Valentina Di Santo
@vdisanto.bsky.social
Comparative physiologist and biomechanist studying fish locomotion at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego 🌊🦈🐟🐠🐡
www.valentinadisanto.com
www.valentinadisanto.com
Our research is on the cover of @pnas.org this week! Proud of what we accomplished and grateful for an amazing team (and some truly memorable fishes). 🐟
Link to the paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Link to the paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
July 17, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Our research is on the cover of @pnas.org this week! Proud of what we accomplished and grateful for an amazing team (and some truly memorable fishes). 🐟
Link to the paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Link to the paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
1/8 For years, it’s been assumed that when fishes hover in open water, they’re just resting. Our new @pnas.org paper shows otherwise: hovering can double metabolic costs compared to true rest in near-neutrally buoyant fishes. Here’s what we found: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
a 🧪 🧵..
a 🧪 🧵..
July 7, 2025 at 10:22 PM
1/8 For years, it’s been assumed that when fishes hover in open water, they’re just resting. Our new @pnas.org paper shows otherwise: hovering can double metabolic costs compared to true rest in near-neutrally buoyant fishes. Here’s what we found: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
a 🧪 🧵..
a 🧪 🧵..
The Rainbow wrasse 🌈 Coris melanura
I love this fish! 🧪🐟
I love this fish! 🧪🐟
June 3, 2025 at 4:51 AM
The Rainbow wrasse 🌈 Coris melanura
I love this fish! 🧪🐟
I love this fish! 🧪🐟
My dream job @scrippsocean.bsky.social 🧪
May 26, 2025 at 12:42 AM
My dream job @scrippsocean.bsky.social 🧪
For every published paper or review, @biologists.bsky.social plants a tree in a UK forest. Here is my tree: Tree no. 9225
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) 🧪 🌱
Read the paper here: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) 🧪 🌱
Read the paper here: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
April 19, 2025 at 10:47 PM
For every published paper or review, @biologists.bsky.social plants a tree in a UK forest. Here is my tree: Tree no. 9225
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) 🧪 🌱
Read the paper here: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) 🧪 🌱
Read the paper here: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
New publication led by my MS student, Sonia Marketaki:
We tested how blind cavefish navigate a novel 3D obstacle course after lateral line ablation. Despite losing their primary mechanosensory input, the fish altered their behavior to complete the task. 🧪 🐟
🔗 authors.elsevier.com/a/1kx-E3v7jN...
We tested how blind cavefish navigate a novel 3D obstacle course after lateral line ablation. Despite losing their primary mechanosensory input, the fish altered their behavior to complete the task. 🧪 🐟
🔗 authors.elsevier.com/a/1kx-E3v7jN...
April 18, 2025 at 12:51 AM
New publication led by my MS student, Sonia Marketaki:
We tested how blind cavefish navigate a novel 3D obstacle course after lateral line ablation. Despite losing their primary mechanosensory input, the fish altered their behavior to complete the task. 🧪 🐟
🔗 authors.elsevier.com/a/1kx-E3v7jN...
We tested how blind cavefish navigate a novel 3D obstacle course after lateral line ablation. Despite losing their primary mechanosensory input, the fish altered their behavior to complete the task. 🧪 🐟
🔗 authors.elsevier.com/a/1kx-E3v7jN...
In Arizona, just wrapped up an incredible first meeting of #Scialog: Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems! Grateful to have been part of such an inspiring group of researchers. A huge thank you to RCSA. Excited to continue these conversations and see where they lead. See you all next year! 🧪 🧠 🌡️
March 17, 2025 at 5:15 PM
In Arizona, just wrapped up an incredible first meeting of #Scialog: Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems! Grateful to have been part of such an inspiring group of researchers. A huge thank you to RCSA. Excited to continue these conversations and see where they lead. See you all next year! 🧪 🧠 🌡️
I'm so happy I got to spend five wonderful days with these incredible scientists. A huge thank you to the Journal of Experimental Biology and the Company of Biologists for making it all possible, and to Andy Biewener and Alan Wilson for inviting me! --- Mürren, Switzerland
March 30, 2024 at 11:39 PM
I'm so happy I got to spend five wonderful days with these incredible scientists. A huge thank you to the Journal of Experimental Biology and the Company of Biologists for making it all possible, and to Andy Biewener and Alan Wilson for inviting me! --- Mürren, Switzerland
Sunset at the Marine BiologicalLaboratory @mblscience.bsky.social
February 20, 2024 at 10:55 PM
Sunset at the Marine BiologicalLaboratory @mblscience.bsky.social
My favorite fish, the little skate, here at the Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social 🧪
February 12, 2024 at 5:08 PM
My favorite fish, the little skate, here at the Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social 🧪
It seems like a great opportunity, I went to the Bimini Biol Field Station as an undergrad and learned a lot. 🧪 🦈 👉👉👉"Scholarships for 2 month internships are now available through the Bimini Shark Lab thanks to the support of the McPZ Foundation."
www.biminisharklab.com/scholarships
www.biminisharklab.com/scholarships
January 12, 2024 at 8:03 PM
It seems like a great opportunity, I went to the Bimini Biol Field Station as an undergrad and learned a lot. 🧪 🦈 👉👉👉"Scholarships for 2 month internships are now available through the Bimini Shark Lab thanks to the support of the McPZ Foundation."
www.biminisharklab.com/scholarships
www.biminisharklab.com/scholarships
An old friend 🧡 #littleskate #walking fish 🧪
January 10, 2024 at 7:37 PM
An old friend 🧡 #littleskate #walking fish 🧪
Caught bichirs at the fish gym today, more interested in socializing than exercising #WalkingFish #SocialButterfly @mblscience.bsky.social
January 10, 2024 at 4:22 AM
Caught bichirs at the fish gym today, more interested in socializing than exercising #WalkingFish #SocialButterfly @mblscience.bsky.social
Happy holidays from the lab!
December 11, 2023 at 7:09 PM
Happy holidays from the lab!
Frogfish in the lab
December 6, 2023 at 7:08 PM
Frogfish in the lab
The Life (less) Aquatic @mblscience.bsky.social
December 5, 2023 at 11:34 PM
The Life (less) Aquatic @mblscience.bsky.social
Another amazing Human Frontier Science Project meeting, this time in Cambridge, UK. I love our walking fish team! 🐟
October 28, 2023 at 12:19 PM
Another amazing Human Frontier Science Project meeting, this time in Cambridge, UK. I love our walking fish team! 🐟
What a treat to listen to Michael Angilletta and Fredrik Jutfelt give talks today on thermal ecology and evolution at Stockholm University! @jutfelt.bsky.social
October 20, 2023 at 9:51 AM
What a treat to listen to Michael Angilletta and Fredrik Jutfelt give talks today on thermal ecology and evolution at Stockholm University! @jutfelt.bsky.social
Welcome to the Fish Gym, where fins meet fitness! Neil @nshubin.bsky.social and I are at the MBL @mblscience.bsky.social to study walking fishes as they lift, jog, and do push ups in style.
October 15, 2023 at 8:29 PM
Welcome to the Fish Gym, where fins meet fitness! Neil @nshubin.bsky.social and I are at the MBL @mblscience.bsky.social to study walking fishes as they lift, jog, and do push ups in style.
Some cool sargassum- and frog-fishes in the lab ❤️
October 9, 2023 at 2:34 PM
Some cool sargassum- and frog-fishes in the lab ❤️
Thrilled to host Fumiya Iida and team in our lab as we test walking fish and robot in our system. 🐠🤖 #DoTheLocomotion #Biomechanics #SkyScience #TeamFish
September 28, 2023 at 2:46 PM
Thrilled to host Fumiya Iida and team in our lab as we test walking fish and robot in our system. 🐠🤖 #DoTheLocomotion #Biomechanics #SkyScience #TeamFish