My name is Petra Kovacikova, I’m a PhD student in Andreas Hejnol’s lab at the University of Bergen, Norway. My current project is focused on the understanding of germline determination modes across Metazoa. I’m trying to gain a fuller picture and hopefully know more about the evolutionary origin of these mechanisms by exploring some understudied invertebrates. Although I’m very much into the relationship of germline, stem cells and embryonic mesodermal precursors, my scientific interest also lies in the general aspect of cell fate specification, the evolution of cell types and science outreach. I’m a part of a great Horizon2020 EvocellITN where we explore most of these topics and blog about them. I completed my previous studies in Prague, Czech Republic where I had a chance to look into the effect of asymmetric RNA localization on the patterning of the frog embryo using qPCR tomography in the Laboratory of gene expression at the Institute of Biotechnology.