Giacomo Bignardi
@giacomobignardi.bsky.social
Max Planck School of Cognition PhD candidate
MPI for Psycholinguistics, Language & Genetics
PhDing in musicality, aesthetics and behavioural genetics
Typos are my owl
MPI for Psycholinguistics, Language & Genetics
PhDing in musicality, aesthetics and behavioural genetics
Typos are my owl
Pinned
“What an odd thing“ wrote Oliver Sacks “to see an entire species playing with listening to meaningless tonal patterns, preoccupied for much of their time by what they call ‘music’...“. Our new paper, led by ace student @giacomobignardi.bsky.social, unpacks this puzzle from a genetic perspective. 🧪
Twin modelling reveals partly distinct genetic pathways to music enjoyment - Nature Communications
Here, Bignardi et al. report on a study of over 9,000 Swedish twins that indicates the ability to enjoy music is influenced by multiple partly distinct genetic factors.
www.nature.com
Our study is now out in @naturecomms.bsky.social! Here, we integrate large-scale registry musicality data from twins to investigate the genetics of music enjoyment 🧬🎶🧑🤝🧑
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
Pleased to advertise that the auditory labs from UNLV will have presentations from post-bacc, grad student, post-doc, and faculty researchers @psychonomicsociety.bsky.social and the APCAM auditory conference in Denver in a few weeks. Please see the image for details on our presentations.
October 31, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Pleased to advertise that the auditory labs from UNLV will have presentations from post-bacc, grad student, post-doc, and faculty researchers @psychonomicsociety.bsky.social and the APCAM auditory conference in Denver in a few weeks. Please see the image for details on our presentations.
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
Better schools can compensate for dispositions
Interdisciplinary paper with @paulhufe.net Astrid Sandsør and Nicolai Borgen now out in PNAS!
www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
Causal evidence of gene-environment interaction for reading test scores based on:
🧬 Exogenous within-family genetic differences
🏫 Exogenous variation in school value added
www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
Causal evidence of gene-environment interaction for reading test scores based on:
🧬 Exogenous within-family genetic differences
🏫 Exogenous variation in school value added
The genetic lottery goes to school: Better schools compensate for the effects of students’ genetic differences
www.pnas.org
October 29, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Better schools can compensate for dispositions
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
We have an open postdoc position in Social Science Genomics in Berlin!
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Postdoctoral Position in Social Science Genomics | Max Planck Research Group Biosocial
www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de
October 28, 2025 at 2:22 PM
We have an open postdoc position in Social Science Genomics in Berlin!
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Includes gene-environment interplay within German population cohorts & experimental online survey studies to probe public perceptions of potential DNA biomarker applications
🔗 www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/2196134/2025...
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
Rate and noise in human amygdala drive increased exploration in aversive learning www.nature.com/articles/s41... - another example where noise is exploited as a tunable resource to enable exploration
Rate and noise in human amygdala drive increased exploration in aversive learning - Nature
Human exploration is driven by two distinct neural mechanisms, a valence-independent rate signal and a valence-dependent global noise signal.
www.nature.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Rate and noise in human amygdala drive increased exploration in aversive learning www.nature.com/articles/s41... - another example where noise is exploited as a tunable resource to enable exploration
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
OPEN PHD POSITION - Come join our group! The IMPRS at @mpi-nl.bsky.social is offering an PhD position on modelling structured meaning in the brain, supervised by me and Helen De Hoop at the Centre for Language Studies in the @dondersinst.bsky.social -
www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe... #NeuroJobs #cogsci
www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe... #NeuroJobs #cogsci
IMPRS PhD Fellowships 2026 | Max Planck Institute
www.mpi.nl
October 23, 2025 at 9:05 AM
OPEN PHD POSITION - Come join our group! The IMPRS at @mpi-nl.bsky.social is offering an PhD position on modelling structured meaning in the brain, supervised by me and Helen De Hoop at the Centre for Language Studies in the @dondersinst.bsky.social -
www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe... #NeuroJobs #cogsci
www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe... #NeuroJobs #cogsci
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
More top notch rigorous scientific building blocks breaking down… www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Ancient DNA Database Faces Uncertain Future after Funding Expires | News | The Harvard Crimson
Researchers at a Harvard Medical School laboratory are uncertain how they will continue supporting a large public genetic database after its primary source of funding expired last month.
www.thecrimson.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM
More top notch rigorous scientific building blocks breaking down… www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
🚨 I’ll be joining Psychological Science as an Associate Editor starting next month. People at, or near, my intersection of psych genetics, clinical psych, psychological Epidemiology should consider the journal for your best work! (read the EiCs editorial on the journal policies/goals below)
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:06 PM
🚨 I’ll be joining Psychological Science as an Associate Editor starting next month. People at, or near, my intersection of psych genetics, clinical psych, psychological Epidemiology should consider the journal for your best work! (read the EiCs editorial on the journal policies/goals below)
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
Come join us for a 4-year PhD on effects of rare gene disruptions involved in speech disorder, investigated in human neuronal models (via gene-editing, tissue culture, brain organoids, high-res microscopy, transcriptomics, epigenomics).
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
October 22, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Come join us for a 4-year PhD on effects of rare gene disruptions involved in speech disorder, investigated in human neuronal models (via gene-editing, tissue culture, brain organoids, high-res microscopy, transcriptomics, epigenomics).
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
More info: www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fe...
#AcademicJobs #PhDJobs
🧬🧪
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
The Estonian Biobank is an awesome resource (and @klehto.bsky.social is similarly awesome) — a fantastic opportunity to do some great science!
🎉 Come to see @triinuvarvas.bsky.social poster nr W56 at #wcpg2025 today!
Also, we are recruiting in 2026 and if you are interested in PhD or postdoc positions to work with the fantastic Estonian Biobank data then get in touch or fill out the interest form here ➡️ genomics.ut.ee/en/research-...
Also, we are recruiting in 2026 and if you are interested in PhD or postdoc positions to work with the fantastic Estonian Biobank data then get in touch or fill out the interest form here ➡️ genomics.ut.ee/en/research-...
October 22, 2025 at 5:21 PM
The Estonian Biobank is an awesome resource (and @klehto.bsky.social is similarly awesome) — a fantastic opportunity to do some great science!
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
🐥 Early-bird announcement
The abstract deadline for BGA 2026 will be February 15, 2026. BGA will take place June 23-26, in beautiful Amsterdam. Time to start thinking about the cool findings you want to share with your international colleagues at our annual meeting!
The abstract deadline for BGA 2026 will be February 15, 2026. BGA will take place June 23-26, in beautiful Amsterdam. Time to start thinking about the cool findings you want to share with your international colleagues at our annual meeting!
October 22, 2025 at 4:23 PM
🐥 Early-bird announcement
The abstract deadline for BGA 2026 will be February 15, 2026. BGA will take place June 23-26, in beautiful Amsterdam. Time to start thinking about the cool findings you want to share with your international colleagues at our annual meeting!
The abstract deadline for BGA 2026 will be February 15, 2026. BGA will take place June 23-26, in beautiful Amsterdam. Time to start thinking about the cool findings you want to share with your international colleagues at our annual meeting!
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
So happy to see this out! 🎉 We surveyed people from 68 countries about how they encounter and engage with information about science!
See the thread below for a summary of the main findings 👇
Congratulations to the whole team, especially @nielsmede.bsky.social and @colognaviktoria.bsky.social 👏
See the thread below for a summary of the main findings 👇
Congratulations to the whole team, especially @nielsmede.bsky.social and @colognaviktoria.bsky.social 👏
Published today: One of the biggest #science #communication studies to date. We asked 71,922 people in 68 countries how they #engage with information about #science and combined the data with several country-level factors: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #OpenAccess
October 22, 2025 at 4:49 AM
So happy to see this out! 🎉 We surveyed people from 68 countries about how they encounter and engage with information about science!
See the thread below for a summary of the main findings 👇
Congratulations to the whole team, especially @nielsmede.bsky.social and @colognaviktoria.bsky.social 👏
See the thread below for a summary of the main findings 👇
Congratulations to the whole team, especially @nielsmede.bsky.social and @colognaviktoria.bsky.social 👏
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
It's out! 🥁
In this five-episode series, we dive deep into the mysteries of the human brain. 🧠
So how special is the human brain? How did it evolve? And can we ever really understand it?
Grateful to all the amazing guests, incl. @matthewcobb.bsky.social, for their ideas.
Enjoy! 👏
In this five-episode series, we dive deep into the mysteries of the human brain. 🧠
So how special is the human brain? How did it evolve? And can we ever really understand it?
Grateful to all the amazing guests, incl. @matthewcobb.bsky.social, for their ideas.
Enjoy! 👏
Mind Matter: A Podcast Series About the Human Brain
The most complex thing in the universe — so it has been called.
onhumans.substack.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:50 PM
It's out! 🥁
In this five-episode series, we dive deep into the mysteries of the human brain. 🧠
So how special is the human brain? How did it evolve? And can we ever really understand it?
Grateful to all the amazing guests, incl. @matthewcobb.bsky.social, for their ideas.
Enjoy! 👏
In this five-episode series, we dive deep into the mysteries of the human brain. 🧠
So how special is the human brain? How did it evolve? And can we ever really understand it?
Grateful to all the amazing guests, incl. @matthewcobb.bsky.social, for their ideas.
Enjoy! 👏
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
The recording is now available so that you can confirm that I indeed have a German accent and color-match my outfits with my Zoom background.
youtu.be/YL0co26ng-g?...
youtu.be/YL0co26ng-g?...
October 21, 2025 at 3:16 PM
The recording is now available so that you can confirm that I indeed have a German accent and color-match my outfits with my Zoom background.
youtu.be/YL0co26ng-g?...
youtu.be/YL0co26ng-g?...
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
🔥🔥🧠PhD positions are open in my lab, studying brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders based on neuroimaging MRI scans. Due: Dec 1, 2025. If you are interested, please DM me.
October 21, 2025 at 7:53 PM
🔥🔥🧠PhD positions are open in my lab, studying brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders based on neuroimaging MRI scans. Due: Dec 1, 2025. If you are interested, please DM me.
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
updated preprint from @loganjames.bsky.social @themusiclab.org: humans share acoustic preferences with a variety of other species
I love this finding—in call/song/noise/etc pairs where we know (from prior work) that animals have a preference, humans reliably identify the more-attractive sound
I love this finding—in call/song/noise/etc pairs where we know (from prior work) that animals have a preference, humans reliably identify the more-attractive sound
Humans share acoustic preferences with other animals
Many animals produce sounds during courtship and receivers prefer some sounds over others. Shared ancestry and convergent evolution may generate similarities in preference across species and could und...
www.biorxiv.org
October 21, 2025 at 6:20 AM
updated preprint from @loganjames.bsky.social @themusiclab.org: humans share acoustic preferences with a variety of other species
I love this finding—in call/song/noise/etc pairs where we know (from prior work) that animals have a preference, humans reliably identify the more-attractive sound
I love this finding—in call/song/noise/etc pairs where we know (from prior work) that animals have a preference, humans reliably identify the more-attractive sound
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
We couldn't not rate this classic early DAG by our beloved collective granddagy, Sewall Wright.
14/10. Ten for the DAG, plus one for each cute guinea-pig node.
From Wright (1920) "The Relative Importance of Heredity and Environment in Determining the Piebald Pattern of Guinea-Pigs"
14/10. Ten for the DAG, plus one for each cute guinea-pig node.
From Wright (1920) "The Relative Importance of Heredity and Environment in Determining the Piebald Pattern of Guinea-Pigs"
October 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
We couldn't not rate this classic early DAG by our beloved collective granddagy, Sewall Wright.
14/10. Ten for the DAG, plus one for each cute guinea-pig node.
From Wright (1920) "The Relative Importance of Heredity and Environment in Determining the Piebald Pattern of Guinea-Pigs"
14/10. Ten for the DAG, plus one for each cute guinea-pig node.
From Wright (1920) "The Relative Importance of Heredity and Environment in Determining the Piebald Pattern of Guinea-Pigs"
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
Great review on The Genetics of Human Handedness: Microtubules and Beyond www.cell.com/trends/genet... - handedness is such an interesting phenotype!
Genetics of human handedness: microtubules and beyond
Handedness (i.e., the preference to use either the left or the right hand for fine
motor tasks) is a widely investigated trait. Handedness heritability is consistently
estimated to be 25%. After decad...
www.cell.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Great review on The Genetics of Human Handedness: Microtubules and Beyond www.cell.com/trends/genet... - handedness is such an interesting phenotype!
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
I’m looking for a postdoc to join my lab and work on Multi-Brain Stimulation (MBS).
Learn more about the project and how to apply below 👇
This position is funded by the @erc.europa.eu
Reposts are very welcome 🙏
#Postdoc #Neuroscience #BrainStimulation #EEG #SocialNeuroscience
Learn more about the project and how to apply below 👇
This position is funded by the @erc.europa.eu
Reposts are very welcome 🙏
#Postdoc #Neuroscience #BrainStimulation #EEG #SocialNeuroscience
October 17, 2025 at 7:12 AM
I’m looking for a postdoc to join my lab and work on Multi-Brain Stimulation (MBS).
Learn more about the project and how to apply below 👇
This position is funded by the @erc.europa.eu
Reposts are very welcome 🙏
#Postdoc #Neuroscience #BrainStimulation #EEG #SocialNeuroscience
Learn more about the project and how to apply below 👇
This position is funded by the @erc.europa.eu
Reposts are very welcome 🙏
#Postdoc #Neuroscience #BrainStimulation #EEG #SocialNeuroscience
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
For anyone who has not read Stigler's wonderful paper on the Epic Story of Maximum Likelihood, I cannot recommend it enough. You will laugh, you might cry, and you will certainly walk away learning something new. #statssky #statistics www.mit.edu/~18.655/pape...
October 17, 2025 at 1:56 AM
For anyone who has not read Stigler's wonderful paper on the Epic Story of Maximum Likelihood, I cannot recommend it enough. You will laugh, you might cry, and you will certainly walk away learning something new. #statssky #statistics www.mit.edu/~18.655/pape...
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
New paper alert! Rare DNA changes in the SETBP1 gene are linked to speech problems & diverse syndromes affecting brain development. Work led by ace postdoc @maggiemkwong.bsky.social uncovered impact of different gene variants, coupling clinical/speech evaluation to molecular & cellular readouts.🧬🗣️🔬🧪
SETBP1 variants outside the degron disrupt DNA-binding, transcription and neuronal differentiation capacity to cause a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder - Nature Communications
Different types of SETBP1 variants cause variable developmental syndromes with only partial clinical and functional overlaps. Here, the authors report that SETBP1 variants outside the degron region impair DNA-binding, transcription, and neuronal differentiation capacity and morphologies.
www.nature.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:36 PM
New paper alert! Rare DNA changes in the SETBP1 gene are linked to speech problems & diverse syndromes affecting brain development. Work led by ace postdoc @maggiemkwong.bsky.social uncovered impact of different gene variants, coupling clinical/speech evaluation to molecular & cellular readouts.🧬🗣️🔬🧪
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
Our conference on Dialectical Biology, the Marxist tradition represented by the work of Richard Lewontin, is this weekend! Join us Friday to Sunday, online or in Toronto, register here: ihpst.utoronto.ca/events/diale...
Help spread the word if you can!
Help spread the word if you can!
October 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Our conference on Dialectical Biology, the Marxist tradition represented by the work of Richard Lewontin, is this weekend! Join us Friday to Sunday, online or in Toronto, register here: ihpst.utoronto.ca/events/diale...
Help spread the word if you can!
Help spread the word if you can!
“Do the results support the conclusion? Is the analysis sound? If yes and yes, keep your review brief and constructive.”
October 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
“Do the results support the conclusion? Is the analysis sound? If yes and yes, keep your review brief and constructive.”
Reposted by Giacomo Bignardi
I finally have some new work to share - some thoughts on how we perceive style with a sprinkle of aesthetics, Fechner, and most importantly: labradors 🐕
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
How do we see style?
In a recent series of experiments, Boger and Firestone ask: How do we perceive style?’. Their findings suggest that style perception relies on basic p…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:59 AM
I finally have some new work to share - some thoughts on how we perceive style with a sprinkle of aesthetics, Fechner, and most importantly: labradors 🐕
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...