Roberto Toro
@r3rt0.bsky.social
Into brain development and evolution (+open science, generative art, genomics, music, 🇨🇱...). If you have questions about mechanical morphogenesis, I have more!
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6671-858X
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6671-858X
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Y’all are reading this paper in the wrong way.
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
“Our findings challenge the conventional focus on low-dimensional coding subspaces as a sufficient framework for understanding neural computations, demonstrating that dimensions previously considered task-irrelevant and accounting for little variance can have a critical role in driving behavior.”
Neural dynamics outside task-coding dimensions drive decision trajectories through transient amplification
Most behaviors involve neural dynamics in high-dimensional activity spaces. A common approach is to extract dimensions that capture task-related variability, such as those separating stimuli or choice...
www.biorxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Y’all are reading this paper in the wrong way.
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Reposted by Roberto Toro
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
Reposted by Roberto Toro
My book "The Brain, in Theory" on the publisher's website (out in April 2026):
press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
The Brain, In Theory
Why engineering and computational analogies are poorly suited to the study of biological cognition
press.princeton.edu
November 18, 2025 at 8:25 AM
My book "The Brain, in Theory" on the publisher's website (out in April 2026):
press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Axonal pathfinding of zebrafish retinal ganglion cells forms the optic nerve. Credit to Dr. Matthew Bostock @houartlab.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪
November 16, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Axonal pathfinding of zebrafish retinal ganglion cells forms the optic nerve. Credit to Dr. Matthew Bostock @houartlab.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪
Reposted by Roberto Toro
For semantic map lovers, update of maps.gargantext.org with few exciting topics : #glyphostate, #acetamiprid, #disinfo campaigns, #Mastodon debates on #ClimateChange, #opinionDynamics literature ... #GarganText
GarganText semantic maps made with love @CNRS
Mapping textual corpora of all types with the free CNRS software GarganText http://gargantext.org
maps.gargantext.org
November 15, 2025 at 10:37 AM
For semantic map lovers, update of maps.gargantext.org with few exciting topics : #glyphostate, #acetamiprid, #disinfo campaigns, #Mastodon debates on #ClimateChange, #opinionDynamics literature ... #GarganText
Reposted by Roberto Toro
New Phil Trans B issue on the ‘Evolutionary functions of consciousness’
royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1939
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 15, 2025 at 9:37 AM
New Phil Trans B issue on the ‘Evolutionary functions of consciousness’
royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
At Sfn? Join us at the Cajal Club Social! Sunday, Nov. 16th, 6:30PM–8:30PM. Salt & Whiskey bar@Horton Grand Hotel, www.hortongrand.com/dine-bar. We will learn about an exhibition on Cajal's Work and give out this year's awards to outstanding trainees and established scientists in our community!
Salt & Whiskey - Horton Grand Hotel
Serving elevated comfort foods and classic handcrafted cocktails, Salt & Whiskey at the Horton Grand Hotel pays homage to grandeur of the Victorian era.
www.hortongrand.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:49 AM
At Sfn? Join us at the Cajal Club Social! Sunday, Nov. 16th, 6:30PM–8:30PM. Salt & Whiskey bar@Horton Grand Hotel, www.hortongrand.com/dine-bar. We will learn about an exhibition on Cajal's Work and give out this year's awards to outstanding trainees and established scientists in our community!
Reposted by Roberto Toro
First time on Bsky and first big announcement!
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Estimation and mapping of the missing heritability of human phenotypes - Nature
WGS data were used from 347,630 individuals with European ancestry in the UK Biobank to obtain high-precision estimates of coding and non-coding rare variant heritability for 34 co...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:57 PM
First time on Bsky and first big announcement!
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Reposted by Roberto Toro
I have always wondered if there is a best method/software to process T1w image (at a vertex/voxel wise level). Elise Delzant has some answers in her first published paper from her PhD. She compared FreeSurfer, CAT12 and FSL across several traits and analyses (association, prediction).
November 6, 2025 at 12:43 AM
I have always wondered if there is a best method/software to process T1w image (at a vertex/voxel wise level). Elise Delzant has some answers in her first published paper from her PhD. She compared FreeSurfer, CAT12 and FSL across several traits and analyses (association, prediction).
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Brückner, D. B., & Tkačik, G. (2024). Information content and optimization of self-organized developmental systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, #EpithelialMechanics www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
November 10, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Brückner, D. B., & Tkačik, G. (2024). Information content and optimization of self-organized developmental systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, #EpithelialMechanics www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
November 9, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Our intelligence and cognitive abilities are perhaps due to an expansion of our cerebral cortex. But surprisingly, compared to highly intelligent birds, primates have many more neurons in their cerebellum as compared to the cerebral cortex.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
November 9, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Our intelligence and cognitive abilities are perhaps due to an expansion of our cerebral cortex. But surprisingly, compared to highly intelligent birds, primates have many more neurons in their cerebellum as compared to the cerebral cortex.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
We just published a paper in PNAS, showing microstructural changes to the hippocampus in aging and presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease - in humans, in vivo.
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
November 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
We just published a paper in PNAS, showing microstructural changes to the hippocampus in aging and presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease - in humans, in vivo.
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
Reposted by Roberto Toro
![Une mère et son garçonnet, dans la rue. Un SDF leur demande : « une petite pièce… ». La maman, sans un regard pour le pauvre hère, déclare à son fils : « Tu vois Thomas, il faut bien travailler à l’école ». Sans un regard non plus, le SDF répond : « J’ai un doctorat de sociologie ». Ce à quoi la mère lui re-répond : « taisez-vous ». Puis elle lui donne une pièce (non je déconne). [fin]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ektsqyfnb5apiiwvxdpudpzs/bafkreih4i46ccm5yvhcgvehehadbxlda2vv5ifpcdm3wqryv4syyawc7wi@jpeg)
Reposted by Roberto Toro
New issue of Nature - with NINE studies on #brain #development from the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) 🧠🧪🔬
An amazing set of resources for all scientists working on the brain!
🧠 Immersive feature:
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
🧠 Perspective:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
An amazing set of resources for all scientists working on the brain!
🧠 Immersive feature:
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
🧠 Perspective:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 5, 2025 at 6:53 PM
New issue of Nature - with NINE studies on #brain #development from the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) 🧠🧪🔬
An amazing set of resources for all scientists working on the brain!
🧠 Immersive feature:
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
🧠 Perspective:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
An amazing set of resources for all scientists working on the brain!
🧠 Immersive feature:
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
🧠 Perspective:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
This is 🤯
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation - Nature
NextBrain is an open source, probabilistic atlas of the entire human brain, assembled using artificial-intelligence-enabled registration and segmentation methods to reconstruct the multimodal serial h...
share.google
November 6, 2025 at 5:35 AM
This is 🤯
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
All publicly available. Looks like an amazing new histology-based human probabilistic atlas and parcellation tool.
#neuroskyence #mri #brainmapping
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation | Nature share.google/5AD0iW7pxgb4...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Now published in Phys. Rev. E
doi.org/10.1103/5l56...
doi.org/10.1103/5l56...
Modeling bulk mechanical effects in a planar cellular monolayer
We use a three-dimensional formulation of the cell vertex model to describe the mechanical properties of a confluent planar monolayer of prismatic cells. Treating cell height as a degree of freedom, w...
doi.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Now published in Phys. Rev. E
doi.org/10.1103/5l56...
doi.org/10.1103/5l56...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Which features of tissue flows are most robust and how do they emerge from #EpithelialMechanics?
I’m @alex-plum.bsky.social (@mattiaserra.bsky.social group) and I’ll be sharing some papers on characterizing and controlling avian gastrulation flows.
I’m @alex-plum.bsky.social (@mattiaserra.bsky.social group) and I’ll be sharing some papers on characterizing and controlling avian gastrulation flows.
November 2, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Which features of tissue flows are most robust and how do they emerge from #EpithelialMechanics?
I’m @alex-plum.bsky.social (@mattiaserra.bsky.social group) and I’ll be sharing some papers on characterizing and controlling avian gastrulation flows.
I’m @alex-plum.bsky.social (@mattiaserra.bsky.social group) and I’ll be sharing some papers on characterizing and controlling avian gastrulation flows.
Reposted by Roberto Toro
The first (1955) Danish edition of Ray Bradbury’s FAHRENHEIT 451. Later editions did not convert the title, so this is the only SI-compatible edition! 🎢
November 1, 2025 at 7:55 PM
The first (1955) Danish edition of Ray Bradbury’s FAHRENHEIT 451. Later editions did not convert the title, so this is the only SI-compatible edition! 🎢
Reposted by Roberto Toro
"Spherical cows and bipedal goats: perspectives on mathematical models in biology". 13 and 14/11/2025 (Salle Jaurès, ENS-PSL, rue d'Ulm, Paris). More info about the event: montevil.org/talks/2025--...
November 1, 2025 at 7:50 AM
"Spherical cows and bipedal goats: perspectives on mathematical models in biology". 13 and 14/11/2025 (Salle Jaurès, ENS-PSL, rue d'Ulm, Paris). More info about the event: montevil.org/talks/2025--...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Just a regular thing at @pasteur.fr cantine.
The Friday crème brûlée is back! @institutpasteur.bsky.social
October 31, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Just a regular thing at @pasteur.fr cantine.
Reposted by Roberto Toro
I’ll be speaking about the mechanical development of crocodile and tortoise head scales next Wednesday at 4pm for the @tlmcambridge.bsky.social seminar series. Subscribe to the mailing list to hear more about my work, and that of @maltemederacke.bsky.social!
lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...
lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...
October 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
I’ll be speaking about the mechanical development of crocodile and tortoise head scales next Wednesday at 4pm for the @tlmcambridge.bsky.social seminar series. Subscribe to the mailing list to hear more about my work, and that of @maltemederacke.bsky.social!
lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...
lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
Literal perfection. ;) www.youtube.com/shorts/8-lgJ...
We Have AI Now
YouTube video by Eleanor Morton
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Literal perfection. ;) www.youtube.com/shorts/8-lgJ...
Reposted by Roberto Toro
🦖🐬🧪An incredible "fossil brain" of a fossil fur seal (Thalassoleon macnallyae) from the Pliocene Purisima Formation near Santa Cruz. This incredible specimen preserves a cranial endocast with exquisite detail. Read more about fossil fur seals on my blog: coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...
October 27, 2025 at 3:26 PM
🦖🐬🧪An incredible "fossil brain" of a fossil fur seal (Thalassoleon macnallyae) from the Pliocene Purisima Formation near Santa Cruz. This incredible specimen preserves a cranial endocast with exquisite detail. Read more about fossil fur seals on my blog: coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...