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.”

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.

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.

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

Research at the University of Trieste is entering the heart of the international debate on the new geographies of global security. Federico Donelli, Professor of International Relations at the Department of Political and Social Sciences – DiSPeS, has been appointed Research Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington for the 2026–2027 year.

The prestigious U.S. center, established by the United States Congress in 1968 as the national memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is today one of the leading places of exchange between research, geopolitical analysis and public policy. Its mission is to provide institutional decision-makers and the public with independent, nonpartisan insights on major issues in international relations, fostering dialogue between academia, institutions and policy-making.

The new class of Research Fellows, officially presented in Washington on June 9, brings together scholars, experts, journalists and public intellectuals selected through an international competitive process. The fellows will work on research projects designed to connect scientific production with the main challenges of contemporary foreign policy.

In this context, Donelli will develop the project “Great and Middle Power Competition in the Red Sea: Hybrid Security Orders and U.S. Strategic Interests”, dedicated to competition between great and middle powers in the Red Sea region and its implications for political, economic and security balances.

The Red Sea is currently one of the most sensitive passages in the global scenario: an essential maritime corridor between the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific, where strategic, commercial and military interests are increasingly intertwined. The research will analyze the role of actors such as the United States, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, examining how their presence interacts with fragmented local contexts and hybrid forms of security governance.

At the center of the project there will therefore be not only competition between powers, but also the ways in which local actors adapt to, respond to and at times exploit external involvement, helping to redefine regional orders. The research will be based on qualitative analysis, interviews, fieldwork and the study of available documentation.

The results will lead to an academic study and a Wilson Center monograph also addressed to policymakers, with the aim of offering evidence-based interpretations and recommendations.

The appointment represents an important international recognition of Donelli’s scientific work, particularly in the study of transformations in global balances. His research focuses on international politics and security in the Middle East and Africa, with particular attention to the strategies of regional and extra-regional actors.

Donelli is the author of articles published in international journals including International Affairs, Third World Quarterly, Small Wars & Insurgencies and The International Spectator. His publications also include the volumes Turkey in Africa: Turkey’s Strategic Involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa and Power Competition in the Red Sea: Testing the Post-Liberal International Order.

From 13 to 16 June, Trieste will celebrate the literary genius of James Joyce with the 17th edition of #BloomsdayTrieste, this year focusing on the second chapter of Ulysses, Nestor, and on the great dilemmas of identity and history.

The University of Trieste, through the Department of Humanities, remains one of the key pillars of the event, curating not only its solid scientific framework but also its creative dimension, thanks to the contributions of professors Laura Pelaschiar and Paolo Quazzolo.

Through exegetical insights in historic cafés, guided tours and an evocative theatrical adaptation that will bring University professors, graduates and PhD students onto the stage of the Rossetti Theatre, UniTS turns one of the great works of twentieth-century literature into a living heritage shared with the whole community.

Events promoted by the University of Trieste in the PROGRAMME of this edition:

• SATURDAY 13 JUNE

11:00 | Antico Caffè San Marco
Via Cesare Battisti 18
Nestor in Half an Hour

The now traditional and much-anticipated flash-format event dedicated to individual chapters of Ulysses focuses this year on Nestor. The meeting is designed to reveal the structure, symbols and meanings of the second chapter of Joyce’s masterpiece in an agile and accessible format. This exegetical journey will be led by Laura Pelaschiar, professor at the University of Trieste and curator of the Joyce Museum, in the historic setting of Caffè San Marco.

20:00 | Teatro Politeama Rossetti
Largo Giorgio Gaber 1
Circe & Nestor – Theatrical adaptation

A central event in the evening programme, the performance offers an ambitious dramaturgical reworking that brings together the chapters Circe and Nestor. The text adaptation and direction are jointly by Laura Pelaschiar and Paolo Quazzolo, professors at the University of Trieste. The production stands out for its strong academic synergy: in addition to its scientific and directorial guidance, the staging brings to the Rossetti stage a group of PhD students and graduates from the University of Trieste — Elisa Mariuz, Valeria Piraino, Federica Rufolo and Tommaso Piccolo — turning literary research into stage action.

• SUNDAY 14 JUNE

11:00 | Spazio Forum – Museo LETS
Piazza Hortis 4
Joyce Museum Tour

A themed guided tour inside the rooms of the Joyce Museum to explore the dense network of relationships, influences and real-life traces that connected the Irish writer to the city of Trieste. The itinerary through documents and archive materials will be led by Laura Pelaschiar, University of Trieste, who will illustrate the decisive impact of Joyce’s Trieste years on the genesis of Ulysses.

12:00 | Spazio Forum – Museo LETS
Piazza Hortis 4
JJ Walking Tour

Immediately after the museum visit, a walking itinerary will begin through the symbolic places of James Joyce’s Trieste. The city landmarks, buildings and streets frequented by the author will become the setting for an itinerant narrative. The cultural walk will be led by Laura Pelaschiar, with the contribution and participation of Professor Paolo Quazzolo, University of Trieste, offering the public a rigorous yet accessible field-based analysis.

20:00 | Teatro Politeama Rossetti
Largo Giorgio Gaber 1
Circe & Nestor – Theatrical adaptation | Repeat performance

To close the days dedicated to the Joycean celebrations, the evening repeat performance of the theatrical adaptation will be staged. It will offer the public a further opportunity to attend the performance born from the scientific and artistic collaboration of professors, researchers and students of the University of Trieste.

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

A small green space on campus has been transformed into an open-air laboratory where students and staff can observe firsthand how nature adapts to the challenges posed by climate change.

This is the idea behind the T4EU Student Garden at the University of Trieste, developed within the framework of Work Package 6, “Green Campus Life, Inclusion and Wellbeing”, of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) European University Alliance. The initiative envisages the creation of a Student Garden at each partner university through a collaborative process aimed at raising awareness of ecological sustainability and environmental transformation across the academic community.

At UniTS, the project has taken shape in a previously unused green area located next to Building H3, on the side facing the University Botanical Garden. The site has been redesigned and redeveloped as a biodiversity hotspot, featuring predominantly native Mediterranean plant species selected for their ability to withstand increasingly frequent heatwaves and prolonged periods of drought.

At the heart of the initiative lies the concept of assisted plant migration—an approach already adopted in several European cities to support the resilience and sustainability of urban green spaces in the face of rapidly changing climatic conditions. The students involved took part in the design of the garden, the selection of plant species, and the planting activities. During the initial establishment phase, they will also contribute directly to the care of the garden through a scheduled irrigation programme.

The project was made possible through the collaboration between T4EU, the Department of Life Sciences (DSV), and several central administrative offices of the University, with the active involvement of DSV students. The design and implementation of the initiative were coordinated and supervised by Dr Andrea Moro, Curator of the University Botanical Garden, Professor Andrea Nardini, Full Professor of Plant Physiology, and Dr Martina Tomasella, Assistant Professor in Plant Physiology.