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Wildlife in Trieste: results of the first study using cutting-edge methods

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Which mammals live within the municipal territory of Trieste? Where are they concentrated? How numerous are they? For the first time, these questions can now be answered thanks to research coordinated by Alessio Mortelliti, Professor of Ecology at the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste.

The study represents the first systematic survey ever conducted in the Municipality of Trieste on the presence, distribution and abundance of medium- and large-sized mammals. It fills a significant gap in knowledge about the city’s natural heritage and provides essential data for biodiversity conservation and land-use planning.

The research was carried out between November 2025 and February 2026 using a fully non-invasive methodology based on camera trapping. A total of 156 camera traps were installed across 78 monitoring sites distributed throughout the Municipality’s natural and peri-urban habitats, amounting to more than 2,300 observation nights. The cameras, automatically triggered by the passage of animals, made it possible to document wildlife presence without interfering with animal behaviour.

Overall, 18 mammal species were recorded, confirming the high naturalistic value of the Trieste area. Among the most widespread species were roe deer, wild boar and golden jackal. Of particular interest were the detections of the wildcat and European polecat, species of conservation relevance whose presence in an area so close to the city represents a finding of considerable scientific value.

In addition to compiling a checklist of the species present, the researchers used advanced statistical models to produce the first maps showing the probability of occurrence and abundance of the different species across the various environments of the municipal area, from forests and karst landscapes to agricultural and peri-urban zones. This information will make it possible to better understand the relationship between wildlife and habitat and to identify the areas where certain species are most concentrated.

“The results show that Trieste hosts a particularly rich and diverse mammal community,” explains Alessio Mortelliti. “This is not a phenomenon linked to climate change, but rather to the distinctive position of the Trieste area, which is closely connected from an ecological point of view with the Karst and the natural areas of Slovenia. This environmental continuity, together with the expansion of woodland across the Karst in recent decades, has favoured the presence of numerous wild species even close to the city.”

The data collected provide a valuable tool for updating knowledge of the fauna within the municipal territory and may support future activities related to biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, and urban and environmental planning by the Municipality of Trieste.

Abstract
UniTS records 18 species, including the wildcat and the extremely rare European polecat
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Newborn screening: genomics can strengthen the early diagnosis of rare diseases

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Identifying rare genetic diseases in the first days of life, before symptoms appear, and enabling more timely access to targeted care and clinical pathways: this is the perspective at the heart of the study conducted by the Medical Genetics group at the University of Trieste, led by Paolo Gasparini, Professor of Medical Genetics at UniTS and Director of the Medical Genetics Unit at the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo.

The work, carried out in collaboration with Stefania Zampieri, senior biologist in Medical Genetics at the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, assessed the clinical and economic impact of integrating genomics into newborn screening programmes. The study takes Friuli Venezia Giulia as a model and compares the traditional approach with a “genomic-first” scenario based on whole-exome sequencing (WES) as the first-line investigation.

Newborn screening is now one of the most effective tools for prevention: it enables the early identification of a number of treatable conditions and allows interventions to take place before they can lead to severe complications, disability or irreversible damage. The traditional model, however, is largely based on the analysis of biochemical markers and can therefore detect only those diseases for which known and measurable signals are already available.

“Newborn screening is highly effective today, but it can identify only conditions associated with specific biomarkers,” explains Paolo Gasparini. “With a genomic approach, we can detect genetic diseases at their root, even in the absence of clear early signals.”

The difference concerns not only the technology used, but the entire diagnostic pathway. In the traditional model, screening begins with a biochemical test, followed, in the event of a positive result, by further genetic investigations where appropriate. In the genomic model, by contrast, whole-exome sequencing becomes the first step of the investigation, followed where necessary by targeted biochemical tests or additional diagnostic confirmation. In this way, genomics broadens the scope of screening to include conditions that are not currently covered by traditional panels.

The study examined the 2023 newborn cohort in Friuli Venezia Giulia, comprising 7,543 children. In that year, screening identified one case of spinal muscular atrophy, one case of cystic fibrosis and eleven cases of metabolic diseases. Applying the comparison between the two models to this cohort, the analysis estimates a direct cost of €131 per newborn for traditional screening and €183 per newborn for genomic screening, an increase of €51 per newborn.

Against this initial increase, however, the genomic model shows a positive cost-effectiveness profile. According to the estimates, in Friuli Venezia Giulia the “genomic-first” approach could generate overall savings of around €2.2 million, taking into account the economic benefits associated with earlier diagnosis, fewer complications and the reduction of longer and more complex care pathways. Genomic screening could also make it possible to identify a further 7–8 cases of rare diseases each year that cannot be diagnosed through traditional biochemical tests.

“Investing in early diagnosis means making the system more sustainable in the medium to long term,” adds Gasparini. “It is an approach to healthcare that is oriented towards prevention.”

The value of genomics applied to newborn screening is therefore measured not only by the number of conditions that can be identified, but also by its potential to reduce the so-called “diagnostic odyssey” that many families face before receiving a diagnosis. Earlier diagnosis can support timely access to more effective therapies, improve clinical and functional outcomes, reduce the care burden and contain the social impact of disability.

The study also underlines the need to define carefully which conditions should be included in any newborn genomic screening programme. The main criteria include the availability of a therapeutic intervention, the clinical validity of the test, age of disease onset, severity of the clinical presentation, penetrance and the technical feasibility of genetic analysis. The perspective, therefore, is not the indiscriminate use of genomics, but an application guided by clinical, scientific and ethical criteria.

Another central issue is the relationship between genomic screening and metabolic screening. The two approaches should not be regarded as alternatives, but as complementary. Genomics makes it possible to identify genetic variants associated with disease; metabolic screening can help validate their functional effect, distinguishing between pathogenic variants, findings of uncertain significance and different clinical forms, including late-onset forms.

The decreasing cost of sequencing, the growth of gene and cell therapies and the identification of new therapeutic targets are making genomics an increasingly important tool for preventive and personalised medicine. Key issues remain open, from the management of variants of uncertain significance to the protection of newborns’ genomic data, as well as the need for adequate bioinformatics infrastructure and pilot studies shared across laboratories and health systems.

Abstract
A study by the Medical Genetics group at the University of Trieste, led by Paolo Gasparini, assesses the clinical and economic impact of a “genomic-first” approach applied to the Friuli Venezia Giulia model
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Silvia Marchesan Elected to the Chemistry Division of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc)

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Silvia Marchesan, Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (DSCF) of the University of Trieste, has been elected a Member of the Chemistry Division of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc).

This prestigious recognition acknowledges Professor Marchesan's pioneering contributions to the field of nanomaterials science, particularly her research on the role of chirality in peptide self-assembly, which has provided fundamental insights for the design and development of functional peptide-based nanomaterials. Her election also recognizes her commitment to promoting interdisciplinary research, science communication, and dialogue across disciplines, cultures, and genders.

"I am deeply honoured to join the Chemistry Division of EurASc," said Silvia Marchesan. "This recognition marks an important milestone for my research group and for our commitment to building collaborations that transcend the boundaries between disciplines and scientific communities. I am delighted to contribute to the Academy's mission of promoting scientific excellence and international cooperation."

The European Academy of Sciences (EurASc) is an independent international organization that brings together some of Europe's most distinguished scientists and engineers to promote excellence in fundamental and interdisciplinary research, strengthen international scientific cooperation, and advance science and technology for the benefit of society. EurASc works alongside and complements the activities of national academies and the European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC).

Professor Marchesan joins EurASc's Chemistry Division alongside several distinguished colleagues from the University of Trieste already serving in the Academy: Professors Paolo Fornasiero and Federico Rosei, members of the Materials Division from the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Maurizio Prato, Professor Emeritus at the University of Trieste.

 

Abstract
The University of Trieste is proud to announce that its Full Professor of Organic Chemistry has been elected to the prestigious European Academy of Sciences (EurASc)
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Parties as Brands, Images as Strategy

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VIPoP – The Visual Politics of Populism, an ambitious research project funded under PRIN 2022 with a grant of €217,940, has recently come to a close. Over the course of twenty-nine months, the project investigated, from a comparative perspective, the visual communication strategies adopted by political parties in Europe. The project was led as Principal Investigator by Professor Mattia Zulianello, Associate Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Trieste. He coordinated a consortium of three research units, which also included the University of Milan and the University of Milano-Bicocca.

VIPoP represents the first systematic comparative analysis of visual populism in Europe and stands out for its deeply innovative approach, opening a new frontier in the field. For the first time, the ideational approach to populism was systematically extended to the visual dimension, which has so far remained largely marginal in the international literature. The project looks at political parties as genuine political brands, and at their symbols — logos, colour palettes and recurring visual codes — as identity markers governed by marketing logics not unlike those shaping competition among companies in the marketplace. From this perspective, VIPoP adopted a multi-platform research design, integrating thousands of data points from Facebook and Instagram and an advanced methodology combining computer vision, automated text analysis, qualitative interviews with party elites and randomised conjoint experiments.

“What struck us while working in the field was the level of awareness with which party communication teams manage every visual detail, much like a marketing department would handle its own brand identity. The interviews clearly showed that the choice of a colour, the framing of an image or the position of a logo are never random, but the result of a precise strategy. Reconstructing this visual grammar from a comparative European perspective was one of the most revealing aspects of the project,” Zulianello explains.

The relevance of VIPoP lies on a distinctly European scale. At a historical moment in which the populist challenge raises crucial questions about the resilience of the continent’s liberal democracies, the project provides essential analytical and interpretative tools for understanding how these political actors build consensus through images.

“Today, images are the primary vector of digital political communication: understanding their populist mechanisms is not an academic exercise, but a prerequisite for democratic citizenship. VIPoP therefore responds to Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda — peace, justice and strong institutions — by providing tools to defend the quality of public debate and the resilience of European democracies,” Zulianello underlines.

Professor Zulianello’s scientific output within VIPoP has been particularly extensive and has appeared in top-tier international journals. Among the project’s most significant results is PopulisTree, a systematic mapping of European populist parties from 1979 to the present day, accompanied by openly accessible datasets covering national and European elections. Developed by Professor Zulianello and presented in an article published in European Union Politics, PopulisTree forms the classificatory backbone of the entire project and is intended as a reference tool for the international scientific community, as well as an open resource for anyone wishing to study the phenomenon with methodological rigour.

Other publications by Professor Zulianello connected to the project include a state-of-the-art review of populist visual communication in Political Studies Review, co-authored with Francesco Melito, a research fellow recruited within the framework of VIPoP; a study on the logos of populist radical right parties as elements of brand identity in The International Journal of Press/Politics, co-authored with Luigi Curini and Benjamin Moffitt; an analysis of perceptions of the mainstreaming of the populist radical right in South European Society and Politics, co-authored with Antonella Seddone; and the article “Show, Don’t Tell”, published in Political Studies in 2026 and also co-authored with Melito, which emerged directly from fieldwork interviews with the communication teams of Italy’s main political parties.

These contributions are accompanied by two books co-authored with Petra Guasti: Capire il Populismo, published by UTET in 2024, and Understanding Populism, forthcoming with Karolinum Press / University of Chicago Press.

Abstract
European populisms and the sustainability of democracies: a PRIN project coordinated by Mattia Zulianello
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The Euclid Space Telescope captures the heart of the Milky Way: extraordinary new images revealed

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The European Space Agency (ESA) has presented the largest and most detailed image ever produced of the centre of the Milky Way, the so-called Galactic Bulge: an extremely bright region densely populated with stars. This extraordinary “photograph” opens up new possibilities for scientists, who will be able to confirm the possible existence of exoplanets in this region and measure their mass through the tiny variations in starlight over time.

The Euclid Space Telescope acquired this enormous image in around 26 hours. It is a mosaic made up of nine pointings of its visible-light camera, each covering a portion of the sky larger than the full Moon.

In this image, Euclid captured more than 60 million stars, together with nebulae and star clusters. This extremely populated region of our galaxy is an ideal environment for the search for exoplanets through microlensing.

The news from Euclid is extraordinary: mapping the Galactic Bulge with such precision opens up unique prospects,” commented Gabriele Cescutti, UniTS Professor of Stellar Astrophysics. “Although this specific observing campaign was designed to exploit microlensing and search for exoplanets, such a density of stellar data is also extremely valuable for our research lines at UniTS. In our Department of Physics, we have been working for years on chemical evolution and ‘galactic archaeology’. We use spectroscopic and chemical data from stars to reconstruct, through theoretical models, the early history, formation timescales and origin of the elements in the bulge and nucleus of the Milky Way. High-resolution mosaics, such as the one produced by Euclid, are fundamental to understanding the precise distribution and nature of these stellar populations.

The University of Trieste is responsible for the operations of the two scientific instruments at the heart of the Euclid mission: VIS (Visible Instrument) and NISP (Near Infrared Spectrometer Photometer). In detail, UniTS researchers hold responsibility and coordination roles in several Key Projects dedicated to the scientific exploitation of Data Release 1 (DR1), expected around mid-2027, which concerns the study of cosmology through the statistical properties of the distribution and evolution of galaxies. UniTS also contributes to the production of cosmological numerical simulations based on High Performance Computing methodologies.

Image credits: European Space Agency - ESA.

Abstract
UniTS’ role in the ESA mission set to open new frontiers in cosmology
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Genomic analyses up to forty times faster thanks to DEVIL

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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.

Abstract
The new tool developed by UniTS, Area Science Park, SISSA and Human Technopole analyses over ten million cells in less than two hours
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Kawasaki disease: AIFA funds project led by Andrea Taddio

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A project dedicated to Kawasaki disease, coordinated by the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo maternal and child health institute with the scientific contribution of the University of Trieste, has been awarded funding under the 2025 AIFA independent research call on rare diseases.

The study, funded with 983,000 euros, is one of 19 projects selected nationwide by the Italian Medicines Agency. Burlo will act as lead institution, with Prof. Andrea Taddio, Director of the Institute’s Paediatric Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Unit and Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Trieste.

The project aims to assess the use of anakinra, a biological drug targeting an inflammatory protein called IL-1, as a possible first-line treatment for Kawasaki disease. The approach is also innovative from a methodological point of view: the study will use control groups built from pre-existing clinical data, which will also be analysed through artificial intelligence tools.

Kawasaki disease is a rare inflammatory condition in children that affects blood vessels, particularly the coronary arteries, and can lead to cardiac complications. The standard treatment is intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, but a significant proportion of patients — around 20–25% — do not respond adequately, increasing the risk of severe clinical outcomes.

The aim of the study is therefore to generate new evidence on the efficacy of anakinra, while also assessing its safety, tolerability, impact on hospital stay and overall clinical outcomes.

“Receiving almost one million euros in funding is an important recognition of the scientific quality of the project and of the ability of the centres involved to work together on complex clinical challenges. The aim is to generate new scientific evidence that can translate into better treatment opportunities for children affected by this rare disease,” says Prof. Andrea Taddio, scientific coordinator of the project.

“Being included in the national AIFA ranking attests to the value of the clinical research developed by the network of professionals at our IRCCS and by the institutions collaborating within the Incipit Consortium. This result confirms the effectiveness of participatory research in generating innovation and new opportunities for patients,” says Anna Arbo, Director of the Hospital Pharmacy at Burlo.

The study was developed with the contribution of Prof. Gabriele Simonini, Director of the Paediatric Rheumatology Unit at the Meyer University Hospital IRCCS in Florence, and Prof. Marco Cattalini, Head of Paediatric Rheumatology at the ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia.

Abstract
Lo studio sulla patologia rara coordinato dal docente UniTS di Pediatria è uno dei 19 selezionati a livello nazionale: previsto un finanziamento da 1 mln di euro
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Research Quality Assessment 2020-2024: UniTS ranks first in Italy in 5 disciplines

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The Final Report of the Research Quality Assessment 2020–2024 (VQR4) by ANVUR — the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes — ranks the University of Trieste first among Italian universities in the following scientific disciplinary sectors:

- Architectural and urban design
- General and inorganic chemistry
- Medical genetics
- Physics applied to life sciences, the environment and cultural heritage
- Social psychology

UniTS also ranks second in the following sectors:

- Physical chemistry
- Stratigraphic and sedimentological geology
- Pathological anatomy
- Cardiovascular diseases

“The result of the latest ANVUR assessment reflects a University whose overall evaluation of publications is above the national average, one that promotes deserving researchers and, above all, acts as a hub for research with a strong impact on society,” comments Paolo Fornasiero, Vice-Rector for Research. “The latest data presented may also be underestimated, as disciplines involving only a small number of researchers, or those that did not submit at least 10 scientific works, are not included in the report for privacy reasons.”

The Final Report confirms the data released by ANVUR on 16 April: not only is the average evaluation of the 1,789 publications submitted for assessment higher than the national average, but in terms of knowledge valorisation — namely the impact of research on the local area and society — the University ranks sixth.

VQR4 assesses the results of scientific production, knowledge valorisation activities, the ability to attract competitive international projects and, for the first time on an experimental basis and limited to research bodies and voluntary institutions, research infrastructures.

Abstract
ANVUR places the University among the top institutions nationally
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The Royal Society of Chemistry Honors the University of Trieste for Scientific Excellence

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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.

Abstract
Three Faculty Members from the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences — Paolo Fornasiero, Tiziano Montini, and Federico Rosei — Recognized for Their Research Excellence
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Garnet found on Mars: a new piece in the geological history of the Red Planet

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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

Abstract
The mineral has been identified for the first time in a Martian meteorite, thanks to an international study led by Brock University and the Royal Ontario Museum, with the collaboration of the University of Trieste
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