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2. Mehr S, Castoe T, Daly M, Jungo F, Kirchhoff KN, Koludarov I, Mackessy SP, Macrander J, Naidu P, Modica MV, Sanchez EE, Zancolli G, Holford M. (2026) A Proposed Unified, Scalable Platform for Integrative Research on Venomous Species. Gigascience giaf153. https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giaf153

3. Nocella E, Fassio G, Lemarcis T, Zaharias P, Tamagnini D, De Leo N, Puillandre N, Modica MV, Oliverio M (2026) A phylogenomic and morphometric reassessment of Ovulidae highlights host-related shell shape evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 217:108545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2026.108545

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7. Ringeval A, Modica MV, Kantor Y, Jimenez Tenorio M, Garcia Galindo JC, Puillandre N, Farhat S (2026) Multi-omics characterization of toxin expression and producing organs in the predatory gastropods Monoplex corrugatus and Stramonita haemastoma. BMC Genomics 10.1186/s12864-026-12592-3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-026-12592-3

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• Aguzzi J, Chatzidouros E, Chatzievangelou D, Clavel-Henry M, Flögel S, Bahamon N, Tangerlini M, Thomsen L, Picardi G, Navarro J, Masmitja I, Robinson N, Nattkemper T, Stefanni S, et al. (2025) A digital-twin strategy using robots for marine ecosystem monitoring. Ecological Informatics 91: 103409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103409

• Albano PG, Kallmeyer SKC, Vetina AA, Tibiriça Y, De Abreu DC, Modica MV (2025) A unique historical baseline uncovers harvesting impacts on intertidal molluscs at Inhaca Island, southern Mozambique. ICES Journal of Marine Science 82(11): fsaf206. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaf206

• Altieri F, Smaldone G, Sarnacchiaro G, Negueruela S, Scotto Di Fasano M, Mirabelli P, Cianflone A, De Matteo A, Beneduce G, Parasole R, Salvatore M, Buono L (2025) Identification of a circular RNA isoform of WASHC2A as a prognostic factor for high-risk paediatric B-ALL patients. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 177: 116903. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116903

• Annona G, Tarallo A, Locatello L, De Luca P, Modica MV (2025) Morphology of spines and milking practices in venomous fishes. Discover Animals 2: 53.
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• Anselmi C, Sepe RM, Manni L, Sordino P (2025) Editorial: Tunicates in ecological developmental biology. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 13: 1549081. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1549081

• Arrigoni R, Desiderà E, Bava S, Morri C, Bianchi CN, Guidetti P (2025) A peculiar coral formation in the Mediterranean Sea, and its associated biota. Ecology 106(6): e70097. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70097

• Báez JC, Akyol O, Azzurro E, Battaglia P, Belmonte-Gallegos A, Christidis G, Crocetta F, Dalyan C, Gönül Y, Grati F, Greco S, Gubili C, Kesici NB, Lipej L, Mancini E, Mavric B, Orenes-Salazar V, Ceacero JAO, Pipitone C, Poursandinis D, Romeo T, et al. (2025) New records of rarely reported species in the Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Marine Science 26. https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.40675

• Bagnoli S, Drago DL, Astoricchio E, Chiavacci E, Fronte B, Cellerino A, Terzibasi Tozzini E (2025) Comparative Analysis of Localization and Composition of Adult Neurogenic Niches in the Chondrichthyans Raja asterias and Torpedo ocellata. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 26(8): 3563. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26083563

• Battaglia P, Malara D, Pedà C, Ciraolo D, Romeo T (2025) Temporal changes in the diet composition of swordfish, Xiphias gladius (Linnaeus, 1758), in a Mediterranean foraging and reproductive ground. Mar. Environ. Res. 213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107724

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• Boni R, Ruggiero R, De Luca F, Preziosi G, Ferrara MA, Ostuni A, Guerriero S, Gallo A, Murano C, Cecchini Gualandi S (2025) Enhancing Stallion Semen Cryopreservation: Selected Antioxidant Extracts and Sperm Freezability. Antioxidants 14(11): 1363. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14111363

• Bosso L, Raffini F, Ambrosino L, Panzuto R, Gili C, Chiusano ML, Miralto M (2025) Geoportals in Marine Spatial Planning: state of the art and future perspectives. Ocean and Coastal Management 266: 107688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107688

• Bosso L, Saviano S, Abagnale M, Bellardini, Bolinesi F, Botte V, Buondonno A, Carotenuto Y, Casotti R, Chiusano ML, Cipolletta F, Conversano F, De Domenico F, Del Gaizo G, Donnarumma V, Furia M, Iudicone D, Kokoszka F, Laface F, Licandro P, Mangoni O, Margiotta F, Mazzocchi MG, Miralto M, Montresor M, Pansera M, Pedà C, Percopo I, Raffini F, Russo L, Romeo T, Saggiomo M, Sarno D, Trano AC, Vannini J, Vargiu M, Zampicinini G, Zingone A, Cianelli D, D'Alelio D (2025) GIS-based integration of marine data for assessment and management of a highly anthropized coastal area. Scientific Reports 5: 16200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00206-z

• Breedveld MC, Borgheresi O, Devigili A, Gasparini C (2025) Stunned by a heatwave: experimental heatwaves alter juvenile responsiveness to the threat of predation. Ecology and Evolution 15: e71447. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71447

• Casale C, Colella A, Cruoglio M, Mirra S, Iaccarino E, Lioi MB, Fusco F, Sandomenico A, Leonardi A, Zazzeroni F, Pescatore A (2025) GADD45β inhibits RIPK3-mediated NF-κB activation by interfering with NEMO-RIPK1-RIPK3 interactions. Cell Death Discovery 12(1): 41. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41420-025-02894-y

• Castoe TA, Daly M, Jungo F, Kirchhoff KN, Koludarov I, Mackessy S, Macrander S, Mehr S, Modica MV, Sanchez EE, Zancolli G, Holford M (2025) A Vision for VenomsBase: An Integrated Knowledgebase for the Study of Venoms and Their Applications. Integrative Organismal Biology 7(1): obaf026. https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obaf026

• Chianese T, Galati M, Cappello T, Maisano M, Lettieri G, Marinaro C, Piscopo M, Fasciolo G, Gravato C, Napolitano G, Paolella G, Locascio A, Scudiero R, Rosati L (2025) Exploring the impact of polystyrene microplastic beads on male gonads of the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Environmental Toxicology. https://doi.org/10.1002/tox.24581

• Chiappa G, Fassio G, Modica MV, Hoarau A, Le Quément M, Puillandre N, Oliverio M (2025) Sexual dimorphism and geographic polymorphism in Raphitoma purpurea (Neogastropoda: Raphitomidae). Journal of Molluscan Studies 91(3): eyaf002. https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyaf002

• Chiappa G, Fassio G, Modica MV, Puillandre N, Oliverio M (2025) What Is the Population Structure of Poecilogonic Species? Evidence From Large-Scale Genotyping in a Neogastropod Lineage (Conoidea: Raphitoma). Molecular Ecology 34: e70170. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.70170

• Chiavacci E, Camera R, Costa M, Fronte B, Terzibasi Tozzini E, Cellerino A (2025) Nerve Growth Factor Receptor (NGFR/p75NTR) of the Small-Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula): Evolutionary Conservation and Brain Function. Journal Comparative Neurology 533(4): e70049. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70049

• Chiavacci E, Steffensen KF, Delaroche P, Astoricchio E, Poulsen AB, Brayson D, Garibaldi F, Lanteri L, Pinali C, Valente GR, Vignati F, Steffensen JF, Shiels H, Terzibasi Tozzini E, Cellerino A (2025) Resilience to cardiac aging in Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus. bioRxiv 2025.12.20.695706. https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.20.695706

• Clavel-Henry M, Flögel S, Toma Mihai D, Llorach-Tó G, Bahamon N, Picardi G, Francescangeli M, Quevedo J, Robinson N, Ferrari M, Chatzievangelou D, Sánchez-Márquez A, Espina P, Ribera-Altimir J, Mirimin L, Woo S, Nattkemper TW, Fanelli E, Gambi C, Gallegati S, Marcellini F, De Luca P, Stefanni S, Vignesh G, Menon VG, Rossius JE, de Lecea AM, Costa C, Aguzzi J (2025) A roadmap for designing a virtual interface to explore a digital twin of the oceans for marine ecosystems monitoring. Ecological Informatics 92: 103483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103483

• Cocurullo M, Kirwan JD, Arnone MI (2025) Phenotypic response to food availability in sea urchin larvae and impact of light during development and growth. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 13: 1548208. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1548208

• Coscia MR, Marino R, Melillo D (2025) Editorial: Cell-mediated innate immunity in aquatic invertebrates and fish: what's new? Frontiers in Immunology 16: 1749877. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1749877

• De Vincenzis L, Battaglia P, Palummo V, Milisenda G, Canese S, Cardone F, Pica D, Salvati E, Stenico F, Consoli P, Costa V, Giova A, Greco S, Romeo T (2025) No place to hide: Assessing habitat shifts of Benthocometes robustus from Cold-Water corals to marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Environmental Research 214: 107773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107773

• De Vivo G, Pelettier E, Feuda R, D'Aniello S (2025) An ocean of opsins. Genome Biology and Evolution 17(11): evaf189. https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf189

• Di Carluccio C, Nieto-Fabregat F, Cerofolini L, Abreu C, Padilla-Cortés L, Gheorghita GR, Masi AA, Buono L, Gumah Adam Ali M, Lamprinaki D, Molinaro A, Juge N, Smaldone G, Vaněk O, Fragai M, Marchetti R, Silipo A (2025) Fusobacterium nucleatum Lipopolysaccharides O-Antigen Defines a Novel Siglec7 Binding Epitope. JACS Au 5(11): 5367-5380. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00810

• Di Fraia D, Marino A, Lee JH, Kelmer Sacramento E, Baumgart M, Bagnoli S, Balla T, Schalk F, Kamrad S, Guan R, Caterino C, Giannuzzi C, Tomaz da Silva P, Sahu AK, Gut H, Siano G, Tiessen M, Terzibasi Tozzini E, Fornasiero EF, Gagneur J, Englert C, Patil KR, Correia-Melo C, Nedialkova DD, Frydman J, Cellerino A, Ori A (2025) Altered translation elongation contributes to key hallmarks of aging in the killifish brain. Science 389(6759): eadk3079. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk3079

• Domínguez-Pérez D, Agüero-Chapin G, Leone S, Modica MV (2025) SeqLengthPlot v2.0: an all-in-one, easy-to-use tool for visualizing and retrieving sequence lengths from FASTA files. Bioinformatics Advances 5(1): vbae183. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioadv/vbae183

• Fedosov AE, Zaharias P, Lemarcis T, Modica MV, Holford M, Oliverio M, Kantor YI, Puillandre N (2025) Phylogenomics of Neogastropoda: The Backbone Hidden in the Bush. Systematic Biology 73(3): 521-531. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syae010

• Ferri S, Evrard A, Canese S, Romeo T, Greco S, Passarelli A, Favaro L, Caruso F (2025) A wave glider for passive acoustic monitoring of cetaceans and anthropogenic sources in the central Mediterranean Sea. Scientific Reports 16: 2347. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32142-3

• Fossi MC, Baini M, Galli M, Tepsich P, Grossi F, Concato M, Giani D, Rosso M, Borroni A, Romeo T, Panti C (2025) Biodiversity at risk in the SPAMI Pelagos Sanctuary: The impact of marine litter on biota. The Science Total Environment 964: 178527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178527

• Gambardella C, Fernández-Corredor E, Moro S, Echwiki K, Jenrette JF, Lemsi C, Schallert RJ, Shea BD, Chatti Zammit M, Cerrano C, Colloca F, Romeo T, Navarro J, Ferretti F (2025) Trophic niche partitioning between the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the central Mediterranean Sea. Wildlife Research 52: WR25028. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR25028

• Giova A, Peda C, Pica D, Greco S, Romeo T, Spanò N (2025) Identifying a Suitable Digestion Protocol for Microplastic Extraction from Isidella elongata (Esper, 1788): New Insights for cold-water corals. Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics 1: 100009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazmp.2025.100009

• Gleadall IG, Villanueva R, Barord GJ, Doubleday Z, Aguado-Giménez F, Akiyama N, Almansa E, Ames CL, Arkhipkin A, Avendaño O, Barrett C, Fiorito G, Imperadore P, Ponte G, et al. (2025) A balanced approach to the potential of octopus aquaculture. Marine Policy 179: 106682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106682

• Gruber CW, Beets I, Boudreault PL, Bolzani VDS, Carlsson J, Fernandes PA, Freissmuth M, Gilles N, Göransson U, Hauser AS, Heinis C, Kool J, Lubell WD, Modica MV, Selent J, Tytgat J, Undheim EAB (2025) Biodiversity2Drugs-Renaissance of exploring nature-derived peptides for GPCR ligand discovery. Br. J. Pharmacol. 182(16): 3691-3694. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.70072

• Gugliandolo E, Mghili B, Fabrizi F, Gunasekaran K, Smedile F, Inferrera F, Natale S, Romeo T, Arcadi E, Habib SS, Azzaro M, Bottari T, Mancuso M (2025) Antibiotic and Heavy Metal Resistance in Marine Bacteria from Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea): Insights from Wild Fish and Environmental Samples. Animals 16: 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16010051

• Holzinger C, Ritschard EA, Imperadore P, Ponte G, Albertin CB, Fiorito G, Simakov O (2025) Characterization of C2H2 superfamily expansions in cephalopods and their contribution to nervous system evolution. iScience 113561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113561

• Iannello M, Piccinini G, Salatiello F, Forni G, Nicolini F, Valdrè U, Martini M, Martelossi J, Ghiselli F, D'Aniello E, Milani L (2025) New insights into mitochondrial segregation from the Doubly Uniparental Inheritance system in bivalves. BMC Biology 23: 371. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02459-6

• Ikonomopoulou MP, Anderluh G, Coskun S, Merello Luna F, Modica MV, Prochazka J, Rivera-de-Torre E, Tarallo A, Violette A (2025) Patentability of natural products from Venomous Organisms: A guide for life science researchers. Toxicon 269: 108927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108927

• Leone S, Giugliano R, Borgonuovo C, Chiodo F, Molinaro A, Zannella C, De Filippis A, Galdiero M, van Kooyk Y, De Chiara S, Magnabosco C, Di Lorenzo F, Romano G (2025) Structural insights and bioactivity of a cell wall sulfated polysaccharide from the marine diatom Cyclotella cryptica. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 311: 143611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.143611

• Limatola N, Pirozzi M, Caramiello D, Chun JT, Santella L (2025) The Binding of Concanavalin A to the Surface of Intact and Denuded Sea Urchin Eggs Affects the Fertilization Process by Altering the Structural Dynamics of Actin Filaments. Cells 14(23): 1867. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14231867

• Logan JM, Butler CM, Fuller L, Staudinger MD, Hoffmayer ER, Hanisko D, Varela JL, Medina A, de la Serna JM, Godoy D, Macías D, Golet W, Chase B, MacKenzie BR, Olafsdottir D, Nadeau S, Rodríguez-Marín E, Ciavaglia E, Tinti F, Battaglia P, Romeo T, Andaloro F, Sinopoli M, Karakulak FS, Salman A, Pleizier N, Goñi N, Arrizabalaga H, Itoh T, Ortiz de Zárate V, Jansen T (2025) Characterizing the diet of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus across its spatial range: a metadata analysis spanning over three decades. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 763: 127-155. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14875

• Mager S, Manfellotto F, Ruggero A, Di Tuccio V, Cerino F, Accoroni S, Nishimura T, Mikhno M, Fattorini N, Demarstia TT, Arapov A, Skejic S, Rhodes L, Smith K, Longo A, Manzari C, Campbell L, Pesole G, Sanges R, Raffini F, Ruggero MV, Russo MT, Montresor M, Ferrante MI (2025) Genomic diversity in time and space in the toxic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata. Harmful Algae 142: 102791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2024.102791

• Magri MS, Voronov D, Foley S, Martínez-García PM, Franke M, Cary GA, Santos-Pereira JM, Cuomo C, Fernández-Moreno M, Portela M, Gil-Galvez A, Acemel RD, Paganos P, Ku C, Ranđelović J, Rusciano ML, Firbas PN, Gómez-Skarmeta JL, Hinman VF, Arnone MI, Maeso I (2025) Deep conservation of cis-regulatory elements and chromatin organization in echinoderms uncover ancestral regulatory features of animal genomes. Nature Ecology and Evolution 10: 355–371. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02941-y

• Modica MV, Leone S, Gerdol M, Greco S, Aurelle D, Oliverio M, Fassio G, El Koulali K, Barrachina C, Dutertre S (2025) The proteotranscriptomic characterization of venom in the white seafan Eunicella singularis elucidates the evolution of Octocorallia arsenal. Open Biology 15(3): 250015. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.250015

• Montalbetti E, Seveso D, Farina S, Bava S, Carta E, Castellano L, Galli P, Isa V, Louis YD, Marzaioli R, Moccia D, Papa S, Rutigliano FA, Tamburello L, Arrigoni R (2025) Wildfire ash undermines the physiology of the Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa. Marine Environmental Research 215: 107817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107817

• Natarajan O, Gibboney SL, Youn MN, Lim SJ, Nguyen F, Pluta N, Atkinson CGF, Liberti A, Kees ED, Leigh BA, Breitbart M, Gralnick JA, Dishaw LJ (2025) Prophage regulation of Shewanella fidelis 3313 motility and biofilm formation with implications for gut colonization dynamics in Ciona robusta. eLife 14: RP103107. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.103107

• Negro N, McGill RAR, Borgheresi O, Badalamenti F, Locatello L, Zenone A, Willis T (2025) Stable isotope values from teleost fin membrane as a non-lethal substitute for muscle tissue. Hydrobiologia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-025-06005-x

• Nieto-Fabregat F, Mercogliano M, Cangiano A, Vitiello G, Andretta E, Clifton LA, Vanacore A, Buono L, Campanero-Rhodes MA, Solís D, Di Carluccio C, Pecoraro G, Molinaro A, Smaldone G, Kim JK, Kim DH, Paduano L, Di Lorenzo F, Silipo A (2025) Structure of the Lipopolysaccharide from Paenalcaligenes hominis: A Chemical Perspective on Immune Recognition. JACS Au 5(7): 3311-3327. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00441

• Nydam ML, Gamble D, Gordon T, Hiebert LS, Hutchings B, Liberti A, Mondal J, Moody K, Olhasso M, Popsuj S, Sato A, Oğul Ünal FN, Di Gregorio A (2025) The Second International Symposium on Women in Tunicate Biology. Genesis 63: e70028. https://doi.org/10.1002/dvg.70028

• Paganos P, Arnone M (2025) In preprints: cell type-specific gene regulation through the lens of echinoderms. Development 152: dev205306. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.205306

• Paganos P, Ullrich-Lüter J, Almazán A, Voronov D, Carl J, Zakrzewski AC, Zemann B, Rusciano ML, Sancerni T, Schauer M, Akar O, Caccavale F, Cocurullo M, Benvenuto G, Croce JC, Lüter C, Arnone MI (2025) Single-nucleus profiling highlights the all-brain echinoderm nervous system. Science Advanced 11: eadx7753. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx7753

• Palummo V, Milisenda G, Pica D, Canese S, Salvati E, De Vincenzis L, Battaglia P, Spanò N, Romeo T, Greco S (2025) Ecological role of benthic Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) indicator taxa on soft bottoms. Scientific Reports 15: 26654. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-10243-3

• Paolella G, Pontoni L, Locascio A, Sirakov M, Scivicco M, Fabbricino M (2025) Evaluation of potential bioaccumulation of Bisphenol A in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. J Environ Manage. 382: 125295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125295

• Pecoraro G, Leone I, Nuzzo S, Negueruela S, Smaldone G, Buono L (2025) Co-modulation of a circular form of PCDH11Y during neuroendocrine differentiation of prostate cancer. Frontiers in Oncology 15: 1502405. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2025.1502405

• Pedà C, Malara D, Longo F, Laface F, Battaglia P, Berti C, Consoli P, Ponte G, Andrews P, Greco S, Romeo T (2025) Microplastic occurrence in the digestive system and health status assessment in a commercially important cephalopod species, Sepia officinalis from the Gulf of Patti (southern Tyrrhenian Sea). Marine Pollution Bulletin 214: 117780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117780

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• Tibone M, Cariou T, O'Donnell C, Stefanni S, Aguzzi J, O'Neill B, Reid D, Mirimin L (2024) Towards the integration of environmental DNA analysis to profile the upper mesopelagic fish layer in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. ICES Journal of Marine Science 81(10): fsae152. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae152

• Toma M, Giova A, Bo M, Canese S, Enrichetti F, Romeo T, Salvati E, Greco S (2024) Outstanding Aggregation of the Atlantic Brisingid Hymenodiscus coronata (Sars, 1871) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Strait of Sicily. Diversity 16: 238. https://doi.org/10.3390/d16040238

• Ullmann CV, Arnone MI, Jimenez-Guri E (2024) Natural sea water and artificial sea water are not equivalent in plastic leachate contamination studies. Open Research Europe 4: 59. https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.17112.3
• Vassalli QA, Fasano G, Nittoli V, Gagliardi E, Sepe RM, Donizetti A, Aniello F, Sordino P, Kelsh R, Locascio A (2024) The Zebrafish Retina and the Evolution of the Onecut-Mediated Pathway in Cell Type Differentiation. Cells 13: 2071. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13242071

• Voronov D, Paganos P, Magri MS, Cuomo C, Maeso I, Gómez-Skarmeta JL, Arnone MI (2024) Integrative multi-omics increase resolution of the sea urchin posterior gut gene regulatory network at single-cell level. Development 151: dev202278. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.202278

• Yao S, Boguta P, Giolito MV, Pontoni L, Sirakov M, Plateroti M, Fabbricino M (2024) Nano-sized natural organic matter interacts with bisphenol A and decreases cytotoxicity to human cells. Environmental Chemistry Letters 22(5): 2183-2189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-024-01711-9

• Yu D, Ren Y, Uesaka M, Beavan AJS, Muffato M, Shen J, Li Y, Sato I, Wan W, Clark JW, Keating JN, Carlisle EM, Dearden RP, Giles S, Randle E, Sansom RS, Feuda R, Fleming JF, Sugahara F, Cummins C, Patricio M, Akanni W, D'Aniello S, Bertolucci C, Irie N, Alev C, Sheng G, de Mendoza A, Maeso I, Irimia M, Fromm B, Peterson KJ, Das S, Hirano M, Rast JP, Cooper MD, Paps J, Pisani D, Kuratani S, Martin FJ, Wang W, Donoghue PCJ, Zhang YE, Pascual-Anaya J (2024) Hagfish genome illuminates vertebrate whole genome duplications and their evolutionary consequences. Nature Ecology & Evolution 8: 519-535. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02299-z

• Zambon G, Benocci R, Sabbadin G, Manni L, Candiani S, Bozzo M, Pennati R, Chatzigeorgiou M, Norland S, Cavazos Contreras I, Ristoratore F, Spagnuolo A, Zaffaroni Caorsi V (2024) The European DeuteroNoise project: impact of anthropogenic noise on marine invertebrate deuterostomes. INTER-NOISE 270: 9957-9961. https://doi.org/10.3233/FAIA240446

• Zampardi S, Scianna C, Calò A, Hogg K, Ranù M, Aglieri G, Di Meglio E, Mangano MC, Prato G, Romeo T, Colloca F, Milisenda G, Di Franco A (2024) Testing best practices in small scale fisheries management: Evidence from a collaborative intervention in two marine protected areas of the central Mediterranean Sea. Ocean & Coastal Management 258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107397

• Zancolli G, Von Reumont BM, Anderluh G, Caliskan F, Chiusano ML, Fröhlich J, Hapeshi E, Hempel B-F, Ikonomopoulou MP, Jungo F, de Farias TM, Modica MV, Moran Y, Nalbantsoy A, Prochazka J, Tarallo A, Tonello F, Vitorino R, Zammit ML, Antunes A (2024) Web of venom: exploration of big data resources in animal toxin research. GigaScience 13: giae054. https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giae054

Accélérateur d’Innovation Transfrontalier pour la Gestion et la Valorisation du Crabe Bleu dans une Approche Circulaire

Programme: Interreg NEXT Italia – Tunisia 21-27

Duration: 15/05/2025 – 15/05/2028

Part of the Interreg NEXT Italy-Tunisia 2021-2027 program, the CercleBleu project addresses the challenges posed by the spread of the blue crab in the Mediterranean. The initiative seeks to transform this ecological threat into an economic opportunity by promoting a circular economy model that integrates fishing, processing, and marketing processes between Sicily and Tunisia. By strengthening Open Science (IOS), the project aims to innovate local production chains while ensuring environmental sustainability.

Objectives

The project aims to implement an integrated cross-border approach for managing the blue crab resource, mitigating its impact on ecosystems and leveraging its industrial potential.

To achieve these goals, the initiative focuses on the following key points:

• Open science promotion: strengthening cross-border scientific collaboration to develop shared solutions for invasive species management;
• Fishery chain transformation: restructuring blue crab fishing and marketing processes to optimize operational efficiency and commercial value;
• Circular economy models: implementing strategies for waste and biomass recovery and valorization, reducing the environmental footprint of fishing activities;
• Cross-border cooperation: establishing an innovation ecosystem between Italy and Tunisia for the joint management of shared marine resources;
• Governance and technical support: ensuring rigorous financial and administrative monitoring to maintain intervention effectiveness and compliance with European cooperation protocols.

Coordinator: Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (INSTM), Tunisia

SZN Principal Investigator: Maria Cristina Mangano, Carmen Rizzo

Partners:

• Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CONISMA), Italia
• Centre de Recherche en Numérique de Sfax (CRNS), Tunisia
• Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN), Italia
• Distretto della Pesca e Crescita Blu (COSVAP), Italia
• Università di Cartagine. Italia

Programme: Endangered Landscape and Seascape Programme (ELPS)

Duration: 01/10/2025 – 30/09/2030

The coastline of Southern Italy is home to critical ecosystems for biodiversity and climate resilience, currently threatened by decades of anthropogenic pressure (illegal fishing, unregulated anchoring, and erosion). The Apulia project adopts a community-led approach to restore approximately 52,000 hectares of degraded habitats. Building on the successful model of the Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area, the initiative aims to establish a network of ecologically connected protected areas, integrating environmental restoration with innovative participatory governance and sustainable financing models.

Objectives

The project aims to regenerate the ecological functionality of the Apulian seascape, strengthening the socio-ecological resilience of local communities and ecosystem services linked to climate mitigation.

To achieve these goals, the initiative focuses on the following key points:

• Priority Habitat Restoration: restoration and protection of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows and recovery of coastal dune systems through strategic fencing and planting;
• Fisheries Management and Governance: co-creation of artisanal fisheries management plans with local fishers, including the identification of no-take zones and the development of alternative livelihood opportunities;
• Anthropogenic Impact Mitigation: installation of eco-mooring parks to prevent anchoring damage to coralligenous reefs and seagrass meadows;
• Innovative Financing Models: development of sustainable financing systems, such as blue carbon credits and eco-mooring fees, with equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms for the community;
• Integrated Planning: promotion of a "Coastal Contract" to link land and sea management, ensuring transdisciplinary governance and long-term protection of the seascape.

Website: https://www.endangeredlandscapes.org/project/apulia/

Coordinator: WWF Mediterranean

SZN Principal Investigator: Antonio Di Franco

Partners:

• Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN)
• WWF Italy
• Università di Genova (UNIGE)
• Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area
• Regional Natural Park of Coastal Dunes
• Cesine Natural Reserve – WWF Oasis
• Municipality of Lecce
• Municipality of Vernole

Problems of Growth
Nineteenth Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences
Biblioteca Antoniana, Ischia, Italy, 28 June – 5 July 2026

The Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences provides advanced training in a lively international field that offers a long-term perspective on some of the most significant ideas, practices and institutions in the world today. The school, which has a tradition of association with the Naples Zoological Station, was revived in 2005 after a break of two decades and has run every other year since then other than during the coronavirus pandemic. We can accommodate up to 26 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The event provides a structured learning experience plus extensive opportunities for participation and interaction. English is the working language and we encourage exchange of ideas across disciplinary boundaries, national cultures and historical periods. Spending the week on an island, staying in the same hotel and sharing breaks and meals maximizes opportunities for exchange. These are enhanced through social events, including a welcome reception and a day trip to Naples, the morning spent learning about the history and current research of the Station, the afternoon free for sightseeing. There will also be a free afternoon to explore Ischia itself.

Introduction to the theme

Growth affords hope and attracts fear. Balanced growth feeds populations, fuels prosperity and imparts purpose to individual and collective lives. The unfettered growth of cells, pathogens, parasites and populations threatens physiological, economic and ecological collapse. Even balance may be a problematic ideal: norms of flourishing and beauty have guided discrimination by vaunting harmonious over retarded, excessive or monstrous growth. The sustainability of life on Earth, attempts ‘to change the story of cancer’ and the politics of human diversity: growth is at the heart of them all. Yet compared with other vital processes, notably inheritance, development and reproduction, growth in the life sciences has lacked status and attention. This summer school provides an opportunity to explore knowledges and practices of growth between antiquity and the present day while bringing together problems usually kept apart.

For Aristotle, vegetative growth was the lowest function of the soul and for that reason fundamental to plants, beasts and humans. Unlike fire, vegetative growth had a natural limit. Where minerals grew by external accretion or juxtaposition, living beings had the distinctive ability to expand by assimilation of nutrients from the inside out, whether organ by organ or from a preformed seed. Surgeons tried to remove those tumours, cankers and warts that resulted from an imbalance of humours among other causes. Generation, which was hard to imagine in mechanical terms, was often framed as a special form of growth. Late medieval philosophers brought together generation, projectile movement and the accumulation of capital as sharing the same basic problem, how a movement severed from its mover could continue to produce. In a balanced world, gain in one part was compensated by loss elsewhere. Large animals, according to Aristotle, produced fewer offspring, and the relative growth of one organ entailed the diminution of another. At Italian universities during the Renaissance, these ancient ideas were taken up and reformed by scholars including Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente, Andrea Cesalpino and Marcello Malpighi in attempts to reground the systematic study of nature and naturalize growth and development.

By contrast, it seems, modern approaches to growth, in biology as in economics, aimed for an overall increase—in size, in number of individuals and in productivity. As the ultimate source of economic progress the physiocrats postulated an inherent capacity of nature to reproduce. Naturalists like Lazzaro Spallanzani located the same reproductive and regenerative capacities in minute parts that made up animal bodies. But proper growth was also reckoned to occur within certain limits. In the principle of population Thomas Robert Malthus expressed the limit set for the potentially geometric growth of human numbers by the merely arithmetic growth of food supplied from the land. More generally, in the hands of the population biologist Raymond Pearl the S-shaped curve came to capture the colonization of a new space, with slow initial acceleration towards exponential growth and then deceleration as environmental resistance increased and the ‘carrying capacity’ was reached. Based on computer simulations of the catastrophic consequences of runaway population and economic growth, the Club of Rome’s bestselling report The Limits to Growth (1972) is a point of origin for debate over ‘degrowth’ and ‘sustainable growth’.

Classical discussion of growth within organisms had been informed by the canons of beauty appropriate to each stage of life, with more attention to proportion than size. Beginning in the eighteenth century, longitudinal measurements of human growth aligned with demands for military manpower and projects of social reform. Measurement fed debate over the roles of heredity and environment. On the one hand, anthropometry ultimately produced distinct growth equations for groups defined by age, sex and race. Unbalanced growth was associated with monstrosity and other ways of falling short of the white, male model. On the other, failure to grow became an index of deprivation, most obviously, as physiologist Angelo Mosso argued, in the stunting of factory children. Eugenicists, notably criminologist Cesare Lombroso, were concerned with imbalance at the level of populations.

Standards justified clinical intervention in pathologies of growth. James Tanner, who led the Harpenden study into growth through puberty into adulthood, pioneered the treatment with growth hormone of children who looked set to miss out on the advantages of height. Since the 1980s ultrasound measurements of fetuses have identified growth restrictions on an ever larger scale. Yet even after major surveys from Turin to Nairobi, it is controversial to what extent the standards should be universal or tailored to demographic groups.

In the nineteenth century the knotty issues involved in defining individuals that were explored productively at the Stazione Zoologica di Napoli made growth hard to distinguish from maintenance and reproduction. An influential formulation held that reproduction represented growth beyond the individual limit. From the 1860s embryonic development was discussed in terms of the differential growth of parts. Inspired by D’Arcy Thompson’s On Growth and Form (1917), Julian Huxley set an agenda with Problems of Relative Growth (1932) and the notion of allometry, or the shape-changing growth of a part at a different rate from the organism as a whole. Mechanisms could be studied in ontogeny or changing patterns traced in phylogeny. In a famous essay, ‘On being the right size’, J.B.S. Haldane proposed that ‘Comparative anatomy is largely the story of the struggle to increase surface in proportion to volume’: more complicated forms enable the larger sizes that maintain body temperature at lower metabolic rates.

Within a species, tissues and organs must somehow ‘know’ when to stop growing. The cell theory framed organismal growth as the division and expansion of these elementary parts. Cancer, the disease that made biomedicine, came to be understood as a pathology of malignant growth. Research elucidated factors, not least growth factors, notably nerve growth factor discovered by Stanley Cohen and Rita Levi-Montalcini, that promoted, regulated and interfered with cell division. Alongside chemotherapies, weedkillers were developed that acted by causing rapid, uncontrolled growth. Synthetic auxins, the hormones that regulate cell division and expansion in plants, became notorious as the defoliant Agent Orange used by the British in the Malayan Emergency and the United States in the Vietnam War.

This sketch raises large questions. Should understandings and practices of growth be seen as having first sought balance, then promoted unlimited increase before recognition of the costs of growth called the whole framework into question? Or did gospels of growth acknowledge the need for some balance? Should we grasp growth as a modern or capitalist imperative, a potentially relentless power and a creative one through the transformation of quantity into quality? Or is a reason for its neglect in reflection on the life sciences (as distinct from economics and agronomy) that growth implies mere increase in size or number while the truly remarkable changes have seemed to result from qualitative alterations? Reflexively, reservations about growth apply to knowledge, too; simply accumulating data has seemed inadequate when we might need a whole new paradigm. A long-term theme and implicated in urgent problems, growth in and around the life sciences provides a rich field for historical deliberation and for trade between disciplines.

Programme

The school starts with registration and a reception on the afternoon of Sunday 28 June, and ends after dinner the following Saturday night. Departure is on Sunday 5 July. Lectures last for up to 30 minutes in one-hour slots, leaving at least 30 minutes for discussion. Seminars focus on pre-circulated texts. Groups of students will prepare each one with the seminar leader.

Daryn Lehoux (Queen’s, Canada)

Lecture: Aristotle on nutrition, growth, residues and seed

Seminar: The ‘faculty’ of growth in Galen

Dániel Margócsy (Cambridge)

Lecture: Soil, vermin and ghosts: The limits to growth in agriculture and medicine in early modern Europe and Indonesia

Seminar: Humans and horses: Theorising size in early modern European Medicine

He Bian (Princeton)

Lecture: Growth and regeneration in early modern Chinese thought

Seminar: Growing empire, coining new names: Manchu as a language for flora and fauna nomenclature

Patrick Anthony (Uppsala)

Lecture: Toward a history of extractive sciences—and the end of the mineral frontier

Seminar: From bio-geography to necro-geography: Sciences of life and death during the Circassian genocide

Alison Bashford (UNSW)

Lecture: Growth, limits and the afterlife of Malthus

Seminar: Fertility decline and modernity’s great deceleration: Where is reproduction/population in degrowth scholarship?

Hannah Landecker (UCLA)

Lecture: The butcher’s philosophy: Transmuting knowledge of life into knowledge of growth in modern agriculture and medicine

Seminar: Practical approaches to working with visual documents: Exploring cases and patterns in an industrial trade journal archive

Edna Suárez-Díaz (UNAM)

Lecture: Geographies of malnutrition: The clinic, the lab and the committee

Seminar: Traditions of knowledge and intervention: Studying malnutrition and mental development in the land of Zapata

Sabina Leonelli (TU München)

Lecture: Growing data crops: Extractivism and agriculture

Seminar: Colonial trends in agricultural data sharing

Public lecture: Intelligenza ambientale: Come usarla per salvare il pianeta

Cost

The fee for students is €400 each, which includes hotel accommodation and all meals for the week. Students need to pay for their own travel to Ischia. The directors will consider requests to waive the fee for accepted students unable to raise the money themselves, when supported by a detailed financial statement and a letter from their department head.

Applications

Applications should be sent by email to <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; and should include, please:

• a statement specifying academic experience and interest in the course topic (max. 300 words),

• a brief CV,

• a letter of recommendation.

The deadline for applications is midnight CET on Friday 27 February and applicants will be notified of the outcome by 13 March 2026. 

More information: http://ischiasummerschool.org 

Funding instrument: Interreg Euro-MED

Mission: Natural Heritage

Specific objective: Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution

Project duration: 33 months (April 2025 – December 2027)

Project budget: € 2.500.000

The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is under increasing threat from legacy and emerging contaminants, marine litter, noise and light pollution, invasive species and habitat destruction -all of which are driven by growing human activity and intensified by climate change.

In response to this challenge, MIRAMAR is bringing together fragmented knowledge to develop an integrated, cross-border approach to managing multiple environmental stressors. The project aims to generate robust, evidence-based insights to support long-term ecological stability and shared Mediterranean priorities.
Launched in April 2025, the 33-month project will design, test, and validate a new holistic monitoring method to identify suitable nature-based mitigation and restoration solutions.

GOAL

The aim of the MIRAMAR project is to develop a joint approach to improve our understanding of, and response to, the combined effects of different environmental pressures on three vital ecosystems in the Euro-Mediterranean region: seagrass meadows, wetlands and habitats of endangered species.
MIRAMAR will design, test, and validate a new holistic monitoring method to identify suitable nature-based mitigation and restoration solutions. By aligning with regional and national monitoring strategies, as well as the management plans of protected areas, MIRAMAR will tackle the shared challenge of preventing, mitigating and restoring environmental degradation across these vital ecosystems.

ACTIVITIES

Working across nine pilot areas in six Mediterranean countries — Albania, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy and Spain — MIRAMAR will:

• monitor how multiple stressors affect vulnerable ecosystems
• test harmonised, innovative methods for data collection and analysis
• co-develop nature-based solutions for mitigation and restoration
• align actions with key European, Mediterranean and EuroMediterranean environmental policy frameworks

EXPECTED RESULTS

MIRAMAR will produce a set of concrete, high-value deliverables aimed at supporting environmental monitoring, management and policy action across the Mediterranean:

• Harmonised strategies to monitor the cumulative impact of multiple stressors in degraded ecosystems
• Toolkits for assessing combined effects of pollution, invasive species and habitat degradation
• Assessment on the cumulative impact of multiple stressors in the nine pilot areas
• Good Practices, developed through Living Labs, illustrating successful examples of restoration and mitigation
• Training on monitoring cumulative impact and identifying pollution mitigation and restoration solutions

The overall experience and lessons learned from MIRAMAR will be translated into strategic results, designed for long-term use and replication:

• Harmonised monitoring protocols
• Operational roadmaps for ecosystem mitigation and restoration
• Evidence-based tools and guidelines to support environmental governance
• Cross-sectoral engagement models (e.g. Living Labs, stakeholder co-creation)
• Policy-aligned frameworks to guide decision-makers in the Mediterranean region

PARTNERSHIP

• University of Siena (UNISI) – Italy
• Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) – Greece
• Spanish National Research Council (IEO-CSIC) – Spain
• Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) – Greece
• Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn – Italy
• Ministry of Tourism and Environment of Albania – Albania
• Ruđer Bošković Institute – Croatia
• Corsican Environment Office (Office de l’Environnement de la Corse) – France

ACRONIMO: NBFC

RIFERIMENTI BANDO: Avviso n. 3138 del 16/12/2021 “Proposte di intervento per il Potenziamento di strutture di ricerca e creazione di “campioni nazionali” di R&S su alcune Key Enabling Technologies da finanziare nell’ambito del Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza”, Missione 4 Componente 2 Investimento 1.4 “Potenziamento strutture di ricerca e creazione di "campioni nazionali di R&S" su alcune Key Enabling Technologies” finanziato dall’Unione europea – NextGenerationEU.

CUP: C63C22000520001

CODICE PROGETTO: CN00000033

DURATA: 40 MESI (01.09.2022 -31.12.2025)

Coordinatore:HUB NBFC

Il National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) è il primo Centro Nazionale di ricerca e innovazione dedicato alla biodiversità, finanziato dal MUR attraverso i fondi dell'Unione Europea - NextGenerationEU. Si tratta di una struttura di coordinamento che da un lato raccoglie e valorizza gli sforzi della ricerca, dall'altro rende accessibili le conoscenze e le tecnologie a diversi attori che operano sul territorio ed è organizzato in una struttura di HUB e SPOKE dedicati a MARE, TERRA, AREE UMIDE, CITTA e due trasversali dedicati alla formazione, comunicazione, condivisione della conoscenza, e all'innovazione e alle politiche anche grazie a connessioni internazionali.

La biodiversità svolge un ruolo cruciale nel funzionamento di tutti gli ecosistemi del nostro Pianeta e la conseguente fornitura di beni e servizi ecosistemici. Questi ultimi supportano il benessere delle società umane e del singolo individuo. L’incremento della crescita della popolazione umana, raddoppiata solo negli ultimi 50 anni, e le legittime aspirazioni per livelli sempre maggiori di standard di qualità di vita, hanno determinato ad una pressione costante e crescente sulla biodiversità, che si è tradotta in sovra-sfruttamento degli ecosistemi, alterazione climatica globale e estinzione delle specie. Per contrastare lo stato “di fatto” emergenziale attuale e per riportare l’azione dell’uomo ad un livello di sostenibilità, è necessario intervenire con strumenti appropriati, basati su solide conoscenze scientifiche e tecnologiche, e capaci di ottemperare alle disposizioni europee previste per il 2030: ridurre la perdita di biodiversità del 30% e recuperare almeno il 15% gli equilibri ecosistemici per mezzo di azioni di ripristino ecologico degli habitat. Vi è quindi la necessità di agire velocemente sui diversi livelli di organizzazione biologica che comprendono i processi, le funzioni e le interazioni essenziali tra gli organismi e il loro ambiente.

In questa idea moderna di biodiversità funzionale gli esseri umani devono essere componente integrate e non preponderante degli ecosistemi. Il PNRR offre una grande opportunità per rendere concreta questa visione in un Paese come l’Italia che è parte dell’Hot Spot di biodiversità del Mediterraneo data la ricchezza in specie endemiche e la grande variabilità ecologica e di habitat. Nonostante questa ricchezza, il nostro Paese ha subito consistenti perdite e fenomeni di erosione della biodiversità nei confronti di numerosi taxa (45% delle specie animali e quasi il 55% delle specie vegetali sono a rischio di estinzione) e habitat (circa il 30%), soprattutto a causa di fattori antropici e ambientali connessi.

L’elevato tasso di estinzione di specie, abbinato alla perdita e frammentazione di ambienti critici, come la macchia mediterranea in ambito terrestre e le praterie di fanerogame in ambito marino, sono fenomeni irrecuperabili e hanno un impatto devastante anche sulle risorse naturali e i cicli degli elementi. Questi fattori minano l’efficacia dei servizi ecosistemici fondamentali per la resilienza degli ecosistemi e per il benessere dell’uomo.

Il Progetto si divide in Spoke e Linee di attività;

La SZN è coinvolta nei seguenti Spoke/Linee di attività:

Spoke 1 - “Mapping and monitoring actions to preserve marine ecosystem biodiversity and functioning” - Responsabile: Simonetta Fraschetti-Gianluca Sarà

1. Linea 1 - “Observatory reference database of genetic/molecular biological, ecological and taxonomic data”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 1 Linea 1: Priscilla Licandro

2. Linea 2 - “Biodiversity resilience and ecosystem functioning”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 1 Linea 2: Maria Cristina Mangano

3. Linea 3 - “Innovative strategies to conserve marine biodiversity and achieve EU targets” 

Referente interno SZN Spoke 1 Linea 3: Paolo Guidetti

Spoke 2 - “Solutions to reverse marine biodiversity loss and manage marine resources sustainably” – Responsabile: Mariachiara Cantore-Gianmarco Luna

1. Linea 1 - “Recognizing the value of biodiversity and ecosystem health toward a more sustainable fishery”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 1: Giacomo Melisenda

2. Linea 2 - “Restore biodiversity and ecosystems”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 2: Simonepietro Canese

3. Linea 3 - “Sustainable valorization of marine resources”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 3: Donatella De Pascale

4. Linea 5 – “Develop innovative Multi-Omics based technologies to address emergent biodiversity threats”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 5: Diana Sarno

Spoke 7 – “Biodiversity and society: communication, education and social impact” -

Responsabile: Isabella Saggio - Luigi Bubacco

Referente interno SZN Spoke 7: Claudia Gili

1. Linea 1 - “Science communication and public engagement in biodiversity topics: new languages and formats”

2. Linea 2 - “Outreach: young people, schools, Universities”

3. Linea 6 - “Enhancement: global health”

4. Linea 7 - “Enhancement: Italian naturalistic museums and observatory”

5. Linea 4 - “Enhancement: the public administration”

6. Linea 5 - “Enhancement: the industrial and economic world”

7. Linea 8 - “Euro-Mediterranean Observatory on Biodiversity”

RESPONSABILE SCIENTIFICO SZN DEL PROGETTO : Teresa Romeo

RESPONSABILE AMMINISTRATIVO: Giorgio Carpino

Partner: CENTRO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PALERMO, STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRN, ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI OCEANOGRAFIA E DI GEOFISICA SPERIMENTALE, POLITECNICO DI MILANO, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DEL MOLISE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DELLA TUSCIA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA , UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MODENA E REGGIO EMILIA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI SASSARI, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI SALERNO, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI SIENA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI UDINE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI VERONA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI ROMA TRE, UNIVERSITÀ DEL SALENTO, UNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA, UNIVERSITÀ DI GENOVA, UNIVERSITÀ DI PADOVA, UNIVERSITÀ POLITECNICA DELLE MARCHE, UNIVERSITÀ DI TORINO, ABOCA SPA SOCIETÀ AGRICOLA, CINECA, CMCC - CENTRO EURO-MEDITERRANEO SUI CAMBIAMENTI CLIMATICI, CORILA, CREA CONSIGLIO PER LA RICERCA IN AGRICOLTURA E L'ANALISI DELL'ECONOMIA AGRARIA, DOMPÉ FARMACEUTICI, ENEA, ENEL, ERSAF - ENTE DI RICERCA SCIENTIFICA ED ALTA FORMAZIONE, FONDAZIONE CIMA - CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE IN MONITORAGGIO AMBIENTALE, FONDAZIONE EDMUND MACH DI SAN MICHELE ALL'ADIGE, FONDAZIONE IMC CENTRO MARINO INTERNAZIONALE ONLUS, FONDAZIONE RI.MED, FS SISTEMI URBANI, HUMANITAS UNIVERSITY, INFRASTRUTTURE SPA, INNOMED SRL, ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA, ISTITUTO SUPERIORE PER LA PROTEZIONE E LA RICERCA AMBIENTALE, NOVAMONT SPA, UNIVERSITÀ CAMPUS BIO-MEDICO DI ROMA, SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO SANT'ANNA, UNIVERSITÀ CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE, INFN, ENI

REGISTRATION CLOSED

notification emails were sent to all applicants on Feb, 18th, 2026 

if you didn’t receive any notification, please check your spam or contact the organizers

The Electron Microscopy Hands-On Course: sample preparation and imaging of marine environmental samples arises from a very strong and active collaboration between the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and the EMBL in Heidelberg.
The aim of the course is to provide a theoretical and practical training on electron microscopy starting from the basics to the preparation of samples with high pressure freezing and image acquisition using TEM and SEM.
The course will also include lectures on advanced and recently developed technologies as volume electron microscopy and correlative light-electron microscopy.
The course will take place at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in Naples from 8 to 11 April 2026. It is primarily aimed at researchers and technicians from scientific institutions with an interest in electron microscopy. Prior documented experience in electron microscopy is not required.

EMHOC 2026 Preliminary Program

Theoretical lessons

Sample preparation for EM – Chemical fixations
Sample preparation for EM - High pressure Freezing- Freeze substitution
Image formation in TEM and SEM
Sectioning difficult marine organisms
Immunolabeling
Correlative Light Electron Microscopy
Volume Electron Microscopy
Case studies (lectures by Fellows from ZooCELL Doctoral Network)

Practical lessons

Sample preparation: from the sea to the tube
Sample preparation for SEM
Ultramicrotomy
High pressure freezing
Image acquisition at TEM
Image acquisition at SEM

Teachers

Giovanna Benvenuto, SZN, Napoli
Christel Genoud, University of Lausanne
Alexandra Kerbl, COS Heidelberg
Frédéric Leroux, Diatome Ltd
Karel Mocaer, COS Heidelberg
Viola Oorschot, EMBL, Heidelberg
Seetharaman Parashuraman, CNR, Napoli
Andreia Pinto, Leica Microsystems
Paolo Ronchi, EMBL, Heidelberg
Kevin Grüner and Kata Szabó from ZooCELL Doctoral Network

Keynote lecturer

Detlev Arendt, EMBL, Heidelberg (title TBD)

Teaching assistants

Franco Iamunno, Rita Graziano, Lorenza Rusciano, Filomena Caccavale 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Application deadline February, 12th
After submitting the application it is mandatory to send a Curriculum vitae to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Accepted participants will be notified by February, 20th
Registration and payment are due by March, 2nd

Fee: 300 euro per person (coffee breaks, lunches, and social dinner included)

The course will be open to 16 participants. Preference will be given to strongly motivated applicants.

ORGANIZERS:

Giovanna Benvenuto, Paolo Ronchi, Alexandra Kerbl, Karel Mocaer and Ina Arnone

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Follow us: @em-hoc.bsky.social

About the Winter School. Understanding how global changes affect marine biodiversity requires powerful model systems. The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis has long been a key species in environmental research and is now gaining increasing relevance in evolutionary and developmental biology. Recent advances in genomic and technological resources have made M. galloprovincialis a unique model to study biological processes with unprecedented precision in marine biology, bridging ecological (ECO), evolutionary (EVO) and developmental (DEVO) perspectives. The MytEED Winter School aims to bring together researchers working on M. galloprovincialis to share expertise, harmonize methodologies, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations.

Objectives & Topics. MytEED aims to provide in-depth training on M. galloprovincialis as a model organism, highlight ECO-EVO-DEVO approaches in marine biology, strengthen interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration, and discuss the impact of global climate change on marine biodiversity.

Program Overview

Day 1. Welcome, Registration & Poster Session
Day 2. Development, Ecology & Toxicology
Day 3. Epigenetics, Nervous System & Bioinformatics
Day 4. Immunology, Aquaculture & Single-cell
Day 5. Genomics & Concluding remarks. Aquarium and Darwin-Dohrn Museum visit, Social Dinner.
(Detailed program will be provided upon registration)

Practical Information

Location. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Via Francesco Caracciolo, 80122 Napoli (NA), Italy

Accommodation: A list of suggested hotels and guesthouses will be provided.

Meals: Lunch and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee.

Fees & Registration. The participation fee is €300 per person. The fee includes lectures, course material, coffee breaks, lunches, and social events. Accommodation and travel are not included.