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Valeria Mazza

Valeria Mazza

@valmazza.bsky.social

190 followers 210 following 12 posts

Behavioural biologist interested in all things animal cognition. Senior lecturer @UniTuscia. Proud citizen of Humboldt's Republic of the Letters.📖🐛She/her
https://valeriamazza.net

Environmental science 51%

Agriculture 20%

more

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Walter Veit, Valeria Mazza

Dr Heather Browning (Veit) @zoophilosophy.bsky.social · 4d

So excited to see this recommendation coming from the Animal Sentience Committee, really hoping it leads to some real change in decapod protection
www.gov.uk/government/p...

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Vivek Nityananda @viveknityananda.bsky.social · 6d

New PhD alert! We'll be applying animal welfare ideas to look at how stress affects bees, looking at the effect on bee brains with @lenariab.bsky.social, and working with @sensibee.bsky.social developing new monitoring methods.

Please spread the word! #bees #PhD 🧪

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

The effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - The effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com

www.findaphd.com

Reposted by Ben C. Sheldon, Simon Roux, Craig R. Primmer , and 3 more Ben C. Sheldon, Simon Roux, Craig R. Primmer, Valeria Mazza, Orlando Schwery, Samuele Ramellini

Jordan S. Martin @jsmartin.bsky.social · 7d

I am looking for a PhD student to join my new Socio-Eco-Evo group, hosted in Katie Peichel's Evolutionary Ecology Division @ University of Bern. We're offering a fully funded 4-year position, studying social plasticity and behavioral adaptation among stickleback in Greenland. Please share around!

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Andrea Sommese @asommese.bsky.social · 9d

After years of working with Gifted dogs, this paper marks the end of that chapter for me 🐕

We compared gifted and typical dogs and found that what sets gifted dogs apart may not be curiosity, but their social motivation

Grateful to the dogs and their humans 💙

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Toy exploration in gifted word learner dogs and typical dogs - Animal Cognition

Labelling has a pronounced effect on increasing infants’ attention to objects. At the same time, infants actively seek social cues when presented with novel objects and early signs of communicative in...

link.springer.com

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Tomer J. Czaczkes @tomerczaczkes.bsky.social · 10d

Urban ants are less picky than rural ants when it comes to sugar solution. Maybe the aphids in cities produce poorer honeydew, reflecting the stress they, or their tree hosts are under?

New paper, with Stanislav Stukalyuk and @trigos-peral.bsky.social.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Urban Lasius niger ants more readily accept low concentration sucrose solution than rural ants - Urban Ecosystems

Urbanisation causes broad changes in biotic and abiotic factors, which are often detrimental to animals. While extensive attention has been focussed on food resources for pollinators, comparatively li...

link.springer.com

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Robert W. Wallace, Huw Price , and 3 more Diane Coyle, Robert W. Wallace, Huw Price, Samantha Brennan, Richard Pettigrew, Valeria Mazza

Jonathan Birch @birchlse.bsky.social · 11d

My Centre is a unique place to do a PhD in Philosophy, because you can be in constant contact with experts in veterinary medicine, psychology, zoology and policy and be part of a team united by a shared interest in animal minds. We now have our 1st ever PhD scholarship: www.lse.ac.uk/sentience/phd

PhD Scholarship

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Interspecies Internet @interspecies-io.bsky.social · 11d

📣 What if animals could help design their own worlds?

Join @zoophilosophy.bsky.social for Letting Animals Speak—a lecture on animal agency, ethics & animal-computer interaction.

📅 Feb 7 | Online | Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Raphaël Royauté @rroyaute.bsky.social · 12d

A permanent junior research scientist position to work on the #ecotoxicology of #soil #foodwebs. Come join us in our new campus in Palaiseau @inrae-france.bsky.social & @agroparistech.fr !
Deadline for applications: March 5, 2026

jobs.inrae.fr/en/open-comp...

Junior research scientist in ecotoxicology of soil food webs

CR26-AgroEcoSystem-2 - You will join the Sol&Tox team within the EcoSys (Functional Ecology and Ecotoxicology of Agroecosystems) joint research unit that studies agroecosystem functioning taking into account the biogeochemical processes, material and energy flows, and the functions of organisms interacting with their environment. You will draw on the skills within the unit to work on both abiotic and biotic processes. Your work will build on the research conducted on the fate of contaminants in the environment, organism exposure, and biological responses, and you will be able to draw on the various analytical platforms of EcoSys. You could also make use of the Ecosys experience on some specific soil biological species to set up experiments, as well as the modelling expertise of Ecosys and collaborators (INERIS, Paris-Saclay University, INRAE) to conceptualise the food webs studied experimentally.You will aim to develop an integrative approach to terrestrial ecotoxicology by working at the interface between the structuring of agricultural and peri-urban soil food webs, the propagation of direct and indirect effects linked to diffuse contamination of anthropogenic origin, and the ecosystem functions and services provided by the soils. You will aim to (1) understand how the contaminants spread within food webs, (2) characterise the propagation of the effects of contaminants within these webs via direct and indirect interactions between the different links in the webs, and (3) quantify the consequences of the structural changes of food webs on certain key functions provided by soil organisms (decomposition and recycling of organic matter, aggregation and porosity dynamics, circulation of water and air). You will thus be required to work on themes relating to the relationships between bioavailability of contaminants and their effects on the structuring of food webs, to conduct experiments on links between biodiversity and soil functioning, or even to identify tools to promote soil compartment resilience against chemical contamination. Your work will highlight tipping points beyond which soil functions can no longer be ensured optimally in the presence of diffuse contamination.You will join the Sol&Tox team within EcoSys, located on the Agro Paris Saclay Campus. The Sol&Tox team studies (i) the links between the fate of soil contaminants and their effects on soil organisms, and (ii) the effect of developments, changes in land use, product recycling, and practices on soil organisms and their function. You will complement the approaches on simplified food webs conducted in the laboratory using experimental approaches in semi-natural conditions from mesocosm to plot level. Your work on the understanding of mechanisms responsible for direct or indirect effects on food webs will complement the modelling work being developed within Ecosys to predict the impact of diffuse contamination of agroecosystems on different biological scales (individuals, populations, communities). You will draw on existing skills in laboratory experimentation within the joint research unit on some specific soil species (worms, springtails, enchytraeidae, ground beetles), as well as in modelling the fate of ecotoxicological effects of organic contaminants. You will complement this expertise through experiments and observations in the field to compare the organisation of complex food webs along anthropisation gradients, drawing more particularly on knowledge relating to soil food webs. You will benefit from the support of the isotope and analytical chemistry platforms to measure the transfers and bioaccumulation of pesticide compounds within food webs. Lastly, you will work with experts in soil science and function to measure the impact of structural variations of food webs on ecological soil functions and services.

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Animal Behavior Society @animbehsociety.bsky.social · 13d

Job alert! The University of Zurich is hiring a professor for Evolutionary Anthropology and Primatology. Learn more here: www.appointments.mnf.uzh.ch/auth/Apply/0...

Selectus - Home

www.appointments.mnf.uzh.ch

Reposted by Jonathan Birch, Tom Chevalier, Valeria Mazza

Dr Heather Browning (Veit) @zoophilosophy.bsky.social · 19d

For those cephalopod lovers among you, our new updated review of the evidence for cephalpod sentience has now been published in Biological Reviews. (Sadly the picture is of birds rather than cephalopods, as this is the journal cover!)
doi.org/10.1002/brv....

Sentience in cephalopod molluscs: an updated assessment

This article evaluates the evidence for sentience – the capacity to have feelings – in cephalopod molluscs: octopus, cuttlefish, squid, and nautilus. Our framework includes eight criteria, covering b...

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Andrea Sommese @asommese.bsky.social · 20d

🐶❄️☀️

We’re studying how dogs are affected by cold and heat stress. If you have a dog, please consider completing our anonymous online questionnaire (15–30 min) or sharing it with others who might be interested.

👉 survey.vetmeduni.ac.at/index.php/83...

#DogWelfare #CitizenScience

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 21d

No bull: nice article about our study by David Grimm | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

No bull: This Austrian cow has learned to use tools

First evidence for tool use in cattle includes a skill previously seen only in humans and chimpanzees

www.science.org

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Oded Berger-Tal @odedberger-tal.bsky.social · 22d

Recently out in #animalbehaviour: Yuval Zukerman investigated Interindividual variation in tolerance behavior of #NubianIbex inhabiting human settlements and found that the way humans behave shapes the behavior of the ibex, leading to separate social cliques.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@dingemanselab.bsky.social

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Konrad Lorenz Research Center @klf-univienna.bsky.social · 27d

📣 Annual Meeting of the @ethoges.bsky.social 2026
🗓️ 18–21 Feb 2026 | 📍 Almtal, Austria
Join us in beautiful Grünau im Almtal for inspiring talks and lively discussions!
⚠️ Registration closes this week!
👉 univie.eventsair.com/etho26-dkcog...
@univie.ac.at

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Anindita Bhadra @abhadra7.bsky.social · 27d

Anyone who is an expert in #gutmicrobiome research is interested in collaborating with us to study #free-rangingdogs in India? Please get in touch!

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Valeria Mazza

Andrea Sommese @asommese.bsky.social · Jan 9

New research on Gifted dogs is out, in @science.org!

Huge congrats to SHANY DROR for her effort and this incredible achievement.

📄 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Dogs with a large vocabulary of object labels learn new labels by overhearing like 1.5-year-old infants

Children as young as 18 months can acquire novel words by overhearing third-party interactions. Demonstrating similar learning processes in nonhuman species would indicate that the social-cognitive sk...

www.science.org

Reposted by Valeria Mazza, Tiziana A. Gelmi‐Candusso

Birds on the Move @birdsmove.bsky.social · Jan 6

📢📢PhD opportunity!
We are looking for enthusiastic researchers to develop a project looking at the ontogeny of migratory behaviour!
Deadline for expression of interest: 8 February 2026
👉Check details here: drive.google.com/file/d/1wow2...
#migration #ornithology #GPStracking

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Alexandros Vezyrakis @avezyrakis.bsky.social · Dec 31

🎉 What a way to end the year!

Very excited to see our new paper on 🐭 innovation and mate choice out in @currentbiology.bsky.social!

doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.11.077

With the amazing @fragdarm.bsky.social, @valmazza.bsky.social & Anja Guenther

Two house mice interacting in an enclosure

Reposted by Steven French, Samantha Brennan, Anthony Burke , and 1 more Steven French, Samantha Brennan, Anthony Burke, Valeria Mazza

Jonathan Birch @birchlse.bsky.social · Dec 23

Alexander Pope decried the cruelty of cooking lobsters alive in 1713. 313 years later the practice will finally be banned. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Boiling lobsters alive to be banned in UK animal cruelty crackdown

Move is part of a long-awaited Labour strategy including outlawing hen cages and ending puppy farming

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Ingolf Kühn, Arthur Geßler, Christian Hof , and 3 more Ingolf Kühn, Arthur Geßler, Christian Hof, Valeria Mazza, Samuele Ramellini, Benjamin Wildermuth

Christoph Grüter @chrisleduck.bsky.social · Dec 20

🚨 Tenure-track professorship at Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany, with a focus on evolutionary ecology of social hymenoptera 🐝🐜

Initially for 6 years:
www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/pr...

Goethe University Frankfurt hiring Professur (W1 mit Tenure Track) für Evolutionäre Ökologie der Hymenopteren in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany | LinkedIn

Posted 11:13:19 PM. Die Professur wird zunächst auf sechs Jahre befristet besetzt, nach erfolgreicher Evaluation…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

www.linkedin.com

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Martin Whiting @lizardlab.bsky.social · Dec 20

Our recent paper on lizard societies now online in a special issue of Animal Behaviour. DM if you want me to send you a PDF.

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Christian Nawroth @goatswhostare.bsky.social · Dec 17

ManyFishes: a big team science collaboration on fish comparative cognition

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

ManyFishes: a big team science collaboration on fish comparative cognition - Animal Cognition

Fishes are among the oldest and most diverse groups of vertebrates, encompassing a vast array of species that differ in morphology, ecology, and behavior. While such diversity can pose challenges to c...

link.springer.com

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

ASAB Spring 2026 @asab-meetings.bsky.social · Dec 16

Note that there’s a PhD position on this topic, if you found this interesting! #ASABWinter2025

Conclusion:
Fully funded PhD position is available. Octopus photo

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Denis REALE 🇨🇦 @denisreale.bsky.social · Dec 14

Congratulations to Hélène Dion-Phénix and Gabrielle Gingras for publishing this new paper studying why female blue tits add aromatic plants to their nest. @oikosjournal.bsky.social @nordicoikos.bsky.social

Title, authors' names and abstract of the paper.

Reposted by Michael G. Bertram, Valeria Mazza, Arman Pili , and 2 more Michael G. Bertram, Valeria Mazza, Arman Pili, Tiziana A. Gelmi‐Candusso, Samuele Ramellini

Bob Wong @bbmwong.bsky.social · Dec 10

What are the causes & consequences of behavioural diversity loss in a changing world? And how do we harness this knowledge for conservation? New open access paper led by @odedberger-tal.bsky.social with David Saltz and @mrmic1.bsky.social

#BobWongLab

royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

Anthropogenic change and the loss of behavioural diversity

Abstract. Behavioural diversity is an important but understudied facet of biodiversity that enables wildlife populations to cope with rapidly changing envi

royalsocietypublishing.org

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Carsten Schradin @carsten-schradin.bsky.social · Dec 10

Adaptation to harshness is fundamentally different from the adaptive stress response: Results from a 20 years long case study in African striped mice
zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Adaptation to harshness is fundamentally different from the adaptive stress response: Results from a 20‐year‐long case study in African striped mice

Animals in harsh environments rely on specialised adaptations. Two decades of field research on African striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) in the Succulent Karoo semi-desert reveal a distinct ‘harshnes...

zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Andy Radford @andyradford.bsky.social · Dec 5

⏰ 1 month left to apply for these fully-funded #PhD opportunities with us investigating social monitoring & manipulation. #bioacoustics #mammals

UK-domiciled black-heritage scheme: tinyurl.com/aja54nr6

NERC DLTP: tinyurl.com/4jfy47pp

DM or email me if you have questions.
Please spread the word. ☺️

Funded PhD open to UK-domiciled, home fee applicants of Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black or mixed Black heritage - Biological market monitoring and manipulation in social animals at Unive...

PhD Project - Funded PhD open to UK-domiciled, home fee applicants of Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black or mixed Black heritage - Biological market monitoring and manipulation in social an...

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

michael chimento @mchimento.bsky.social · Dec 4

New paper out today w @dalmaijer.bsky.social @barbaraklump.bsky.social and @lucymaplin.bsky.social as part of the Phil Trans special issue doi.org/10.1098/rstb.... Over 2 years, we studied a population of cockatoos thought to be the source of the innovation of bin-opening.

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Janire Castellano Bueno, PhD @janirecas.bsky.social · Dec 3

As a follow up, we are now focusing on language barriers. To make conferences inclusive for everyone, we need to understand peoples experiences with language at academic events. Please take a moment to fill in our survey and help shape more accessible conferences 🌍✍️

forms.gle/u8ESktcJP8Y6...

Amplifying global voices: Removing language barriers in academic conferences

We invite you to share your experiences with language barriers at academic conferences. Your insights will help shape more inclusive and multilingual events across disciplines and formats. This survey...

Reposted by Valeria Mazza

Vedrana Šlipogor @vedranaslipogor.bsky.social · Dec 1

📢 Our new article entitled “With or without you: common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus, personality expression is mediated by social setting” has just come out *open access* in #AnimalBehaviourJournal! ✨ 🥰🥳🐒 @asab.org

doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

A thread. 😊