Ten million cells analysed in less than two hours, with memory usage approximately three times lower than the best existing tools and speeds up to forty times faster on the largest datasets compared with the best existing tools. This is the remarkable result achieved by a group of researchers from the University of Trieste, Area Science Park, SISSA and Human Technopole, who developed DEVIL (Differential Expression with Variational Inference Learning), a new high-performance computational tool. The work has been published in Nature Communications.

Understanding which genes are active in cells is one of the keys to understanding diseases and developing new therapies. Today, the most advanced technologies make it possible to measure gene activity in millions of cells from dozens or hundreds of patients, generating an unprecedented amount of data for biomedical research. This revolution, however, brings with it two major challenges: on the one hand, the risk of errors in data interpretation; on the other, the difficulty of analysing such large volumes of information.

The first challenge is computational: analysing millions of cells requires enormous computing power. Traditional methods are too slow and consume too much memory to handle these volumes: a bottleneck that risks undermining the advantages offered by new data collection technologies. The second challenge is statistical. Cells collected from the same patient resemble one another more than they resemble cells from different patients, because they share the same individual biology, the same environment and the same personal characteristics. Ignoring this fact — as many currently used tools do — can lead to distorted statistical conclusions, with the risk of identifying as “significant” cellular changes that are not actually significant, or, conversely, of missing real ones.

To address these two issues, the researchers, thanks to DEVIL, succeeded in combining statistical rigour and computational speed in an innovative way. From a computational perspective, DEVIL, which was also developed with the support of Fondazione AIRC, was designed to make efficient use of the most advanced parallel computing architectures typical of artificial intelligence. Moreover, DEVIL is not only faster, but also uses less memory — a far from secondary detail. This means that analyses previously reserved for major computing centres can now become accessible to smaller research infrastructures and laboratories. From a statistical perspective, DEVIL addresses the problem through a Bayesian approach that correctly accounts for the structure of the data, treating cells from the same patient as correlated and therefore separating differences between patients from genuine differences in cellular activity.

“This work would not have been possible without ORFEO, the Area Science Park data centre, recently upgraded thanks to funding from Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan,” says Stefano Cozzini, Director of Area Science Park’s Research and Technological Innovation Institute. “The availability of latest-generation GPUs, characterised by extremely high computing performance, together with careful optimisation of the algorithms for this architecture, developed by our team, now makes it possible to use DEVIL to address and solve problems on a significantly larger scale. We are very satisfied: it is not often that one can rely on a team with such high-level expertise, capable of making the most of the resources acquired.”

“Differential expression, that is, the statistical analysis that identifies which genes are significantly more or less active across two or more different biological conditions,” explains Giulio Caravagna of the University of Trieste, “is a mature technology. However, the transition to single-cell analysis has introduced statistical and computational issues that make the integrated analysis of large patient cohorts complex. Our work was developed precisely to overcome this bottleneck, combining methodological innovation and high-performance computing in order to scale up to the analysis of millions of cells from hundreds of patients.”

“In the development of DEVIL, the synergy between classical and Bayesian statistical tools represents a key strength within the reference oncological literature,” says Leonardo Egidi of the University of Trieste, “and makes DEVIL an efficient computational protocol with a strong methodological characterisation. Future developments could involve spatio-temporal models for multiple patients and introduce further computational approximations based on theoretical properties that are currently under study: a valuable combination of statistical, computational and biological expertise.”

DEVIL was tested on two concrete biological case studies. In the first, focused on the identification of immune system cells, the tool proved more precise and specific in recognising relevant biological functions. In the second, concerning the ageing of human muscle tissue, it identified age-related transcriptional changes in a more stable and biologically grounded way, reducing noise and highlighting key processes for subsequent analyses.

DEVIL has been released as free and open-source software, available to laboratories and hospitals around the world, paving the way for a new generation of large-scale genomic analyses for the study of tumours, degenerative diseases and the development of personalised medicine.

Andrea Pappalardo, a student in the Master’s Degree Programme in Diplomacy and International Cooperation at the University of Trieste, has been appointed Italy’s Youth Delegate to the United Nations for the 2026/2027 mandate.

The appointment was announced by SIOI – the Italian Society for International Organization, which has implemented the United Nations Youth Delegate Programme – UNYD in Italy since 2017, in agreement with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The 2026/27 edition of the Programme is held under the patronage of the Italian Youth Agency and with the support of Reale Foundation.

Born in 2003, Pappalardo is originally from south-eastern Sicily and lives in Gorizia, where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences and where he is continuing his Master’s studies in the fields of diplomacy, cooperation and international relations.

His appointment follows a national selection process that assessed over 300 applications. Together with Sofia Gioria, a student at Roma Tre University, Pappalardo will represent the views, ideas and priorities of younger Italian generations at the 81st United Nations General Assembly and in the main national and international institutional contexts.

“I take on this role with a great sense of responsibility and gratitude,” said Andrea Pappalardo. “My aim will be to help give voice to young Italians, promoting the values of dialogue, cooperation and participation. I strongly believe in a culture of peace, capable of countering hatred and intolerance, and in the role that younger generations can play in shaping the present and the future.”

Pappalardo’s path combines academic education, civic engagement and student participation. He has been a volunteer with the Italian Red Cross for over six years, an experience that has strengthened his commitment to service, solidarity and the building of relationships based on trust. For the past three years, he has also been part of MSOI Gorizia, the local section of the Student Movement for International Organization, where he served as Deputy Secretary and was later elected Secretary for two consecutive terms.

The mandate of the Youth Delegates to the United Nations will begin in September with the handover from the 2025/2026 Delegates and will include, in addition to the mission to New York, the organisation of events and meetings at universities, schools, institutions, bodies and associations.

Rector Donata Vianelli described the appointment as “a source of great satisfaction and pride for me and for the entire academic community of the University of Trieste. This achievement not only rewards the talent and dedication of students such as Mr Pappalardo, but also confirms the excellence of the educational path offered by our University in the field of international relations.”

The University of Trieste, the Department of Medical Sciences, and the School of Specialization in Forensic Medicine express their deep sorrow at the passing of Dr. Fulvio Costantinides, former Researcher in Forensic Medicine.

A graduate in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Trieste, Dr. Costantinides was among the first members of the Trieste School to obtain a Specialization Diploma in Forensic Medicine (1981). From the very beginning of his career, he dedicated himself to crime scene investigations and post-mortem examinations, including external inspections and autopsies. He carried out these activities on behalf of the Judicial Authorities with great commitment and enthusiasm throughout his professional life.

A knowledgeable and empathetic educator, he was a forensic pathologist distinguished by a rigorous methodological approach and exceptional analytical, synthetic, and intuitive abilities. His colleagues remember him as a highly skilled and meticulous forensic physician when dealing with expert assessments and medico-legal cases. In this field, discussion and debate were always welcomed, conducted openly and honestly, while maintaining the strictest adherence to procedural rules.

Always present, approachable, and willing to contribute, he taught Forensic Pathology to at least two generations of forensic medicine specialists, leaving a lasting impact on his students and colleagues alike.

The Royal Society of Chemistry has awarded Federico Rosei the 2026 Centenary Prize for Chemistry and Communication. The award recognizes his contributions to the design, synthesis, and characterization of nanomaterials for renewable energy applications, as well as his excellence in science communication.

The prize is part of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Research & Innovation Prizes, established to celebrate outstanding individuals who advance the chemical sciences in both academia and industry. Previous recipients include more than 20 Nobel Prize laureates.

“This is a great honor, especially when looking at the list of past award winners,” commented Professor Rosei.

The University of Trieste is also among the recipients of the 2026 Environment, Sustainability and Energy Horizon Prize, together with the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (China).

The award recognizes the development of innovative photocatalytic approaches for producing solar hydrogen from sustainable biomass, a promising technology for the energy transition and decarbonization.

For the University of Trieste, the team includes Professors Tiziano Montini and Paolo Fornasiero, Vice-Rector for Research. The international group also includes Professors Nenchao Luo and Feng Wang of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, partners in a well-established scientific collaboration spanning more than ten years.

Cooperation between the two groups has been supported over time through a bilateral program funded by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), highlighting the strategic value of scientific relations between Italy and China.

“This prestigious recognition confirms that only through strong, long-term international collaborations can we address and solve the major global challenges of our time, from sustainable energy to environmental protection,” the researchers involved emphasized.

Commenting on the awards conferred upon the University of Trieste researchers, Helen Pain, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Society of Chemistry, stated:

“Chemistry and chemists are present everywhere in our daily lives and throughout society, and our awards are designed to celebrate this impact. The winners of the Research & Innovation Prizes include groups and individuals, professors and researchers, as well as people from around the world working across a wide range of roles and sectors. Each contribution plays a vital role in advancing human knowledge and improving the world in which we live. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the faculty members of the University of Trieste. Winning an RSC award is an exceptional achievement: they now join a distinguished list of award recipients that began more than 150 years ago and includes dozens of individuals who later went on to receive the Nobel Prize.”

The Royal Society of Chemistry is an international organization that connects chemical scientists with one another, with scientists from other disciplines, and with society as a whole. Founded in 1841 and headquartered in London, it has more than 60,000 members worldwide.

PHOTO: Federico Rosei, Paolo Fornasiero, and Tiziano Montini.

An international study has revealed a new piece of Mars’ geological puzzle. The research, led by Brock University (St. Catharines, ON, Canada), in collaboration with the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, ON, Canada) and with the contribution of the University of Trieste, has identified for the first time the presence of garnet in a Martian meteorite, opening up new perspectives on the complexity of the processes that shaped the Red Planet.

The study, published in the international peer-reviewed journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters of the European Association of Geochemistry, involved Ana Černok, a researcher at the University of Trieste.

Garnet is a very common mineral on Earth, often associated with metamorphic rocks and with processes occurring under conditions of high temperature, high pressure or in the presence of hot fluids. Until now, however, it had never been recognised in samples from Mars or directly on the Martian surface. Its identification therefore expands the known mineralogical diversity of the planet and suggests the possibility that Mars may have undergone more complex geological processes than previously documented.

The sample analysed is a fragment of the Martian meteorite NWA 8171, preserved in the collections of the Royal Ontario Museum. During the mineralogical and chemical analyses, the research team identified an unexpected composition, initially attributed to a more common mineral such as pyroxene. Further investigations, carried out using specialised instruments, made it possible to recognise the presence of garnet.

The discovery could point to the existence of a previously unknown type of Martian rock, formed through metamorphic or metasomatic processes, or through new forms of magmatic differentiation. The authors of the study, however, remain cautious: further investigations will be required, particularly into the isotopic signatures of the sample, to establish whether the garnet actually formed on Mars or whether it has an “extra-Martian” origin, linked to a celestial body that was later incorporated into the planet’s surface.

Ana Černok’s contribution focused on the mineralogical and geochemical interpretation of the sample, drawing on her expertise in the study of meteorites and planetary materials. The scientific collaboration originated within the doctoral research of the first author, Tanya Kizovski, then based at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and now a faculty member at Brock University. Černok contributed to this work as a member of the supervisory team and as a scientific mentor.

“If chemical elements are the letters of the alphabet, then minerals are the words through which planets tell their story,” explains Ana Černok. “Discovering a new mineral on another world is like finding a lost word from an ancient language. Garnet tells us that Mars experienced more complex geological processes than we previously thought, adding a new piece to the story of its evolution.”

The work is the result of an international collaboration involving institutions from Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy, including Brock University, the Royal Ontario Museum, the University of Toronto, the University of Portsmouth, The Open University and the University of Trieste.

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The study Expanding Mars’ lithologic diversity: discovery of a garnet-bearing clast in NWA 8171 was published in Geochemical Perspectives Letters.

Publication link: https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2619

A study published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences has unexpectedly found that rhythmic passive movements, such as rocking or carrying-like motions, can change the emotional state of domestic chicks, inducing both calming and pleasurable responses. The study, conducted by Cinzia Chiandetti, Andrea Dissegna and Paolo Gallina from the University of Trieste, and Lorenzo Scalera from the University of Udine, investigates the effects of rhythmic motion in animals outside the mammalian class.

In mammals, slow rhythmic passive motion has long been recognized as an important component of parental care: it can reduce crying, lower heart rate and promote sleep. In humans, anecdotal observations also suggest that faster rhythmic movements in babies and young children, such as playful tossing in the air, swinging or rides such as roller coasters, can elicit pleasure and excitement.

To test whether these effects also occur outside mammals, and to understand when motion shifts from a primarily calming function to a potentially pleasurable one, the research team observed domestic chicks while they were being rocked. The use of chicks to study this phenomenon is unprecedented: these animals are able to walk immediately after hatching and, unlike mammalian infants, are not carried by their mother.

During the experiment, individual chicks were placed inside an opaque box attached to a precision robotic arm, programmed to reproduce rocking and carrying-like motions while varying their frequency — slow or fast — and direction — horizontal or vertical. The animals’ emotional state was monitored non-invasively by recording their vocalizations.

The results show that slow rocking and slow carrying-like movements reduce so-called “contact calls”, vocalizations associated with discomfort, isolation or separation. This finding mirrors the calming effects of maternal carrying already documented in mammals.

A particularly significant result, however, concerns the possibility that specific forms of rhythmic movement can also induce a positive response. When the chicks were exposed to fast horizontal rocking or fast carrying-like movements, they emitted a significantly higher number of affiliative vocalizations — so-called brood calls — which are usually produced in safe and socially positive contexts and are considered indicators of a pleasurable state.

Taken together, the findings suggest that the calming effects of carrying and rocking observed in mammals may stem from a widespread sensitivity to rhythm and motion in animals.

As the study’s authors note: “Our findings expand the functional scope of rhythmic stimulation, positioning it as a regulator of affect with both calming and pleasurable dimensions across vertebrate lineages.”

Because chicks do not experience maternal carrying in their natural history, their sensitivity to rhythmic movement appears to reflect a deeply conserved mechanism across vertebrates, rather than a response to specific parental care strategies.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences is a multidisciplinary journal with more than two centuries of history, publishing high-impact research articles, reviews and perspective pieces dedicated to significant advances across all areas of scientific knowledge.

The journal is truly multidisciplinary in scope and welcomes contributions from researchers worldwide in the life sciences, physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, environmental sciences, and the intersections among these fields.

www.nyas.org

The University of Trieste mourns the passing of Antonio Bava, former Full Professor of Physiology.

A graduate of the University of Catania, Professor Bava devoted his scientific career to the study of the neurophysiological mechanisms of language, its functional foundations, and the principal brain regions involved in its processing. His research also contributed significantly to the understanding of cerebellar functions and their relationships with other structures of the central nervous system, as well as to the fields of clinical neurophysiology and neuropathology.

A scholar of recognized distinction, he organized the first National Congress of the Italian Society of Primatology, of which he also served as President for several years. At the University of Trieste, he carried out an extensive teaching activity in health sciences and psychology degree programs, passing on his passion for Physiology to generations of students.

His colleagues remember him for his broad intellectual interests, scientific rigor, and intellectual generosity; his students for his infectious enthusiasm and his extraordinary ability to teach and communicate knowledge.

Five years after graduation, Master’s degree graduates from the University of Trieste rank among the top performers regionally and nationally in terms of employment, salary levels and international mobility during their studies. These results reflect the University’s policies aimed at enhancing second-cycle degree programmes, which have led to an excellent 47% of students coming from other Italian regions and almost 7% from abroad.

This is what emerges from the 27th AlmaLaurea Report, which analysed the performance of students who graduated in 2025.

In detail, five years after graduation, the employment rate of Master’s degree graduates reaches 97.3%, exceeding both the regional figure of 96.5% and the national figure of 94.4%. Their average monthly salary amounts to €2,023, compared with €1,977 in Friuli Venezia Giulia and €1,903 in Italy.

These figures show clear growth compared with 2025, when employment for this category of graduates stood at 93%.

UniTS Master’s degree programmes continue to prove highly attractive: 47% of students come from other Italian regions, compared with a national average of less than 30%, while 6.7% come from other countries, marking an increase of almost one percentage point compared with last year.

The share of Master’s degree graduates who took part in a study experience abroad recognised by their degree programme is also increasing, rising from 13% in 2025 to 16.1% today.

Bachelor’s degree graduates also show excellent results. One year after graduation, 87% of Bachelor’s graduates who do not continue their studies are employed, up from 84.8% last year, compared with 81.2% nationally and 85.4% in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Their average net monthly salary is €1,543, higher than the national average of €1,491.

The high quality of the academic experience in Trieste is also confirmed by students’ overall assessments: 89% say they are generally satisfied with their university experience, with very positive evaluations also of their relationship with teaching staff (87%), the study workload (83%), and teaching activities and facilities (86.5%).

The 27th AlmaLaurea Report analysed the performance of more than 335,000 graduates from 2025 across 81 Italian universities, including 3,326 graduates from the University of Trieste: 1,917 Bachelor’s graduates, 1,026 two-year Master’s graduates and 383 single-cycle Master’s graduates.

Through its Career Service, UniTS carries out placement and career guidance activities for students, graduates and PhD candidates, with the aim of reducing as much as possible the time needed to enter the labour market: https://amm.units.it/placement

All information on the UniTS educational offer is available at: https://units.it/immatricolazioni26

The first edition of the Raman Spectroscopy Summer School: Principles and Applications (RAMSS 2026) has successfully concluded. The event was hosted in the Chapel Hall of the former Military Hospital in Trieste, home to the University of Trieste’s Luciano Fonda Honors College.

All 20 available places were filled by PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and professionals from across Italy, confirming the strong interest of the scientific community in this analytical technique.

Raman spectroscopy is an analytical method that allows scientists to determine the composition of a material and understand how its molecules are organized without damaging or altering the sample. The technique works by illuminating the selected sample with a laser beam. Most of the light is reflected unchanged, but a small fraction interacts with the material’s molecules and undergoes slight energy shifts. By analyzing these variations, researchers obtain a sort of molecular “fingerprint” that enables them to identify the chemical composition of the sample.

The Summer School combined lectures, hands-on sessions using real instrumentation, and a workshop dedicated to spectroscopic data analysis. The teaching staff brought together eight specialists. Representing the University of Trieste were Alois Bonifacio, Stefano Fornasaro, Vanni Lughi, and Valter Sergo. They were joined by Ivano Alessandri (University of Brescia), Stefano Legnaioli (CNR-ICCOM, Pisa), Barbara Rossi (Elettra – Sincrotrone Trieste), and Giorgia Sciutto (University of Bologna). Their expertise covered a wide range of fields, including biomedicine, materials science, catalysis, and cultural heritage conservation.

The school received the patronage of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI) through its Divisions of Analytical Chemistry and Chemistry for Technologies, which provided four scholarships covering the registration fees for four outstanding participants.

The event was organized by the local committee of the University of Trieste, composed of Alois Bonifacio, Gianpiero Adami (co-directors of the school), and Stefano Fornasaro.

The University of Trieste reaffirms its commitment to promoting innovation and youth entrepreneurship through initiatives that foster dialogue between research, education, and business development. In this context, the Innovators Community Lab (ICL) hosted the event “Self-Employment Program for Central and Northern Italy: Turn Your Idea into a Fundable Project” at the former Military Hospital premises.

The event, organized in collaboration with BIC Incubatori FVG, Invitalia, and the Self-Employment Program for Central and Northern Italy, was aimed at students, graduates, PhD candidates, researchers, young professionals, startups, and project teams interested in developing innovative entrepreneurial initiatives and exploring the support opportunities available to transform them into reality.

During the meeting, participants were introduced to the incentives and support measures offered under the Self-Employment Program for Central and Northern Italy. Particularly appreciated was the opportunity to engage directly with Invitalia experts through dedicated one-on-one meetings, allowing attendees to discuss their project ideas in depth and receive practical guidance on how to make them eligible for funding.

“The project design phase with a view to establishing a company represents a critical decision-making moment, especially for young aspiring entrepreneurs,” emphasized Prof. Erik Vesselli, Delegate for Technology Transfer and Relations with Research Institutions. “The support programs and initiatives offered by Invitalia through the Self-Employment Program for Central and Northern Italy align particularly well with a specialized training pathway such as ICL, opening up constructive opportunities for collaboration.”

The event is part of the broader effort led by the University of Trieste through the Innovators Community Lab to enhance skills and innovative ideas, fostering strategic connections with institutional partners and stakeholders within the innovation ecosystem.