Giorgio Gilestro
@giorgio.gilest.ro
Associate Professor at Imperial College London. Geek. Curious. Opinionated.
https://lab.gilest.ro | lab website, science blog
https://giorgio.gilest.ro | politics and science comms
https://drosophila.social/@giorgiogilestro | mastodon
https://lab.gilest.ro | lab website, science blog
https://giorgio.gilest.ro | politics and science comms
https://drosophila.social/@giorgiogilestro | mastodon
Pinned
Giorgio Gilestro
@giorgio.gilest.ro
· Feb 26
Why do we need to sleep?
Humans spend one-third of their life sleeping, yet the purpose and function behind this regular state of unconsciousness remains a biological mystery. Sleep researcher Giorgio Gilestro is trying to un...
www.kcur.org
Wanna learn what we know about why we need to sleep? Here's a fun podcast I recorded for the excellent @npr.org "Seeking a scientist" show, conducted by Kate the Chemist. Enjoy!
@imperiallifesci.bsky.social @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
www.kcur.org/podcast/seek...
@imperiallifesci.bsky.social @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
www.kcur.org/podcast/seek...
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
The IMF and the World Bank are quoting Gramsci www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/b...
December 19, 2025 at 12:42 PM
The IMF and the World Bank are quoting Gramsci www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/b...
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Exactly. You're being asked to review because you're considered an expert, not because you're good at using ChatGPT.
If this keeps going, grant awarding bodies will just stop bothering with experts and do the AI review in-house, and we'll all be so much worse off.
If this keeps going, grant awarding bodies will just stop bothering with experts and do the AI review in-house, and we'll all be so much worse off.
Just decline the peer review invitation.
What are you people even doing?
What are you people even doing?
More than half of researchers now use AI for peer review — often against guidance
A survey of 1,600 academics found that more than 50% have used artificial-intelligence tools while peer reviewing manuscripts.
www.nature.com
December 16, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Exactly. You're being asked to review because you're considered an expert, not because you're good at using ChatGPT.
If this keeps going, grant awarding bodies will just stop bothering with experts and do the AI review in-house, and we'll all be so much worse off.
If this keeps going, grant awarding bodies will just stop bothering with experts and do the AI review in-house, and we'll all be so much worse off.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
🧠🪰 The adult Drosophila brain connectome now gives us a complete wiring diagram of ~140k neurons. But a wiring diagram alone isn’t understanding.
How is this massive network organized?
Our paper tackles that question by mapping community structure across the entire fly brain. 1/
How is this massive network organized?
Our paper tackles that question by mapping community structure across the entire fly brain. 1/
New lab paper - will say more about this in a little while
December 15, 2025 at 3:11 PM
🧠🪰 The adult Drosophila brain connectome now gives us a complete wiring diagram of ~140k neurons. But a wiring diagram alone isn’t understanding.
How is this massive network organized?
Our paper tackles that question by mapping community structure across the entire fly brain. 1/
How is this massive network organized?
Our paper tackles that question by mapping community structure across the entire fly brain. 1/
Ashamed of the British government today. Once again politicians are ready to hurt the country's economy and social cohesion in order to try and get some more votes. Labour, like Tories, choose their seat first, putting the country second. This will be incredibly damaging in real terms and reputation
December 10, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Ashamed of the British government today. Once again politicians are ready to hurt the country's economy and social cohesion in order to try and get some more votes. Labour, like Tories, choose their seat first, putting the country second. This will be incredibly damaging in real terms and reputation
Want to carry a PhD in London, in one of the best Universities in the world?
We have two calls for PhD students to join our lab at Imperial College. Deadline January 12th. More details for applications in the link below. Feel free to keep in touch!
We have two calls for PhD students to join our lab at Imperial College. Deadline January 12th. More details for applications in the link below. Feel free to keep in touch!
Available Jobs – gilestro laboratory
lab.gilest.ro
December 5, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Want to carry a PhD in London, in one of the best Universities in the world?
We have two calls for PhD students to join our lab at Imperial College. Deadline January 12th. More details for applications in the link below. Feel free to keep in touch!
We have two calls for PhD students to join our lab at Imperial College. Deadline January 12th. More details for applications in the link below. Feel free to keep in touch!
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
BBC News - Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy
Prof Sir Paul Nurse says the UK is "shooting itself in the foot" with its visa system for researchers.
www.bbc.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:35 AM
BBC News - Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
US national security strategy.
Something sure is unrecognisable here, but it’s not Europe.
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
Something sure is unrecognisable here, but it’s not Europe.
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
December 5, 2025 at 5:06 AM
US national security strategy.
Something sure is unrecognisable here, but it’s not Europe.
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
Something sure is unrecognisable here, but it’s not Europe.
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
A timely opinion piece on AI in reviewing by European Drosophila Board member Giorgio Gilestro.
@nature.com asked me to write an op-ed on the perspective of the AI reviewing process, prompted by the recent partnership between @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social and @qedscience.bsky.social
Hope my perspective adds value to the conversation.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Hope my perspective adds value to the conversation.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI reviewers are here — we are not ready
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer.
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:40 PM
A timely opinion piece on AI in reviewing by European Drosophila Board member Giorgio Gilestro.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer. This stand first says it all…
A timely World View Colin in our pages by Giorgio Gilestro
🧪 #academicSky
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A timely World View Colin in our pages by Giorgio Gilestro
🧪 #academicSky
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI reviewers are here — we are not ready
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer.
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer. This stand first says it all…
A timely World View Colin in our pages by Giorgio Gilestro
🧪 #academicSky
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A timely World View Colin in our pages by Giorgio Gilestro
🧪 #academicSky
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@nature.com asked me to write an op-ed on the perspective of the AI reviewing process, prompted by the recent partnership between @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social and @qedscience.bsky.social
Hope my perspective adds value to the conversation.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Hope my perspective adds value to the conversation.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI reviewers are here — we are not ready
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer.
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:56 AM
@nature.com asked me to write an op-ed on the perspective of the AI reviewing process, prompted by the recent partnership between @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social and @qedscience.bsky.social
Hope my perspective adds value to the conversation.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Hope my perspective adds value to the conversation.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Why has the cost of RAM skyrocketed in the past few weeks? What happened? This cannot be due to just AI frenzy because it happened suddenly.
November 28, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Why has the cost of RAM skyrocketed in the past few weeks? What happened? This cannot be due to just AI frenzy because it happened suddenly.
I don't even mind paying more taxes, but it pisses me off to no end that the only reason we need to do this is Brexit. Reeves' tax increase will bring in an extra £26bn; but leaving the EU costs the economy £100-140bn a year.
And useless Starmer would rather increase taxes than do the proper thing
And useless Starmer would rather increase taxes than do the proper thing
November 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I don't even mind paying more taxes, but it pisses me off to no end that the only reason we need to do this is Brexit. Reeves' tax increase will bring in an extra £26bn; but leaving the EU costs the economy £100-140bn a year.
And useless Starmer would rather increase taxes than do the proper thing
And useless Starmer would rather increase taxes than do the proper thing
I am afraid this sums up well the state of neurodegeneration research.
November 25, 2025 at 10:19 PM
I am afraid this sums up well the state of neurodegeneration research.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.
The Economic Impact of Brexit
Other
siepr.stanford.edu
November 24, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.
Dear US colleagues, can you please let me know if you are actually using these ridiculous evaluations you keep asking for? Are you aware that giving percentiles within a distribution is absolutely useless unless you know something absolute about that distribution? Such a waste of everyone's time.
November 10, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Dear US colleagues, can you please let me know if you are actually using these ridiculous evaluations you keep asking for? Are you aware that giving percentiles within a distribution is absolutely useless unless you know something absolute about that distribution? Such a waste of everyone's time.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
OMG @giorgio.gilest.ro really coming in hot opening this preprint with a lady scientist (Maria Manaseina) from the 1890s killing puppies with sleep deprivation! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
October 16, 2025 at 6:59 PM
OMG @giorgio.gilest.ro really coming in hot opening this preprint with a lady scientist (Maria Manaseina) from the 1890s killing puppies with sleep deprivation! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Exciting news for #drosophila #connectomics and #neuroscience enthusiasts: the Drosophila male central nervous system connectome is now live for exploration. Find out more at the landing page hosted by our Janelia FlyEM collaborators www.janelia.org/project-team....
Male CNS Connectome
A team of researchers has unveiled the complete connectome of a male fruit fly central nervous system —a seamless map of all the neurons in the brain and nerve cord of a single male fruit fly and the ...
www.janelia.org
October 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Exciting news for #drosophila #connectomics and #neuroscience enthusiasts: the Drosophila male central nervous system connectome is now live for exploration. Find out more at the landing page hosted by our Janelia FlyEM collaborators www.janelia.org/project-team....
Palestine Action was labeled a terrorist organisation for spray painting walls. X, on the other hand, a platform where countless people claim "mustache guy was right" is still legitimised by the government that uses it as one of their official platforms. Let's think about that.
October 3, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Palestine Action was labeled a terrorist organisation for spray painting walls. X, on the other hand, a platform where countless people claim "mustache guy was right" is still legitimised by the government that uses it as one of their official platforms. Let's think about that.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Big protest at Place de la République in Paris against Israel’s seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
October 1, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Big protest at Place de la République in Paris against Israel’s seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Colombia has expelled the Israeli diplomatic delegation after the Gaza flotilla interception.
October 1, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Colombia has expelled the Israeli diplomatic delegation after the Gaza flotilla interception.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Dear JEDIs,
as we are self-organizing using the #EDRC as a nucleator we decided it is time for a JEDI database to boost our network! If you identify as a JEDI, please contact us here or send a mail to katja.rust@uni-marburg.de to be added to our database.
#Drosophila
@fly-eds.bsky.social
as we are self-organizing using the #EDRC as a nucleator we decided it is time for a JEDI database to boost our network! If you identify as a JEDI, please contact us here or send a mail to katja.rust@uni-marburg.de to be added to our database.
#Drosophila
@fly-eds.bsky.social
September 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Dear JEDIs,
as we are self-organizing using the #EDRC as a nucleator we decided it is time for a JEDI database to boost our network! If you identify as a JEDI, please contact us here or send a mail to katja.rust@uni-marburg.de to be added to our database.
#Drosophila
@fly-eds.bsky.social
as we are self-organizing using the #EDRC as a nucleator we decided it is time for a JEDI database to boost our network! If you identify as a JEDI, please contact us here or send a mail to katja.rust@uni-marburg.de to be added to our database.
#Drosophila
@fly-eds.bsky.social
Unless they actively want to end up like the Tories, the labour party must change all their leadership, now.
Starmer and Mahmood may as well walk across the aisle and join Farage.
Starmer and Mahmood may as well walk across the aisle and join Farage.
Just fuck off with this. How about start the conversation by highlighting how much immigrants contribute to the UK - not least by propping up the NHS and social care system!
Also - forced volunteering is not volunteering, it's unpaid labour.
Also - forced volunteering is not volunteering, it's unpaid labour.
September 29, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Unless they actively want to end up like the Tories, the labour party must change all their leadership, now.
Starmer and Mahmood may as well walk across the aisle and join Farage.
Starmer and Mahmood may as well walk across the aisle and join Farage.
Keir "island of strangers" Starmer
🗳️ BREAKING | Starmer is now the most unpopular Prime Minister in history - WORSE than Truss
🔴 Starmer – 13% satisfied, 79% dissatisfied
🔵 Liz Truss – 16% satisfied, 67% dissatisfied
Via @Ipsos_in_the_UK, 11-17 Sep
🔴 Starmer – 13% satisfied, 79% dissatisfied
🔵 Liz Truss – 16% satisfied, 67% dissatisfied
Via @Ipsos_in_the_UK, 11-17 Sep
September 27, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Keir "island of strangers" Starmer
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Pretty remarkable analysis. The authors admit that the effect of vast cuts may be an underestimate. Grant funding also supports graduate and post-doctoral research careers. I’ve worked in biotech and all of our projects came from NIH-funded research.
This may be the most important paper ever published about NIH funded research.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
What if NIH had been 40% smaller?
Replaying history with less NIH funding shows widespread impacts on drug-linked research
www.science.org
September 26, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Pretty remarkable analysis. The authors admit that the effect of vast cuts may be an underestimate. Grant funding also supports graduate and post-doctoral research careers. I’ve worked in biotech and all of our projects came from NIH-funded research.
Reposted by Giorgio Gilestro
Netanyahu: ‘These So-Called Genocide Experts Have Probably Never Committed A Genocide In Their Lives’
Netanyahu: ‘These So-Called Genocide Experts Have Probably Never Committed A Genocide In Their Lives’
JERUSALEM—In response to an independent United Nations inquiry concluding that Israel is committing an ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a defiant...
theonion.com
September 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Netanyahu: ‘These So-Called Genocide Experts Have Probably Never Committed A Genocide In Their Lives’