News

How the lizard gets its pattern

news
26-04-2021

LANE lab's 3D numerical simulations of the ocellated lizard skin colour patterning are published today in Nature Communications.

Scaled, armoured or naked: how does the skin of fish evolve?

news
24-03-2021

Montoya's lab has traced the family tree of ray-finned fish in order to reconstruct the evolution of the protective structures of their skin.

The snake in the white suit

news
24-02-2021

Michel Milinkovitch-Tzika Lab sequences the Texas Rat Snake genome and suggest that a regulatory mutation of MITF causes the leucistic phenotype.

The wings of a “genetic bird” protect us against viruses

news
14-01-2021

Alicia Sanchez-Mazas team has demonstrated that every population can protect itself against a broad range of viruses thanks to the two most diverse HLA immune genes in humans.

African trade routes sketched out by mediaeval beads

news
04-12-2020

An analysis of archaeological glass beads discovered in sub-Saharan West Africa brings to light the full extent of the region’s international trade routes between the 7th and 13th centuries.

Snakes reveal the origin of skin colours

news
06-10-2020

A mutation of the lavender variant of corn snake allows the Milinkovitch lab to understand the mechanisms responsible for the extraordinary variety of skin colours in vertebrates.

Wildcats threatened by their domestic cousins

news
29-09-2020

Wildcats in the Swiss Jura will undergo an irreversible genetic replacement by domestic cats if no preventive measures are taken.

Hoxb13 in mouse tail allometry

news
31-08-2020

Jozsef Zakany will host a last seminar before his retirement on September 24 at 4 pm in the A300 audience (Sciences II).

National Geographic Readers: Animals That Change Color

news
27-04-2020

Michel Milinkovitch served as the scientific advisor for the content of the issue ‘Animals That Change Colors’ of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS magazine.

PhD School of Life Sciences

news
24-03-2020

Call for applications to the PhD School of Life Sciences. Application deadline: Apr 15th, 2020

The secrets of the iridescent egg sac revealed

news
20-02-2020

Milinkovitch Lab an international researchers identify that a 3D photonics structure in the egg-sac envelope of Hida salamanders causes visible iridescence is water and UV iridescence in air.

The elephant’s trunk will inspire a revolutionary robot

news
19-12-2019

An international team, including UNIGE, will analyse the African elephant’s trunk, and its exceptional agility and versatility, to create a robot guided by touch.

Ivan Rodriguez and Alan Carleton just received an ERC Synergy Grant

news
16-10-2019

The project aims at exploring the function and dysfunction of the claustrum, a poorly understood neural structure in the mamalian brain.

The Anthropology Unit makes the cover of "G3"

news
02-08-2019

A study from Estella Poloni’s group: Did controlled use of fire impact the evolution of human genomic diversity ?

How the dragon got its frill

news
27-06-2019

Michel Milinkovitch's team uncovers the developmental process generating the Chamydosaurus frill.

«Afrique: 300'000 ans de diversité humaine»

news
14-06-2019

The geneticists and prehistorians of the Anthropology Unit of the University of Geneva tell you about human history on the African continent. An extraordinary exhibition not to be missed!

The evolution of snake skin nano-structures

news
10-05-2019

The Milinkovitch Lab characterizes the complexity and diversity of surface nano-gratings in 353 species of snakes.

Claudio S. Quilodrán, Juan Montoya-Burgos and Mathias Currat make the cover of "Evolution" magazine

news
17-04-2019

Hybridization and introgression during density‐dependent range expansion: European wildcats as a case study.

Michel Milinkovitch receives an ERC Advanced Grant

news
28-03-2019

An ERC Advanced Grant has been awarded to Michel Milinkovitch. The grant is endowed with 2.5 million Euros over 5 years.

The LANE is in the National Geographic

news
28-02-2019

Our work on the African elephant skin is highlighted in the National Geographic Magazine.

Ultrafast pulse shaping modulates perceived visual brightness in living animals.

publication
30-04-2021

Gaulier G, Dietschi Q, Bhattacharyya S, Schmidt C, Montagnese M, Chauvet A, Hermelin S, Chiodini F, Bonacina L, Herrera PL, Rothlisberger U, Rodriguez I, Wolf JP. Sci Adv 2021 Apr;7(18):. 7/18/eabe1911. 10.1126/sciadv.abe1911.

Reaction-diffusion in a growing 3D domain of skin scales generates a discrete cellular automaton.

publication
25-04-2021

Fofonjka A, Milinkovitch MC. Nat Commun 2021 04;12(1):2433. 10.1038/s41467-021-22525-1. 10.1038/s41467-021-22525-1.

Identification of a micropeptide and multiple secondary cell genes that modulate male reproductive success.

publication
21-04-2021

Immarigeon C, Frei Y, Delbare SYN, Gligorov D, Machado Almeida P, Grey J, Fabbro L, Nagoshi E, Billeter JC, Wolfner MF, Karch F, Maeda RK. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021 Apr;118(15):. 2001897118. 10.1073/pnas.2001897118.

“To name things wrongly is to add to the misfortune of the world”, (e-Letter in response to: For better drugs, diversify clinical trials.

publication
14-04-2021

Grenet G, Gombault C, Duret L, Sanchez-Mazas A, Gueyffier F, Segurel L, Lega J-C. Science 05 Feb 2021: Vol. 371, Issue 6529, pp. 570-571 DOI: 10.1126/science.abe2565

Like wings of a bird: functional divergence and complementarity between HLA-A and HLA-B molecules.

publication
13-04-2021

Di D, Nunes JM, Jiang W, Sanchez-Mazas A. Mol Biol Evol . 2021 Apr 13; 38(4):1580-1594. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaa325

Agricultural diversification in West Africa: an archaeobotanical study of the site of Sadia (Dogon Country, Mali).

publication
25-03-2021

Champion L, Fuller DQ, Ozainne S, Huysecom É, Mayor A. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 2021 ;13(4):60. 10.1007/s12520-021-01293-5. 1293. PMC7937602.

Emergence of self-organizational patterning at the mesoscopic scale.

publication
24-03-2021

Milinkovitch MC. Dev Cell 2021 Mar;56(6):719-721. S1534-5807(21)00200-8. 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.03.003.

A West African Middle Stone Age site dated to the beginning of MIS 5: Archaeology, chronology, and paleoenvironment of the Ravin Blanc I (eastern Senegal).

publication
23-03-2021

Douze K, Lespez L, Rasse M, Tribolo C, Garnier A, Lebrun B, Mercier N, Ndiaye M, Chevrier B, Huysecom E. J Hum Evol 2021 Mar;154():102952. S0047-2484(21)00004-X. 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102952.

From scales to armor: Scale losses and trunk bony plate gains in ray‐finned fishes

publication
23-03-2021

Lemopoulos, A. and Montoya‐Burgos, J.I.. Evolution Letters. https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.219

sp. nov., gen. nov, sp. nov., comb. nov. and new insights into phylogeny of the deeply branching members of the order Himatismenida (Amoebozoa).

publication
13-03-2021

Kudryavtsev A, Völcker E, Clauß S, Pawlowski J. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2021 Mar;():. 10.1099/ijsem.0.004737.

Multilocus phylogeny and historical biogeography of Hypostomus shed light on the processes of fish diversification in La Plata Basin.

publication
05-03-2021

Cardoso YP, Jardim de Queiroz L, Bahechar IA, Posadas PE, Montoya-Burgos JI. Sci Rep 2021 Mar;11(1):5073. 10.1038/s41598-021-83464-x. 10.1038/s41598-021-83464-x.

Characterization of the Leucistic Texas Rat Snake Pantherophis obsoletus

publication
09-02-2021

Ullate-Agote Asier, Tzika Athanasia C.. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9 : 36 (2021)

Analysis of Polycerate Mutants Reveals the Evolutionary Co-option of HOXD1 for Horn Patterning in Bovidae.

publication
03-02-2021

Allais-Bonnet A, Hintermann A, Deloche MC, Cornette R, Bardou P, Naval-Sanchez M, Pinton A, Haruda A, Grohs C, Zakany J, Bigi D, Medugorac I, Putelat O, Greyvenstein O, Hadfield T, Jemaa SB, Bunevski G, Menzi F, Hirter N, Paris JM, Hedges J, Palhiere I, Rupp R, Lenstra JA, Gidney L, Lesur J, Schafberg R, Stache M, Wandhammer MD, Arbogast RM, Guintard C, Blin A, Boukadiri A, Rivière J, Esquerré D, Donnadieu C, Danchin-Burge C, Reich CM, Riley DG, van Marle-Koster E, Cockett N, Hayes BJ, Drögemüller C, Kijas J, Pailhoux E, Tosser-Klopp G, Duboule D, Capitan A. Mol Biol Evol 2021 Feb;():. 6126410. 10.1093/molbev/msab021.

Hox13-Mediated Dbx2 Regulation In Limbs Suggests Inter-Tad Sharing Of Enhancers.

publication
27-01-2021

Beccari L, Jaquier G, Lopez-Delisle L, Rodriguez-Carballo E, Mascrez B, Gitto S, Woltering J, Duboule D. Dev Dyn 2021 Jan;():. 10.1002/dvdy.303.

Biotic signals associated with benthic impacts of salmon farms from eDNA metabarcoding of sediments.

publication
23-01-2021

He X, Gilmore SR, Sutherland TF, Hajibabaei M, Miller KM, Westfall KM, Pawlowski J, Abbott CL. Mol Ecol 2021 Jan;():. 10.1111/mec.15814.

First passage time distribution of active thermal particles in potentials

publication
22-01-2021

Walter B, Pruessner G and Salbreux G. Phys. Rev. Research 3, 013075

From immune to olfactory expression: neofunctionalization of formyl peptide receptors.

publication
17-01-2021

Boillat M, Carleton A, Rodriguez I. Cell Tissue Res 2021 Jan;():. 10.1007/s00441-020-03393-5. 10.1007/s00441-020-03393-5.

Phylogenetic signatures of ecological divergence and leapfrog adaptive radiation in Espeletia

publication
11-01-2021

Pouchon C, Lavergne S, Fernández Á, Alberti A, Aubert S, Mavárez J.. Am J Bot. 2021 Jan;108(1):113-128. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.1591

Expanding ecological assessment by integrating microorganisms into routine freshwater biomonitoring.

publication
09-01-2021

Sagova-Mareckova M, Boenigk J, Bouchez A, Cermakova K, Chonova T, Cordier T, Eisendle U, Elersek T, Fazi S, Fleituch T, Frühe L, Gajdosova M, Graupner N, Haegerbaeumer A, Kelly AM, Kopecky J, Leese F, Nõges P, Orlic S, Panksep K, Pawlowski J, Petrusek A, Piggott JJ, Rusch JC, Salis R, Schenk J, Simek K, Stovicek A, Strand DA, Vasquez MI, Vrålstad T, Zlatkovic S, Zupancic M, Stoeck T. Water Res 2020 Dec;191():116767. S0043-1354(20)31300-2. 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116767.