About
Thomas Bosch is an evolutionary developmental biologist. His research explores the intricate interactions within metaorganisms in a simple model system, the non-senescent cnidarian Hydra.
Cnidarians represent a key transition in the evolution of animal complexity. To study them is therefore critical to our understanding of the origins of developmental mechanisms and their role in more complex organisms including humans; and also to our understanding of the impact of environmental factors, such as microbial interactions, on host performance.
Awards
- Fellow, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin / Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin, 2018
- Koshland Lecture Award, University of Chicago, USA, 2014
- Carl-Friedrich-von-Siemens Foundation Lecture, Munich, 2010
- Doctor "honoris causa" from St. Petersburg State University, Russia, 2004
- Feodor Lynen Fellowship (Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation), 1986
Relevant Publications
Rees, T., Bosch, T., & Douglas, A.E. (2018). How the Microbiome Challenges our Concept of Self. PLoS Biology, 16(2). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005358
Augustin, R., Schröder, K., Murillo Rincón, A.P., Fraune, S.,…& Bosch, T. (2017). A secreted antibacterial neuropeptide shapes the microbiome in Hydra. Nature Communications, 8(1), 698. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00625-1
Murillo-Rincon, A.P., Klimovich, A., Pemöller, E., Taubenheim, J., Augustin, R., & Bosch, T. (2017). Spontaneous body contractions are modulated by the microbiome of Hydra. Scientific Reports, 7(1). Doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-16191-x
Gilbert, S.F., Bosch, T.C. & Ledón-Rettig, C. (2015). Eco-Evo-Devo: developmental symbiosis and developmental plasticity as evolutionary agents. Nature Reviews Genetics, 16(10), 611–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3982
Bosch, T.C., & McFall-Ngai, M.J. (2011). Metaorganisms as the new frontier. Zoology, 114(4), 185–90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2011.04.001