Lisandro Milocco
@milocco.bsky.social
Asst. Prof. and DDLS fellow
Dept. Zoology, Stockholm University and SciLifeLab
🇦🇷 -> 🇫🇮 -> 🇸🇪
Evo-devo and dynamical systems
https://lisandromilocco.github.io/
Dept. Zoology, Stockholm University and SciLifeLab
🇦🇷 -> 🇫🇮 -> 🇸🇪
Evo-devo and dynamical systems
https://lisandromilocco.github.io/
Pinned
Lisandro Milocco
@milocco.bsky.social
· Aug 25
🚨 We're hiring!
PhD position in Evolutionary Systems Biology at Stockholm University & SciLifeLab
🎓 Focus: evolution, development, computational & mathematical modeling, prediction
📍 Stockholm, Sweden
🕒 4 years, fully-funded
🔍 Details: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Please share!
PhD position in Evolutionary Systems Biology at Stockholm University & SciLifeLab
🎓 Focus: evolution, development, computational & mathematical modeling, prediction
📍 Stockholm, Sweden
🕒 4 years, fully-funded
🔍 Details: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Please share!
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Genomic signatures of reproductive isolation are decoupled from floral divergence in a long-standing hybrid zone https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.17.700129v1
January 19, 2026 at 4:31 AM
Genomic signatures of reproductive isolation are decoupled from floral divergence in a long-standing hybrid zone https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.17.700129v1
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
How does development shape skull evolution? In lizards, neural crest–derived skull bones drive rapid sexually selected shape change within species but show long-term constraint, revealing developmental bias linking micro- and macroevolution. Image Credit: Wikimedia
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
January 5, 2026 at 1:47 PM
How does development shape skull evolution? In lizards, neural crest–derived skull bones drive rapid sexually selected shape change within species but show long-term constraint, revealing developmental bias linking micro- and macroevolution. Image Credit: Wikimedia
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
"Gene Expression Noise in Development: Genome-wide Dynamics"
by Hendrik Marks & colleagues
FREE till March 3rd at
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mQwocQbJF...
by Hendrik Marks & colleagues
FREE till March 3rd at
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mQwocQbJF...
January 12, 2026 at 3:03 PM
"Gene Expression Noise in Development: Genome-wide Dynamics"
by Hendrik Marks & colleagues
FREE till March 3rd at
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mQwocQbJF...
by Hendrik Marks & colleagues
FREE till March 3rd at
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mQwocQbJF...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Why does life explore so few of the forms it could possibly take? Using fractal descriptors, this #scienceadvances paper shows that Earth’s biosphere clusters around simple shapes, reflecting deep evolutionary constraints. @artemyte.bsky.social @manlius.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
January 11, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Why does life explore so few of the forms it could possibly take? Using fractal descriptors, this #scienceadvances paper shows that Earth’s biosphere clusters around simple shapes, reflecting deep evolutionary constraints. @artemyte.bsky.social @manlius.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
"Choosing problems is the primary determinant of what one accomplishes in science."
'Now What?' by Nobel Laureate John Hopfield should be required reading for aspiring scientists.
pni.princeton.edu/document/1136
'Now What?' by Nobel Laureate John Hopfield should be required reading for aspiring scientists.
pni.princeton.edu/document/1136
January 5, 2026 at 3:09 PM
"Choosing problems is the primary determinant of what one accomplishes in science."
'Now What?' by Nobel Laureate John Hopfield should be required reading for aspiring scientists.
pni.princeton.edu/document/1136
'Now What?' by Nobel Laureate John Hopfield should be required reading for aspiring scientists.
pni.princeton.edu/document/1136
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
I'm excited to share that our preprint is now available on bioRxiv! Our study challenges the widespread use of molecular genetic diversity as a predictor adaptive potential, with important implications for how genetic data is used to inform conservation decisions.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Nucleotide diversity is a poor predictor of short-term adaptive potential
A capacity to adapt is essential for a population to avoid extinction in a changing world and is recognised as a global conservation priority. Adaptation requires additive (heritable) genetic variatio...
www.biorxiv.org
January 6, 2026 at 8:26 AM
I'm excited to share that our preprint is now available on bioRxiv! Our study challenges the widespread use of molecular genetic diversity as a predictor adaptive potential, with important implications for how genetic data is used to inform conservation decisions.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Throughout this work, we found it really helpful to organize our thinking along 'Marr's three levels of analysis':
1. the computational problem
2. the algorithmic solution
3. biophysical implementation
Check out our review laying out this conceptual framework here: buff.ly/NE4JEOA
1. the computational problem
2. the algorithmic solution
3. biophysical implementation
Check out our review laying out this conceptual framework here: buff.ly/NE4JEOA
Marr's three levels for embryonic development: information, dynamical systems, gene networks
Developmental patterning comprises processes that range from purely instructed, where external signals specify cell fates, to fully self-organized, where spatial patterns emerge autonomously through…
arxiv.org
January 5, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Throughout this work, we found it really helpful to organize our thinking along 'Marr's three levels of analysis':
1. the computational problem
2. the algorithmic solution
3. biophysical implementation
Check out our review laying out this conceptual framework here: buff.ly/NE4JEOA
1. the computational problem
2. the algorithmic solution
3. biophysical implementation
Check out our review laying out this conceptual framework here: buff.ly/NE4JEOA
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
And here is the PDF of the 4th course @college-de-france.fr. You will find the justification and presentation of geometric representation of cell decisions, a parsimonious mathematical model for signalling and cell state transitions
tinyurl.com/yc7u296j
tinyurl.com/yc7u296j
December 16, 2025 at 9:57 AM
And here is the PDF of the 4th course @college-de-france.fr. You will find the justification and presentation of geometric representation of cell decisions, a parsimonious mathematical model for signalling and cell state transitions
tinyurl.com/yc7u296j
tinyurl.com/yc7u296j
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Interested in fossils, evo-devo, and how mathematical modeling can help us understand the evolution of developmental processes? In our latest preprint, we uncover an ancestral lateral inhibition mechanism underlying epidermal patterning in liverworts.
Lateral inhibition governs ancestral cellular patterning in fossil and extant liverworts https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.27.696693v1
December 28, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Interested in fossils, evo-devo, and how mathematical modeling can help us understand the evolution of developmental processes? In our latest preprint, we uncover an ancestral lateral inhibition mechanism underlying epidermal patterning in liverworts.
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Happy to share our new work from my graduate lab: DynamicAtlas, a morphodynamic atlas of Drosophila development! We develop methods for morphological time alignment of live data. Surprisingly, we find that the kinematics of fly morphogenesis are *very* simple. Enjoy!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
DynamicAtlas: a morphodynamic atlas for Drosophila development - Nature Methods
DynamicAtlas integrates fixed and live imaging data to generate a morphodynamic atlas of Drosophila development.
www.nature.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Happy to share our new work from my graduate lab: DynamicAtlas, a morphodynamic atlas of Drosophila development! We develop methods for morphological time alignment of live data. Surprisingly, we find that the kinematics of fly morphogenesis are *very* simple. Enjoy!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Wondering about the dynamics during a developmental transition? Check out our preprint “Time-dependent bistability leads to critical slowing down during floral transition in Arabidopsis”, a very exciting collaboration with the Coupland lab @mpipz.bsky.social doi.org/10.64898/202...
December 12, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Wondering about the dynamics during a developmental transition? Check out our preprint “Time-dependent bistability leads to critical slowing down during floral transition in Arabidopsis”, a very exciting collaboration with the Coupland lab @mpipz.bsky.social doi.org/10.64898/202...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
excited to announce v2 of my stochastic eco-evo framework is up ! main text now clarifies links w prev werk and points to an emp test of gen corrs result . supp greatly expanded to include worked derivations and further explanation of mathematical foundations !! hope u enjoi ;)
tinyurl.com/stecoevo
tinyurl.com/stecoevo
STOCHASTIC ECO-EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF MULTIVARIATE TRAITS: A Framework for Modeling Population Processes Illustrated by the Study of Drifting G-Matrices
I derive a novel stochastic equation for the evolution of the additive genetic variance-covariance matrix G in response to mutation, selection, drift, and fluctuating population size. Common wisdom ho...
www.biorxiv.org
December 20, 2025 at 11:56 AM
excited to announce v2 of my stochastic eco-evo framework is up ! main text now clarifies links w prev werk and points to an emp test of gen corrs result . supp greatly expanded to include worked derivations and further explanation of mathematical foundations !! hope u enjoi ;)
tinyurl.com/stecoevo
tinyurl.com/stecoevo
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
The variability of evolvability: Properties of dynamic fitness landscapes determine how phenotypic variability evolves https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41397131/ #EvoDevo
December 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The variability of evolvability: Properties of dynamic fitness landscapes determine how phenotypic variability evolves https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41397131/ #EvoDevo
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
How do genetic variances and covariances evolve over deep time? This paper unifies quantitative genetics and macroevolution with analytical models for G-matrix evolution on phylogenies, enabling new tests of multivariate trait evolution.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
Multivariate trait evolution: models for the evolution of the quantitative genetic G-matrix on phylogenies
Abstract. Genetic covariance matrices (G-matrices) are a key focus for research and predictions from quantitative genetic evolutionary models of multiple t
academic.oup.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM
How do genetic variances and covariances evolve over deep time? This paper unifies quantitative genetics and macroevolution with analytical models for G-matrix evolution on phylogenies, enabling new tests of multivariate trait evolution.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
We're looking for a new colleague at Asssoc Prof level! Come join us in the Zoology Department at Stockholm University. A teaching profile in ecology, faunistics and/or physiology is beneficial. Find the full job advertisemnt here: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Associate Professor in Zoology with focus on ecology and evolution
Department of Zoology at Stockholm University includes ca. 80 employees counting researchers, PhD students, and administrative staff. Research and education at the department occurs in an internatio
su.varbi.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:12 AM
We're looking for a new colleague at Asssoc Prof level! Come join us in the Zoology Department at Stockholm University. A teaching profile in ecology, faunistics and/or physiology is beneficial. Find the full job advertisemnt here: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Kudos to @pdevillemereuil.bsky.social for writing a blog post about our paper published earlier this years in the one and only @peercomjournal.bsky.social ! You want to know how genetically variable plasticity is in your fav system, and what components of reaction norm shape vary the most? Try this!
Took me a year (😱), but I finally published a blog post about our article on the #quantgen variance partition of phenitypic plasticity with @lmchev.bsky.social, published in @peercomjournal.bsky.social.
🇬🇧 devillemereuil.legtux.org/quantitative...
🇫🇷 devillemereuil.legtux.org/fr/genetique...
🇬🇧 devillemereuil.legtux.org/quantitative...
🇫🇷 devillemereuil.legtux.org/fr/genetique...
Quantitative genetics of reaction norms: an onion partitionning – Pierre de Villemereuil
devillemereuil.legtux.org
December 10, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Kudos to @pdevillemereuil.bsky.social for writing a blog post about our paper published earlier this years in the one and only @peercomjournal.bsky.social ! You want to know how genetically variable plasticity is in your fav system, and what components of reaction norm shape vary the most? Try this!
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Very happy to share our 'Evoscape' paper, now published in PNAS ! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Generative epigenetic landscapes map the topology and topography of cell fates | PNAS
Epigenetic landscapes were proposed by Waddington as the central concept to describe
cell fate dynamics in a locally low-dimensional space. In mode...
www.pnas.org
December 10, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Very happy to share our 'Evoscape' paper, now published in PNAS ! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Great to see this published: Fitting dynamical landscape models to single-cell data, creating interpretable maps of cell decision making & developmental logic
Applied to neural tube patterning, we show how morphogen signals reshape landscapes and drive fate decisions
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Applied to neural tube patterning, we show how morphogen signals reshape landscapes and drive fate decisions
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reconstructing Waddington’s landscape from data | PNAS
The development of a zygote into a functional organism requires that this single progenitor
cell gives rise to numerous distinct cell types. Attemp...
www.pnas.org
December 4, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Great to see this published: Fitting dynamical landscape models to single-cell data, creating interpretable maps of cell decision making & developmental logic
Applied to neural tube patterning, we show how morphogen signals reshape landscapes and drive fate decisions
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Applied to neural tube patterning, we show how morphogen signals reshape landscapes and drive fate decisions
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
1/6 New preprint 🚀 How does the cortex learn to represent things and how they move without reconstructing sensory stimuli? We developed a circuit-centric recurrent predictive learning (RPL) model based on JEPAs.
🔗 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Led by @atenagm.bsky.social @mshalvagal.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Led by @atenagm.bsky.social @mshalvagal.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 8:24 AM
1/6 New preprint 🚀 How does the cortex learn to represent things and how they move without reconstructing sensory stimuli? We developed a circuit-centric recurrent predictive learning (RPL) model based on JEPAs.
🔗 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Led by @atenagm.bsky.social @mshalvagal.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Led by @atenagm.bsky.social @mshalvagal.bsky.social
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
“Our findings challenge the conventional focus on low-dimensional coding subspaces as a sufficient framework for understanding neural computations, demonstrating that dimensions previously considered task-irrelevant and accounting for little variance can have a critical role in driving behavior.”
Neural dynamics outside task-coding dimensions drive decision trajectories through transient amplification
Most behaviors involve neural dynamics in high-dimensional activity spaces. A common approach is to extract dimensions that capture task-related variability, such as those separating stimuli or choice...
www.biorxiv.org
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
“Our findings challenge the conventional focus on low-dimensional coding subspaces as a sufficient framework for understanding neural computations, demonstrating that dimensions previously considered task-irrelevant and accounting for little variance can have a critical role in driving behavior.”
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
One of the most unique aspects of ICTP is our Diploma Programme. Pre-PhD students from the Global South spend 1 year in Trieste to gain knowledge and skills necessary to pursue PhDs worldwide.
The 2026-2027 call is now open w/ a February 28 deadline. Please circulate.
www.ictp.it/news/2025/11...
The 2026-2027 call is now open w/ a February 28 deadline. Please circulate.
www.ictp.it/news/2025/11...
Call for Applications, Postgraduate Diploma Programme | ICTP
Are you a student who dreams of earning a PhD in physics or mathematics, but who lives in a country lacking such opportunities? ICTP could be your first step on the path to attaining a PhD.
www.ictp.it
November 20, 2025 at 11:21 AM
One of the most unique aspects of ICTP is our Diploma Programme. Pre-PhD students from the Global South spend 1 year in Trieste to gain knowledge and skills necessary to pursue PhDs worldwide.
The 2026-2027 call is now open w/ a February 28 deadline. Please circulate.
www.ictp.it/news/2025/11...
The 2026-2027 call is now open w/ a February 28 deadline. Please circulate.
www.ictp.it/news/2025/11...
Interesting perspective drawing parallels between language models & single‑cell embeddings
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
The cell as a token: high-dimensional geometry in language models and cell embeddings
AbstractMotivation. Single-cell sequencing technology maps cells to a high-dimensional space encoding their internal activity. Recently-proposed virtual ce
academic.oup.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Interesting perspective drawing parallels between language models & single‑cell embeddings
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Next Monday, we welcome @cshambaugh.bsky.social from the University of Oregon in our ROTO Lecture Series who will talk about dialectical biology. Just register via the link and join the talk and discussion at 4pm (CET): rotorub.wordpress.com/roto-lecture...
#HPBio #PhilSci #HistSci
#HPBio #PhilSci #HistSci
November 17, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Next Monday, we welcome @cshambaugh.bsky.social from the University of Oregon in our ROTO Lecture Series who will talk about dialectical biology. Just register via the link and join the talk and discussion at 4pm (CET): rotorub.wordpress.com/roto-lecture...
#HPBio #PhilSci #HistSci
#HPBio #PhilSci #HistSci
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
📢 The full programme for the 2nd Workshop on Biological Control Systems (WBCS 2025) is out!
🗓️ 19 Nov 2025 | Online across time zones
🔗 Programme & info: biocontrolseminars.org/workshop-2025
🗓️ 19 Nov 2025 | Online across time zones
🔗 Programme & info: biocontrolseminars.org/workshop-2025
November 7, 2025 at 11:36 AM
📢 The full programme for the 2nd Workshop on Biological Control Systems (WBCS 2025) is out!
🗓️ 19 Nov 2025 | Online across time zones
🔗 Programme & info: biocontrolseminars.org/workshop-2025
🗓️ 19 Nov 2025 | Online across time zones
🔗 Programme & info: biocontrolseminars.org/workshop-2025
Reposted by Lisandro Milocco
Is it possible to estimate rates of phenotypic evolution that are independent of the time interval covered by the data? In theory, yes — even when the data are incomplete and biased. But in practice? Not so much. Amazing work by @vildebruhn.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Is it possible to estimate rates of phenotypic evolution that are independent of the time interval covered by the data? In theory, yes — even when the data are incomplete and biased. But in practice? Not so much. Amazing work by @vildebruhn.bsky.social