A pleasure attending the workshop “Collective Movement and Pattern Formation: Biology, Modelling and Analysis” at @icms-edinburgh.bsky.social. A fascinating exchange on collective cell migration, pattern formation, mathematical modelling and analytical methods across biology and medicine.

Congratulations @lanevol.bsky.social for your latest publication in @pnas.org showing how hair patterns are organized before birth @genevunige.bsky.social @sciencesunige.bsky.social Press release: unige.ch/medias/en/20... Full text: pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

How mammals get their fur? New research from the Milinkovitch-Tzika lab, published in PNAS, shows that chemotaxis—cells moving toward chemical cues—drives hair follicle precursor self-organization during embryonic development, generating diverse fur patterns across mammals. doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

Chemotactic self-organization captures the dynamics of mammalian hair follicle patterning | PNAS

The spatial patterning of mammalian hair follicle precursors in embryonic skin is most commonly studied in the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus), whe...

doi.org

Just published in @pnasnexus.org : our collaboration with Soft BioRobotics Perception Lab (IIT, Genova) reveals how Asian elephant trunk skin combines protection, grasping and tactile sensing—a blueprint for soft robotic skins. doi.org/10.1093/pnas...

Functional anisotropy of the elephant trunk skin: A biological blueprint for grasping, protection, and tactile sensing

Abstract. Muscular hydrostats, like the elephant trunk, face a fundamental biomechanical conflict between robust protection and delicate manipulation. How

doi.org

Thrilled to shared our new preprint with @djabaudon.bsky.social ! Led by Ilaria Morassut, we explored "the extent to which early brain maturation requires interactions with the outside world". This wouldn't have been possible without our incredible collaborators, specially the @lanevol.bsky.social 🧵

Charles Darwin comes back to life to wish Sir David Attenborough a happy 100th birthday. Our 3.5-min film from the LANE (University of Geneva) celebrates "the man who helped the world fall in love with nature". Happy #AttenboroughDay ! #bbc @biology-unige.bsky.social

An extraordinary guest to celebrate Sir David Attenborough

YouTube video by The LANE channel

youtu.be

Elephants in the spotlight! Two recent features highlight research from the Milinkovitch lab: @quantamagazine.bsky.social on the mechanics behind African elephant skin cracking, and Horizon on how elephant trunk biomechanics inspire versatile soft robotic grippers. www.lanevol.org/news/article...

Modelling the dexterity of the elephant trunk! 🐘 By reducing high-dimensional biological movements into simplified linear relationships, we provide new insights into natural muscle coordination for soft robotics. New in @cp-iscience.bsky.social ! 📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...

Grateful to Nancy Steinacker, Barb Matt, and Bruce Bradley for a wonderful visit to the Linda Hall Library . It was a delight to see so many remarkable works—including first editions of Newton’s Principia and Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

Really glad to see that my talk at the #StowersSeminarSeries resonated so well. Many thanks to Tatjana and everyone at Lab Piotrowski, as well as the PIs, staff, and students who took the time to share their work inspiring. The Stowers Institute is an incredible environment for doing great science.

Stowers Institute@stowersinstitute.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Thank you to @lanevol.bsky.social for joining us for a fantastic #StowersSeminarSeries this week! 🦎 Hosted by the Piotrowski Lab.

Fascinating discussions yesterday at the 2026 Spring Meeting of the German Physical Society @dpgphysik.bsky.social in Dresden. Thanks to Kristian Franze for the invitation to speak about tissue mechanics. Our 3D prints of crocodile embryos sparked a lot of curiosity among researchers and students.

Turn scientific data into tangible objects! Some of our 3D models can be downloaded or ordered as 3D prints at low cost (resin + delivery only). Ideal for teaching, research discussions, or showcasing developmental biology. www.lanevol.org/visual-media... #3DPrinting #ScienceEducation #OpenScience

Discover how our research comes to life in 3D! Explore digital 3D models from surface scanning and volumetric imaging directly on our website. Each model includes scientific context, videos, and VR/AR exploration. 🔗 www.lanevol.org/3d-models #3DModels #ScienceVisualization #OpenScience

Our research on reptile pigmentation is featured on the cover of Genetics 🧬🦎 We uncover how mutations in TYR, SLC24A5, and OCA2 shape hypomelanism in snakes & geckos, revealing modular and flexible melanogenesis. 🔗 academic.oup.com/genetics/art...

Our research on snake skin color patterning is featured in The Scientist! 🐍🎨 Athanasia Tzika explains how comparative genomics and CRISPR-Cas9 revealed the key role of specific genes in establishing corn snake skin color patterns. 🔗 www.the-scientist.com/how-do-snake...

How Do Snakes Get Their Colorful Stripes and Blotches?

Comparing the genomes of snakes with distinct coloration patterns pinpointed the genetic variants that contribute to these intricate designs.

the-scientist.com

Rewatching Prehistoric Planet with my kids and loving how artists #MPCVFX show dinosaurs with scale-by-scale skin colors, similar to some lizards and snakes. Check how our research uncovers the mechanisms behind this phenomenon:

Many thanks to the PhD students and postdocs at D-BSSE in Basel for hosting me in their seminar series — and to the PIs at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, for inspiring conversations. @bsse.ethz.ch @biozentrum.unibas.ch

Wonderful visit to @embl.org Heidelberg! Grateful to Alexandre Aulehla and @aikmi.bsky.social for the invitation and to all the group leaders, post-docs and students for the stimulating discussions. Amazing science and a great community! #EMBL #ScienceTalk #DevelopmentalBiology

🐊 New 90‑second video: watch the digital model of a #crocodile head side‑by‑side with a stunning multi‑material #3Dprint. ▶️ Video: youtu.be/3roeSI-HBbg?... 📖 Nature Article: rdcu.be/d3dnd 🎬 Full explainer (26K+ views, multiple languages): youtube.com/playlist?lis...

From 3D Modelling to 3D Printing - The Movie

YouTube video by The LANE channel

youtu.be

#V4SDBMeeting2025 is family friendly & makes science attractive & accessible to our youngest participants from @sumbalovakoledova.bsky.social lab. Many thanks to Michel C. Milinkovitch @lanevol.bsky.social for the illustrative 3D printed models of 🐊 snout patterning!

Our invited speaker for this session is Michel C. Milinkovitch @lanevol.bsky.social from the University of Geneva @biology-unige.bsky.social, who will be presenting his lab’s multidisciplinary research into Patterning: How Reptiles Got Their Looks! #V4SDB2025 #developmentalbiology #evodevo

Had a great time at @v4sdb.bsky.social 2025 in Slovakia with James Sharpe & Anne Grapin-Botton. Fantastic talks and flawless organization—huge thanks to our wonderful hosts Zuzana Sumbalová Koledová, Dušan Fabián, Marcela Buchtová & Alexandra Špirková! v4sdb2025.img.cas.cz

🐊 Our multilingual video on the mechanics behind crocodile head scale patterning has now reached 25,000+ views! Discover how skin folds—not genes—shape these stunning patterns. 🎥 Watch here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... #CrocodileScales #Science #NaturePaper #Mechanobiology

The mechanics of crocodile head scales patterning - YouTube

youtube.com

🐢 The tortoise head is sculpted by physics and genes! Our new research shows that tortoise head scales form through two distinct processes: 👉 Chemical signaling shapes the sides 👉 Mechanical stress folds the top 🔗 cell.com/iscience/ful... @cellpress.bsky.social @biology-unige.bsky.social

Chemical and mechanical patterning of tortoise skin scales occur in different regions of the head

Biological sciences; Zoology; Evolutionary biology

cell.com

The distinctive pattern of scales on the face and jaws of crocodiles is formed by a precise mechanical process of skin folding, according to a OA study in @nature.com: http://spklr.io/63328fZXu #Science #Evolution #Crocodiles

📻Interview du Prof. Milinkovitch @lanevol.bsky.social pour la #RTS : Les écailles de tortue se forment de deux façons www.rts.ch/audio-podcas... @genevunige.bsky.social

Les écailles de tortue se forment de deux façons

Chez les vertébrés, la formation des plumes, des poils et des écailles est généralement dictée par des facteurs génétiques moléculaires. Les écailles situées sur la tête des crocodiles font exception,...

rts.ch

Excited to share our new research in @cp-iscience.bsky.social! We reveal that tortoise head scales are sculpted through two distinct developmental processes - chemical signalling and mechanical folding 🐢🔬🧪 @lanevol.bsky.social @genevunige.bsky.social www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

Chemical and mechanical patterning of tortoise skin scales occur in different regions of the head

Biological sciences; Zoology; Evolutionary biology

cell.com

Hanging out with Stanislav Smirnov in 'Les Diablerets' (Switzerland). Great speakers at the workshop organised by Karsten Kruse and Jean-Pierre Eckmann. indico.global/event/9640/r... Will we come up with a math theory of biology?

Can Turing and Ising models explain lizard skin color patterns—and be reconciled? 🦎📐 We bridge microscopic cell interactions & macroscopic scale patterns across evolutionary divergent lizards. 👉 www.lanevol.org/news/article... #EvoDevo #TuringPatterns #IsingModel #MathematicalBiology

🚨 We make the cover of Open Biology! Boosting sonic hedgehog signalling in chicken embryos flips the script of skin patterning—chemical pre-patterns give way to mechanical folding. 🧬 From Turing to tissue mechanics. 🧪 ➡️ royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #shh #DevBio @royalsociety.org

Exacerbated sonic hedgehog signalling promotes a transition from chemical pre-patterning of chicken reticulate scales to mechanical skin folding | Open Biology

Many examples of self-organized embryonic patterning can be attributed to chemically mediated systems comprising interacting morphogens. However, mechanical patterning also contributes to the emergenc...

royalsocietypublishing.org