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Filippo Nicolini 🧬

@filonico.bsky.social

160 followers 390 following 27 posts

🧬🦪🦗🧽 Dealing/struggling with invertebrate evolutionary genomics 🎓 he/him postodoc in @robertofeuda.bsky.social lab at Uni of Leicester (UK), former PhD student at Uni of Bologna (IT) 🎨💭 Also drawing & communicating science https://filonico.github.io/

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 16d

2nd paper outta my PhD is NOW PUBLISHED😭

🧬🖥️ 🦑Here we show how comparative #genomics 🧬 is a powerful tool to detect putative #SexDetermination genes: Dmrt1L & SoxH from #bivalves 🦪 share evolutionary patterns with Sry from #mammals 🐗 but not with genes from
#drosophila 🪰

doi.org/10.1111/mec....

Graphical summary of the paper, showin several plots from the manuscript, including a phylogenetic tree of bivalves.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 19h

Day 7 #Invertober2025 - Scaly foot gastropod (Chrysomallon squamiferum) 🐌

SNAIL. BYE.

#SciArt #invertebrates

semi-realistic drawing of a Scaly foot gastropod, a very fancy black shiny shelled snail with a red soft body but it is covered in little black scales, on a black background.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Frogge257 @frogge257.bsky.social · 19h

Buff-tip moth #invertober2025 #mothArt

Pixel art of a moth. It has a grey body and wings with an orange forehead and an orange patch on its wing.

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 6h

Today's #invertober was a bit tough: I admit I got annoyed of all the body fur and didn't put enough effort on finishing up legs 😆 still quite happy with the result though #bugsky #SciArt

Day 8 of #invertober2025: the bee-killer robber fly

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

cambrian epic wet animal @dinoserious.bsky.social · 1d

#invertober 6, buff tip moth. branch animal

#invertober2025

color block drawing of a buff-tip moth on a backdrop of faint stylized branches and leaves. there is a dark frame around the image, with "Phalera bucephala (buff-tip)" is written at the bottom in white

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 1d

To be fair, I cheated on this 👀 I already had the template for a general coiled gastropod shell, so I just needed to adapt it

Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 1d

One of many examples of how sci-fi doesnt need to seek for strange creatures in hidden corners of the universe—our ocean depths already do the job way better! #MarineLife

Day7 of #invertober2025 takes us to abyssal black smockers, home of the scaly foot snail and its iron sulfide shell & scales! 🤯

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

cambrian epic wet animal @dinoserious.bsky.social · 2d

#invertober 5, painted spiny lobter 🦞

#invertober2025

symmetrical color block art of a painted spiny lobster on a cyan background with geometric marks and braided shapes

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 2d

Day 6 #Invertober2025 - Buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) 🎋

#SciArt #invertebrates

semi realistic drawing of a buff tip moth, a stick looking moth with soft cream fuzz body and stick looking wing patterns in cream, red and grey, on a black background.

semi realistic drawing of a buff tip moth, a stick looking moth with soft cream fuzz body and stick looking wing patterns in cream, red and grey, on a white background.

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 2d

So how did I come to know the existence of #invertober? It was @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social who introduced it during the "Art (Science) Attack" course I attended last year #SciArt

Don't really know whether to be thankful or not 😆👀

Day 6 of #invertober2025: the fuzzy buff-tip moth #bugsky

A vectorial digital drawing of a Phalera bucephala moth, commonly known as the Buff-tip, set against a pale blue background. The moth is viewed from above with its wings fully spread. The forewings feature a large creamy-yellow/buff patch at the tip and a central band of browns, tans, and gray-blues, giving it the appearance of a broken twig or piece of wood when resting. The hindwings are a plain, light cream/buff color. Its body is thick, furry, and colored in shades of yellow-brown and dark brown, with a prominent orange/yellow tuft behind the head. The text "invertobter2025 - Day 06" is in the bottom right corner.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Alexandre Jan @alexandrejan.bsky.social · 3d

Happy Ctenophore Day!
These glowing ocean drifters look like jellyfish but aren’t! They’re comb jellies, shimmering creatures that light up the sea with rows of beating cilia 💙🌈
Which species can you identify? 👀 Most are raised in @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social lab
#CtenophoreDay #CombJelly #Ctenophore

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Science Magazine @science.org · 2d

“I will miss the creativity of teaching.”

On #WorldTeachersDay, check out this #ScienceWorkingLife essay from a retired professor emeritus on how she challenged students to think beyond facts—and how she learned to teach like a scientist. https://scim.ag/4nvwosR

People diving into a pool of books and figures, with text: How I learned to teach like a scientist

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Luther Wells @ultraluther.bsky.social · 3d

Giant Green Anemone

I decided to only use the new ‘anemone’ Procreate brush for this.

#sciart #invertober2025 #art

A digital drawing of a Giant Green Anemone

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 3d

Now I fully understand the meaning of "versicolor" (i.e., "of different colours) for this species: I couldn't find any two references with the same colour pattern, not even slightly similar 🤕 #SciArt

Day 5 of #invertober2025 features this fancy buddy: the painted spiny lobster! #MarineLife

A vectorial digital drawing of a Panulirus versicolor, or Painted Spiny Lobster. The lobster is highly detailed and vibrantly colored. Its cephalothorax (head and thorax) is a mix of patterned dark green, yellow, and blue markings. Its segmented abdomen and tail are predominantly a deep teal/green color. The tail fan features striking patches of bright blue, yellow, and dark green outlined in a thin blue line. It has 10 thin, long legs and two extremely long, thick, cream-colored antennae, pink at their bases. The text "invertobter2025 - Day 05" is in the bottom right corner.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

cambrian epic wet animal @dinoserious.bsky.social · 3d

#invertober day 4, palmetto weevil 🌴

#invertober2025

drawing of a thick lined black and red weevil on a yellow background decorated with faint asterix-esque stars and palmetto leaves. "PALMETTO" is written in block letters above it, fitted around the shape of the body

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 4d

Apparently today is Ctenophore Day?! Well enjoy it everyone! #MarineLife

FUN FACT 🤓 did u know that #ctenophores have a subepithelial syncytial nerve net (see picture, in orange) running all over their body? Neurons are connected to each other not only through synapses, but also physically #SciComm

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Wood Wide Ants — WWA 🐜 @woodwideants.bsky.social · 4d

2/2🧵 Thrilled to announce that our shot "A fortress made of spruce needles" was awarded a Honorable Mention by the Environmental Photography Award 2025🐜📸🏆 It shows the spectacular nest of the #ants species Formica paralugubris #bugksy @ergabiodiv.bsky.social @biogeneurope.bsky.social @sib.swiss

A wide-angle photograph of a massive domed nest of the ant Formica paralugubris, situated in a dark, dense forest. The huge mound, built from brown pine needles and forest debris, dominates the center of the frame. To the right, a large tree trunk is covered in vibrant, thick bright green moss. The background features tall, dark pine trees, with a bright sunburst visible through the canopy directly above the nest, creating dramatic backlighting. A small credit is visible at the bottom: "© Iacopo Nerozzi | Unaesthetic Fauna".

A photorealistic digital mockup of an open art book lying on a white surface. The right-hand page features a full-page reproduction of the photograph of the wood ant nest in the forest (same as the other image of this post). The left-hand page contains several paragraphs of the photo caption, with the text "Iacopo Nerozzi" visible at the top.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Wood Wide Ants — WWA 🐜 @woodwideants.bsky.social · 4d

1/2🧵In 2024 we took the first photo shoot ever of the #ant Formica parlaugubris, in order to support our #SciComm activity 🐜📸 A huge thank to the naturalistic photographer ©Iacopo Nerozzi for these outstanding pics. #bugsky @ergabiodiv.bsky.social @biogeneurope.bsky.social @sib.swiss

An extreme close-up macrophotograph the ant Formica paralugubris, engaged in predation. The ant's head, antennae, and reddish-brown thorax are in sharp focus. Its mandibles are clamped onto the bright green body of a caterpillar, which is large, out-of-focus, and curves out of the foreground. The image powerfully captures the ant's predatory action. The background is a mix of blurred dark brown and reddish-brown earth/detritus. A small credit is visible at the bottom: "© Iacopo Nerozzi | Unaesthetic Fauna".

A macrophotograph of the ant Formica paralugubris, adopting a defensive or aggressive posture. The ant has a reddish-brown head and thorax, a darker brown abdomen, and long, slender legs and antennae. It is standing on a dense, vibrant green bed of moss. The ant is rearing up, holding its head high and its mandibles open and ready, suggesting a defensive or threat display. The background is a softly blurred dark green and black. A small credit is visible at the bottom: "© Iacopo Nerozzi | Unaesthetic Fauna".

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 4d

2/2 🧵 EXTRA CONTENT for Day4 of #invertober2025! The palmetto weevil comes with a friend: the black beauty stick insect (what a name 🖤 Peruphasma schultei), one of my favourite 🥰 #bugsky #SciArt

Drew this for a recent review paper with colleagues from Bologna IT, currently under revision.

A vectorial digital drawing of Peruphasma schultei, a species of stick insect, also known as the Black Beauty Stick Insect. The insect has a sleek, uniformly black body and six long, black legs. It is shown from above, prominently displaying its small, vestigial wings: the forewings are white with a black net-like pattern, and the hindwings are a bright red. Its eyes are small and yellow. The text "invertobter2025 - Day 04 EXTRA" is in the bottom right corner.

A close-up photograph of a Perphasma schultei, or Black Beauty Stick Insect, held on a person's fingers. The insect is entirely a matte, deep black with six slender, reddish-brown legs. Its head is small, featuring prominent yellow eyes and long, thin antennae. The stick insect is positioned sideways, clearly displaying its distinctive feature: two small, vestigial bright red wings on its thorax, which are expanded slightly. The background is a mix of a blurred window and indoor plants.

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 4d

1/2 🧵 Here we go with this chonky pal for day 4 of #invertober2025: the palmetto weevil! #bugsky

Must say that I am particularly keen on bugs—& arthropods in general—and always enjoy drawing them #SciArt 🐛🦋🐞🐜🪰🪲🪳🦟🦗🕷🦂🦀🦞🦐

A vectorial digital drawing of a Rhynchophorus cruentatus, commonly known as the Palmetto Weevil or Red Palm Weevil. The beetle is depicted from above, featuring a striking pattern of glossy black and reddish-orange markings on its body and elytra. It has six dark, reddish-brown legs and a distinctive, long black rostrum or snout. The text "invertobter2025 - Day 04" is in the bottom right corner.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Helen Whistberry @whistberry.bsky.social · 5d

Happy #Invertober day 3!

Giant green anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica)

(based on reference photo by aparrot1 on inaturalist)

#SciArt #art #Invertober2025

Digital painting of a giant green anemone, a rounded disk which has many pointed tentacles around its circumference in shades of green and gray, against a mostly black background that is slightly mottled with a subtle dark gray.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 5d

Day 3 #Invertober2025 - Giant green anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) 🟢

#SciArt #invertebrates

semi realistic drawing of a giant green anemone, a bright green circle with a small anus like central mouth and hundreds of tiny bright green tentacles around it, on a black background.

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Filippo Nicolini 🧬 @filonico.bsky.social · 5d

"It'll be fun" they said 🫠 one of the simplest animals, yet one of the most challenging to draw imo (all those @?#*+&/ tentacles!!!) #marineLife

Day 3 of #invertober2025 with the green giant sea anemone

A digital drawing of the giant green anemone, labeled Anthopleura xanthogrammica on the top left. The anemone has a large, fleshy green body and is covered with numerous thick tentacles that are predominantly green with purple tips. The mouth, in the center, is a small, bright yellow opening. The text "invertobter2025 - Day 03" is in the bottom right corner.

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

cambrian epic wet animal @dinoserious.bsky.social · 5d

#invertober day 2, red banded leafhopper :p

#invertober2025

bright and graphic drawing of a red banded planthopper on a bright cyan background decorated with triangles and lines. its latin binomial, Graphocephala coccinea, is written above its abdomen

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

TheDinosaurMann @thedinosaurmann.bsky.social · 5d

#Invertober2025 Day#1, Japanese sea nettle (Chrysaora pacifica) ☁️
Better late than never!

#TheDinosaurMann

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Reposted by Filippo Nicolini 🧬

Aidan aka. S. Park @sparkblade.bsky.social · 6d

#invertober2025 number one, Japanese Sea Nettle.

I want to do a bigger version, but my large circular peg board hasn't come in yet.

Anyway, have an abstract perler bead jellyfish. (Top down view, of course.)

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