Marzia Munafò
@munafomarzia.bsky.social
Exploring oocyte epigenomes @EMBL Hackett lab | PhD @Cambridge Uni Hannon lab | (small)RNA enthusiast.
Scientific illustrator outside the lab.
Scientific illustrator outside the lab.
Pinned
Marzia Munafò
@munafomarzia.bsky.social
· Nov 20
Time for an new intro under these skies 🔵
I’m a molecular biologist (currently postdoc-ing at EMBL) & also a science illustrator - taking your scientific discoveries and turning them into unconventional, colourful and creative illustrations! ✨ #sciart #scicomm
more at www.munafomarzia.com
I’m a molecular biologist (currently postdoc-ing at EMBL) & also a science illustrator - taking your scientific discoveries and turning them into unconventional, colourful and creative illustrations! ✨ #sciart #scicomm
more at www.munafomarzia.com
All lights on protein folding 💡
Out @nature.com , @niko-dalheimer.bsky.social & @rongqinxiaoxiao.bsky.social from the Hartl lab at @maxplanck.de Institute of Biochemistry developed single-particle tracking in living cells to study the dynamics of co-translational protein folding
#sciart #scicomm
Out @nature.com , @niko-dalheimer.bsky.social & @rongqinxiaoxiao.bsky.social from the Hartl lab at @maxplanck.de Institute of Biochemistry developed single-particle tracking in living cells to study the dynamics of co-translational protein folding
#sciart #scicomm
February 7, 2026 at 3:16 PM
All lights on protein folding 💡
Out @nature.com , @niko-dalheimer.bsky.social & @rongqinxiaoxiao.bsky.social from the Hartl lab at @maxplanck.de Institute of Biochemistry developed single-particle tracking in living cells to study the dynamics of co-translational protein folding
#sciart #scicomm
Out @nature.com , @niko-dalheimer.bsky.social & @rongqinxiaoxiao.bsky.social from the Hartl lab at @maxplanck.de Institute of Biochemistry developed single-particle tracking in living cells to study the dynamics of co-translational protein folding
#sciart #scicomm
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
I’m excited to share my first-author paper, with co-first author @rongqinxiaoxiao.bsky.social, now out in @nature.com. We developed a live-cell single-particle tracking platform to see how TRiC & prefoldin engage proteins during co- and post-translational folding. 1/9 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Single-molecule dynamics of the TRiC chaperonin system in vivo - Nature
Single-particle tracking experiments in intact cells reveal dynamic co- and post-translational interactions of the TRiC–PFD chaperonin complex with client proteins during in vivo protein folding.
www.nature.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:17 PM
I’m excited to share my first-author paper, with co-first author @rongqinxiaoxiao.bsky.social, now out in @nature.com. We developed a live-cell single-particle tracking platform to see how TRiC & prefoldin engage proteins during co- and post-translational folding. 1/9 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
🔬🔦Our Imaging spotlight from @hiralshah.bsky.social & team highlights their U-ExM atlas of planktonic eukaryotes, including details on how you can explore this wonderful resource. Plus, check out Hiral’s top tips on getting started with expansion microscopy.
focalplane.biologists.com/2026/01/20/i...
focalplane.biologists.com/2026/01/20/i...
Imaging spotlight: U-ExM atlas of microbial eukaryotes - FocalPlane
Imaging spotlight: U-ExM atlas of microbial eukaryotes - News
focalplane.biologists.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:26 PM
🔬🔦Our Imaging spotlight from @hiralshah.bsky.social & team highlights their U-ExM atlas of planktonic eukaryotes, including details on how you can explore this wonderful resource. Plus, check out Hiral’s top tips on getting started with expansion microscopy.
focalplane.biologists.com/2026/01/20/i...
focalplane.biologists.com/2026/01/20/i...
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
The beautiful artwork accompanying this spotlight is by Marzia Munafò @munafomarzia.bsky.social. Marzia was one of the first artists that we highlighted in our #SciArt profiles back in 2021!
thenode.biologists.com/sciart-profi...
thenode.biologists.com/sciart-profi...
🔬🔦Our Imaging spotlight from @hiralshah.bsky.social & team highlights their U-ExM atlas of planktonic eukaryotes, including details on how you can explore this wonderful resource. Plus, check out Hiral’s top tips on getting started with expansion microscopy.
focalplane.biologists.com/2026/01/20/i...
focalplane.biologists.com/2026/01/20/i...
Imaging spotlight: U-ExM atlas of microbial eukaryotes - FocalPlane
Imaging spotlight: U-ExM atlas of microbial eukaryotes - News
focalplane.biologists.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:30 PM
The beautiful artwork accompanying this spotlight is by Marzia Munafò @munafomarzia.bsky.social. Marzia was one of the first artists that we highlighted in our #SciArt profiles back in 2021!
thenode.biologists.com/sciart-profi...
thenode.biologists.com/sciart-profi...
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
A nice way to close the chapter on my PhD work: our team was awarded the Bruno Speck Award 2025 by the Swiss Foundation for Haematological Research for our publication on human intestinal evolution.
January 17, 2026 at 11:43 AM
A nice way to close the chapter on my PhD work: our team was awarded the Bruno Speck Award 2025 by the Swiss Foundation for Haematological Research for our publication on human intestinal evolution.
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
and @munafomarzia.bsky.social for this beautiful artwork 🙂
January 17, 2026 at 11:43 AM
and @munafomarzia.bsky.social for this beautiful artwork 🙂
Breaking symmetry♋️
Another #NotTheCover from the same issue of @cellcellpress.bsky.social
Here the @zernickagoetz.bsky.social lab @caltech.edu reports the earliest known symmetry breaking event in the mammalian embryo - right at moment of fertilisation!
#sciart #scicomm 🧵
Another #NotTheCover from the same issue of @cellcellpress.bsky.social
Here the @zernickagoetz.bsky.social lab @caltech.edu reports the earliest known symmetry breaking event in the mammalian embryo - right at moment of fertilisation!
#sciart #scicomm 🧵
January 8, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Breaking symmetry♋️
Another #NotTheCover from the same issue of @cellcellpress.bsky.social
Here the @zernickagoetz.bsky.social lab @caltech.edu reports the earliest known symmetry breaking event in the mammalian embryo - right at moment of fertilisation!
#sciart #scicomm 🧵
Another #NotTheCover from the same issue of @cellcellpress.bsky.social
Here the @zernickagoetz.bsky.social lab @caltech.edu reports the earliest known symmetry breaking event in the mammalian embryo - right at moment of fertilisation!
#sciart #scicomm 🧵
Bringing sci-fi vibes into the microscopic world 🪐
Another #notTHECover unfortunately.
But this gorgeous, Tron-like vibe, drawn by the amazing @munafomarzia.bsky.social for our recent #ExM work with @gautamdey.bsky.social & @centriolelab.bsky.social will still be printed out in the lab.
Read here: www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
But this gorgeous, Tron-like vibe, drawn by the amazing @munafomarzia.bsky.social for our recent #ExM work with @gautamdey.bsky.social & @centriolelab.bsky.social will still be printed out in the lab.
Read here: www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
January 4, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Bringing sci-fi vibes into the microscopic world 🪐
A planetary atlas of plankton 🪐
Closing the year with a bang: out @cellcellpress.bsky.social the @dudinlab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social labs used ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy to reveal the stunning cytoskeletal diversity of over 200 plankton species!
A #sciart 🧵
@embl.org
Closing the year with a bang: out @cellcellpress.bsky.social the @dudinlab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social labs used ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy to reveal the stunning cytoskeletal diversity of over 200 plankton species!
A #sciart 🧵
@embl.org
January 4, 2026 at 11:35 AM
A planetary atlas of plankton 🪐
Closing the year with a bang: out @cellcellpress.bsky.social the @dudinlab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social labs used ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy to reveal the stunning cytoskeletal diversity of over 200 plankton species!
A #sciart 🧵
@embl.org
Closing the year with a bang: out @cellcellpress.bsky.social the @dudinlab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social labs used ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy to reveal the stunning cytoskeletal diversity of over 200 plankton species!
A #sciart 🧵
@embl.org
So cool to finally see the flamenco piRNA cluster assembled in its full glory - a ~700kb transcript, almost completely unspliced!
When transposons jump, genomes diverge - even in cultured cells.
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
October 15, 2025 at 7:46 PM
So cool to finally see the flamenco piRNA cluster assembled in its full glory - a ~700kb transcript, almost completely unspliced!
The multifaceted effects of paternal environments on offspring🌈
Latest from the @jamiehackett.bsky.social lab @embl.org, out now @embojournal.org:
@bbbranjan.bsky.social & @mdura.bsky.social quantitatively investigate the impact of paternal environments on early embryogenesis.
A #sciart 🧵
Latest from the @jamiehackett.bsky.social lab @embl.org, out now @embojournal.org:
@bbbranjan.bsky.social & @mdura.bsky.social quantitatively investigate the impact of paternal environments on early embryogenesis.
A #sciart 🧵
October 8, 2025 at 3:50 PM
The multifaceted effects of paternal environments on offspring🌈
Latest from the @jamiehackett.bsky.social lab @embl.org, out now @embojournal.org:
@bbbranjan.bsky.social & @mdura.bsky.social quantitatively investigate the impact of paternal environments on early embryogenesis.
A #sciart 🧵
Latest from the @jamiehackett.bsky.social lab @embl.org, out now @embojournal.org:
@bbbranjan.bsky.social & @mdura.bsky.social quantitatively investigate the impact of paternal environments on early embryogenesis.
A #sciart 🧵
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
By the way, the image for this talk about how cancer cells adapt was painted by the amazing Marzia Munafò! Thank you @munafomarzia.bsky.social!
August 24, 2025 at 1:39 AM
By the way, the image for this talk about how cancer cells adapt was painted by the amazing Marzia Munafò! Thank you @munafomarzia.bsky.social!
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
At least for science in the #oocyte community, the future looks bright with so many curious & young minds thinking about big open questions in oocyte and reproductive biology! Thanks so much to @mhverlhac.bsky.social and @bokelab.bsky.social for organizing and bringing us all together in Paris!
Can’t believe I had the chance to visit beautiful Paris and connect with the amazing #oocyte community! Thank you @mhverlhac.bsky.social and @bokelab.bsky.social for bringing together a fantastic group of speakers and organizing the meeting in such a stunning venue. Can’t wait for the next one! 🥚
June 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
At least for science in the #oocyte community, the future looks bright with so many curious & young minds thinking about big open questions in oocyte and reproductive biology! Thanks so much to @mhverlhac.bsky.social and @bokelab.bsky.social for organizing and bringing us all together in Paris!
Super oocyte community - had a fantastic time in Paris! 🙌
Can’t believe I had the chance to visit beautiful Paris and connect with the amazing #oocyte community! Thank you @mhverlhac.bsky.social and @bokelab.bsky.social for bringing together a fantastic group of speakers and organizing the meeting in such a stunning venue. Can’t wait for the next one! 🥚
June 18, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Super oocyte community - had a fantastic time in Paris! 🙌
Spotted one of my illustrations on stage at the Singer-Polignac #fertility meeting in Paris! Big thanks to Andrea Pauli for the shout out!! 💫
#sciart #scicomm
#sciart #scicomm
June 16, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Spotted one of my illustrations on stage at the Singer-Polignac #fertility meeting in Paris! Big thanks to Andrea Pauli for the shout out!! 💫
#sciart #scicomm
#sciart #scicomm
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Personally, I've always found it particularly exciting when scientists and artists work together, brainstorming ideas and tapping into their creative sides ✨️
February 26, 2025 at 5:53 AM
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
Last week @richabdill.com and @samanthagraham.bsky.social's paper was featured on the cover of Cell!
The cover, portraying microbes on shelves shaped like a world map, was possible thanks to the amazing team of illustrators at SciStories ✏️🦠
The cover, portraying microbes on shelves shaped like a world map, was possible thanks to the amazing team of illustrators at SciStories ✏️🦠
February 26, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Last week @richabdill.com and @samanthagraham.bsky.social's paper was featured on the cover of Cell!
The cover, portraying microbes on shelves shaped like a world map, was possible thanks to the amazing team of illustrators at SciStories ✏️🦠
The cover, portraying microbes on shelves shaped like a world map, was possible thanks to the amazing team of illustrators at SciStories ✏️🦠
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
🤩 Art by @drewberry.bsky.social @loliboldu.bsky.social @patriciabondia.bsky.social @jayeperview.bsky.social @hudrewthis.bsky.social @molmir.bsky.social @munafomarzia.bsky.social @snowotarski.bsky.social @marykoreilly.bsky.social @biyolokum.bsky.social @ahnaskop.bsky.social @bryanwelm.bsky.social
December 14, 2024 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
Thank you, @munafomarzia.bsky.social, for this amazing artistic representation of our work! 🤩🐟❤️
December 13, 2024 at 6:17 PM
Thank you, @munafomarzia.bsky.social, for this amazing artistic representation of our work! 🤩🐟❤️
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
I loved how subtle aspects were incorporated into this piece, like the tripartite key, drawings of sperm and egg on the door and even some phylogenetic trees!
🌟 But did you notice, what lies beyond the door? Ribosomes and molecules found within the egg!
🌟 But did you notice, what lies beyond the door? Ribosomes and molecules found within the egg!
December 13, 2024 at 6:17 PM
I loved how subtle aspects were incorporated into this piece, like the tripartite key, drawings of sperm and egg on the door and even some phylogenetic trees!
🌟 But did you notice, what lies beyond the door? Ribosomes and molecules found within the egg!
🌟 But did you notice, what lies beyond the door? Ribosomes and molecules found within the egg!
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
Check out this beautiful representation of our work by @munafomarzia.bsky.social uncovering the molecular bridge between sperm and egg! 🔑🤩
We had lots of fun brainstorming together with Marzia and seeing our discoveries come to life in this artistic rendition 🧵
We had lots of fun brainstorming together with Marzia and seeing our discoveries come to life in this artistic rendition 🧵
Unlocking fertilisation 🗝️
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
December 13, 2024 at 6:17 PM
Check out this beautiful representation of our work by @munafomarzia.bsky.social uncovering the molecular bridge between sperm and egg! 🔑🤩
We had lots of fun brainstorming together with Marzia and seeing our discoveries come to life in this artistic rendition 🧵
We had lots of fun brainstorming together with Marzia and seeing our discoveries come to life in this artistic rendition 🧵
Reposted by Marzia Munafò
I was already in love with the science in this paper! ... and on top of that... #sciart on the same story by the one and only @munafomarzia.bsky.social
Unlocking fertilisation 🗝️
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
December 13, 2024 at 8:49 AM
I was already in love with the science in this paper! ... and on top of that... #sciart on the same story by the one and only @munafomarzia.bsky.social
Unlocking fertilisation 🗝️
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
December 12, 2024 at 5:42 PM
Unlocking fertilisation 🗝️
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
out today @cellcellpress.bsky.social , @vdeneke.bsky.social & @pauligroup.bsky.social uncover a conserved
protein complex on vertebrate sperm that recognizes distinct egg ligands in mammals and fish, enabling fertilisation.
@impvienna.bsky.social
A #sciart and #scicomm 🧵
One of my illustrations made an appearance at the MPI #epigenetics conference! thanks to the boss @jamiehackett.bsky.social presenting the cool science we do in the lab 🔥
December 7, 2024 at 8:28 AM
One of my illustrations made an appearance at the MPI #epigenetics conference! thanks to the boss @jamiehackett.bsky.social presenting the cool science we do in the lab 🔥