aug 202609:00Aquarium JellyLab tour12:00Depart FAQ What does registration cover? Registration covers all meals and snacks on Monday and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday. We strongly encourage everyone to stay for the full meeting (plan to end in the late afternoon on Tuesday) and enjoy dinner on your own or with colleagues Tuesday night. How do we get to Monterey (and the hotels)? MBARI is located between Santa Cruz and Monterey in the town of Moss Landing (approx 20 km from each city). Airports you can fly into include:San Francisco Airport (about 2.5 hours from downtown Monterey and 2 hours from Moss Landing)San Jose Airport (about 1.5 hours from downtown Monterey and slightly less to Moss Landing) Monterey Airport (about 15 minutes from downtown Monterey and 20 minutes to Moss Landing). You can rent cars to get to Monterey or Moss Landing. There is also an airport shuttle between San Francisco, San Jose, and downtown Monterey. – What hotels are available for the meeting? We have two different hotels saving rooms for the conference. These special rates are no longer available. We encourage participants to arrive on Sunday night (we will start Monday morning) and depart on Weds (we will end late afternoon on Tuesday). It might be possible to arrange a visit to the jelly lab at Monterey Bay Aquarium on Wednesday. Inn at Moss Landing PointThis is a relatively new hotel right in Moss Landing next to Highway 1 and a flat 20 minute walk to MBARI. They have a limited number of rooms and the cost varies with the type of room with the most expensive being $351 (plus taxes) for three nights. There is not a lot going on in the little town of Moss Landing. There is a special promo code for your attendees at www.innatmosslandingpoint.com. The promo code Ctenopalooza can be entered in the “Promo Code” field when booking. This exclusive offer provides 15% off our already low rates as a thank-you for the advance notice. The rate is based on availability, so I recommend that attendees book sooner rather than later to secure the best pricing. We’ve also included shoulder dates for those who’d like to extend their visit — up to a week total — with the option to arrive a few days before or stay a few days after the event.Casa Munras Garden Hotel & SpaCasa Munras is a short walk from the shuttle stop and right off of the highway exit and we have reserved 10 rooms with a King bed and 10 rooms with two Queen beds (both at the rate of $189/night) so if you share a room, it is only $95/night each (plus taxes). Here is the link for booking a room. This hotel is ~20 km south of MBARI and we will help arrange carpools to get everyone to the meeting.Experience a charming boutique hotel in the heritage district of Old Town Monterey, CA. Picturesque gardens, hacienda-style buildings, and reimagined guestrooms and suites pay homage to our Spanish heritage. You will be pleased to know that we were voted Best Hotel in Monterey County, 2023 and have been providing our genuine hospitality since 1824. Will this workshop be offered virtually? No, this workshop will be in-person only Tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium We are coordinating a short tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Jelly Lab on Weds. Specific details will be shared at the meeting. Scientific Communicators, Illustrators, Photographers We have been able to secure funding for up to ten (10) US participants to participate in this workshop. If you are interested in this, please contact George Matsumoto. Selected participants will be reimbursed for all expenses (travel, lodging, registration). Participants will be asked to present a poster or talk, or participate in a discussion panel regarding potential collaborations with researchers. Date August 24 - 25, 2026 Time All day Monday and Tuesday Location MBARI7700 Sandholdt RoadMoss Landing, CA 95039 Parking Limited free public parking is available along the streets. The nearby Moss Landing Harbor District also offers some parking for a fee.