Manuela Casasoli
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manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Manuela Casasoli
@manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
1.1K followers 280 following 290 posts
Maths and science teacher, keen on hiking.

"Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth but supreme beauty."
Bertrand Russell

CV: http://bit.ly/3RpUdSF
Website: https://www.manuelacasasoli.altervista.org/
X: https://x.com/manuelacasasoli
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manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Manuela Casasoli @manuelacasasoli.bsky.social · Feb 23
Who am I?🧪🌳🥾😉

- I am a proud teacher, loving my students.
- I have worked for 12 years as a molecular biologist and geneticist, mainly studying forest trees.
- I am vegetarian because I love Earth.
- I voraciously read about science.
- I spend all my spare time hiking. I like mountains and canyons.
Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon - 2023 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Utah
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
"How animals detect the Earth’s magnetic field remains a mystery in sensory biology."

Read here how pigeons can detect magnetic fields.

🧪 #Science #Biology #Brain
Pigeons sense Earth’s magnetic field in an entirely new way
1- www.science.org/content/arti...
2- www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Image Source: https://www.science.org/content/article/pigeons-sense-earth-s-magnetic-field-entirely-new-way Pigeons can detect magnetic fields in a laboratory experiment. It’s not yet known exactly how that helps them navigate. Credit Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
November 22, 2025 at 3:02 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Lost in a wonderful path.

Murphy Loop Trail.
Canyonlands National Park.

Utah - 2024

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert #naturephotography
November 21, 2025 at 1:48 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
An effective recombinant antivenom.
Read about "an experimental polyvalent recombinant antivenom that was capable of neutralizing seven toxin families or subfamilies".
🧪 #Science #Biology #Biotech
Nanobody-based recombinant antivenom for cobra, mamba and rinkhals bites
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_mamba.jpg Eastern green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps). Author: David~O
November 19, 2025 at 5:47 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
This is the stunning entrance to Zebra Canyon.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Utah - 2023

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
November 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
A fascinating topic: the interesting minimizing surfaces.

"Soap films [...] should always take up the smallest area possible. They’re what mathematicians call area-minimizing surfaces."

🧪 #Science #Mathematics #Physics
New Proofs Probe Soap-Film Singularities
www.quantamagazine.org/new-proofs-p...
Image Source: https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-proofs-probe-soap-film-singularities-20251112/ The gyroid is an area-minimizing surface that has been used in materials design and drug delivery. Credit Paul Nylander
November 15, 2025 at 3:26 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
A wonderful sandstone hill.

Along the Zebra Canyon Trail.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Utah - 2023

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
"Astrocytes functionally integrate multiple synapses via specialized leaflet domains."
These domains "coordinate [...] multiple synapses and circuits active at different spatiotemporal scales, executing computations distinct from neurons".
🧪 #Science #Neuroscience #Brain
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Image Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)01028-1 Graphical abstract In brief Volumetric high-resolution electron microscopy reveals thin astrocyte leaflets form gap-junction-interconnected domains that contain minuscule endoplasmic reticulum saccules and enwrap synapses in clusters. Twophoton calcium imaging reveals how leaflets integrate incoming neuronal inputs occurring at different spatiotemporal scales, thereby contributing to an additional layer of circuit computations.
November 13, 2025 at 5:05 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Amazing sandstone!

Along the Zebra Canyon Trail.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Utah - 2023

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
November 12, 2025 at 12:43 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Threats to aquatic life due to #climate change.

"In 2023, an unprecedented #drought and heat wave severely affected #Amazon waters, leading to high mortality of fishes and river dolphins."

🧪 #Science #Ecology
Extreme warming of Amazon waters in a changing climate
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Image Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr4029 Fig. 1. Major drought and heating of Tefé Lake waters in 2023, reaching >40°C in the entire water column at the monitoring site. (A and B) Changes in lake surface area from early September 2023 (A) to October 2023 (B) in Tefé Lake based on Planet (https://www.planet.com/) satellite imagery. The Amazon mainstem is visible in the upper right. (C) Aerial photograph of the Tefé Lake in October. (D) Water temperature and level changes [location of sensors is shown in (B)] in Tefé Lake during the 2023 drought showing the extreme values. (E and F) Lake bathymetry (E) and profile of surface-water temperatures (F) for a survey on 18 October 2023 revealing the longitudinal gradient of temperature along the channel enlargement of the dotted rectangle in (E). (G and H) Photos of the drought in Tefé Lake showing a dead Amazon River dolphin (G) and surface scum of the phytoplanktonic Euglena sanguinea (H) in Tefé Lake
November 10, 2025 at 3:19 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
How insignificant are we in comparison to the majestic nature?

Canyonlands National Park.

Utah - 2024

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
November 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Our Milky Way galaxy disk is not really flat...

"Observations show the disk of our galaxy is not flat but warped and waving. Astronomers are still working out the reasons why".

🧪 #Science #Space #Astronomy
Our Milky Way’s Warped Disk Keeps Getting Weirder
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
Image Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-the-milky-way-warped/ Observations from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission have revealed a giant wave rippling through the disk of the Milky Way. This image derived from Gaia data shows an edge-on view of our galaxy; the data points for the newfound wave are plotted in red (above the disk) and blue (below the disk). Credit ESA/Gaia/DPAC, S. Payne-Wardenaar, E. Poggio et al (2025)
November 7, 2025 at 2:05 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Approaching the clouds is like winning freedom.

Dolomiti - 2021

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #mountains
November 5, 2025 at 12:54 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
How to cope with massive amounts of energy needed for #artificialintelligence systems, and large language models.
A different computing architecture, inspired by our brain, could help.
🧪 #Science #Neuroscience
Can neuromorphic computing help reduce AI’s high energy cost?
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Image Source: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2528654122 Some researchers believe that a computing architecture inspired by the mechanisms of the brain could offer a path to innovation that helps tackle rampant AI energy consumption. Image credit: Shutterstock/MDV Edwards.
November 3, 2025 at 3:52 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
The colorful story of red oak leaves.

Umbria - 2023

🥾 #hiking #nature #autumn #trees
November 1, 2025 at 10:15 AM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Read here about the "ecologically prominent presence of lichens during the late stages of terrestrial colonization, just before the #evolution of complex forest #ecosystems".

🧪 #Science #Biology
The rise of lichens during the colonization of terrestrial environments
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Image Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw7879 Fig. 7. Artistic reconstruction of Spongiophyton during the Early Devonian in the high latitude depositional system of the Paraná Basin. Paleoart by J. Lacerda.
October 30, 2025 at 5:45 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
A great view over the "Death Hollow" between the towns of Boulder and Escalante.

It is along the Boulder Mail Trail, a wonderful path.

Utah - 2023

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
October 28, 2025 at 4:52 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Can you imagine what it is?
Just a leaf!

Image of Distinction
2025 Photomicrography Competition

"Vascular bundles in a bamboo leaf (Phyllostachys sp.)"
Dr. David Maitland

🧪 🔬 #Science #SciComm #Photography

www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/20...

Credit
Art of Science
www.davidmaitland.com
Image Source: https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/2025-photomicrography-competition/vascular-bundles-in-a-bamboo-leaf-phyllostachys-sp Credit: Dr. David Maitland https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/2025-photomicrography-competition
October 27, 2025 at 2:02 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
A wonderful linden tree.
Colors of Autumn.

Umbria - 2025

🥾 #hiking #nature #autumn #trees
October 26, 2025 at 3:20 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Comets can appear similar, but no two of them are exactly alike.

"A comet’s brightness depends on how it’s made, how and when we see it, and even a bit of unpredictable luck".

🧪 🔭 #Science #Space #Astronomy
Why Do Some Comets Dazzle While Others Fizzle?
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
Image Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-arent-all-comets-as-bright-as-comet-lemmon/ Astrophotographer Brennan Gilmore captured this photo of Comet Lemmon on October 4, 2025 from central Virginia. Credit Brennan Gilmore
October 25, 2025 at 2:18 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Waiting for the storm.

Canyonlands National Park.

Utah - 2024

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
October 24, 2025 at 1:08 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
"The unification of #gravity and quantum mechanics remains one of the most profound open questions in #science."

An idea first proposed by R. Feynman could allow testing this unification for the first time.
🧪 #Physics
Classical theories of gravity produce entanglement
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Image Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09595-7 Fig. 1: Feynman diagrams for QED or linear quantum gravity. Wiggly blue lines represent photons or gravitons. Black lines represent electrons, positrons, or general matter or antimatter particles. For ease of visualization, double lines without arrows represent virtual particles.
October 23, 2025 at 5:20 AM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
The blue sky over the colorful sandstone.

Canyonlands National Park.

Utah - 2024

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
October 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Necrophagy in Scarabaeinae
"Analysis of thousands of fossils pushes back change in beetles’ diets by more than 37 million years".
🧪 #Science #Biology #Evolution #Animals
How poop-eating beetles evolved to eat rotting flesh
1- www.science.org/content/arti...
2- onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Image Source: https://www.science.org/content/article/how-poop-eating-beetles-evolved-eat-rotting-flesh Some dung beetles, such as Coprophanaeus lancifer, primarily eat carrion. A new study confirms this dietary habit evolved more than 37 million years ago, far earlier than previously thought. Credit Henri-Pierre Aberlenc/Wikimedia Commons
October 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Along the wonderful path between the Big Spring Canyon and the Elephant Canyon.

Canyonlands National Park.

Utah - 2024

🥾 #hiking #nature #landscapes #desert
October 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
manuelacasasoli.bsky.social
Jupiter’s midlatitudes

"Jupiter is known for its colorful and dynamic appearance. However, its beauty poses a challenge for measuring its composition, [...]. Recently, #Juno found that nonuniform features may extend to the layers well beneath clouds."

🧪 #Science #Space
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Image Source: https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/juno-sees-turbulence-in-jupiters-atmosphere/ Description JunoCam, the visible light imager aboard NASA's Juno, captured this view of Jupiter's northern high latitudes during the spacecraft's 69th flyby of the giant planet on Jan. 28, 2025. Jupiter's belts and zones stand out in this enhanced color rendition, along with the turbulence along their edges caused by winds going in different directions. The original JunoCam image used to produce this view was taken from an altitude of about 36,000 miles (58,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops. Citizen scientist Jackie Branc processed the image. JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at https://missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing. More information about NASA citizen science can be found at https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science. More information about Juno is at https://science.nasa.gov/mission/juno/ and https://missionjuno.swri.edu.
October 16, 2025 at 4:05 PM