The Milinkovitch-Tzika lab

Modelling the dexterity of the elephant trunk for Soft Robotics! 🐘 Our 3D dynamic model maps trunk shapes directly to internal forces, predicting biological trajectories with <8% error. New study in @iScience_CP . Read: doi.org/10.1016/j.isci…

Many thanks to Nancy Steinacker, Barb Matt, and Bruce Bradley for the incredible visit to the Linda Hall Library @LindaHall_org. A real highlight: seeing first editions of Newton’s Principia and Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

Grateful that my lecture at the #StowersSeminarSeries had such a positive impact! Huge thanks to Tatjana and the @LabPiotrowski team, and to all the PIs, staff, and students who shared their inspiring research. @ScienceStowers is truly an outstanding place for science.

More about the research behind these models: youtube.com/playlist?list=… #DevelopmentalBiology #Biophysics #Morphogenesis #DPG

If you would like one for teaching or outreach, you can order your own 3D prints here: lanevol.org/visual-media/o…

Fascinating discussions yesterday at the 2026 Spring Meeting of the German Physical Society (DPG) in Dresden. Thanks to @Franze_Lab for the invitation to speak about tissue mechanics. Our 3D prints of crocodile embryos sparked a lot of curiosity among researchers and students.

Turn scientific data into tangible objects! Some of our 3D models can be downloaded or ordered as 3D prints at low cost (resin + delivery only). Perfect for teaching and research discussions. lanevol.org/visual-media/o… #3DPrinting #STEM #OpenScience

Discover how our research comes to life in 3D! Explore digital 3D models from surface scanning and advanced microscopy directly on our website, with scientific context, videos, and VR/AR options. ➡️ lanevol.org/3d-models #3DModels #Microscopy #OpenScience

Our research on reptile pigmentation is featured on the cover of Genetics 🧬🦎 We uncover how mutations in TYR, SLC24A5, and OCA2 shape hypomelanism in snakes & geckos, revealing modular and flexible melanogenesis. @GeneticsGSA @UNIGEnews 🔗academic.oup.com/genetics/artic…

Our research on snake skin color patterning is featured in The Scientist! 🐍🎨 Athanasia Tzika explains how comparative genomics and CRISPR-Cas9 revealed the key role of specific genes in establishing corn snake skin color patterns. 🔗 the-scientist.com/how-do-snakes-…

[7] Physical Review Research 7 (2025) journals.aps.org/prresearch/abs… Check our news here: lanevol.org/news

[4] Physical Review Letters 128, 48102 (2022) link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/Ph… [5] Current biology 32 : 5069-5082.e13 (2022) doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.… [6] Physical Review X 13, 41011 (2023) doi.org/10.1103/PhysRe…

Rewatching #PrehistoricPlanet with my kids and loving how artists @MPCVFX show dinosaurs with scale-by-scale skin colors, similar to some lizards and snakes. Check how our research uncovers the mechanisms behind this phenomenon:

Découvrez la conférence de Karl Perron (Section de Biologie, UNIGE) — « Résistance aux antibiotiques : quand les métaux s’en mêlent ». 📅 Jeudi 27 nov. 2025, 18h30, INGE (Genève). Entrée libre, inscription ➜ inge.ch/evenements/res… #Santé #Recherche #UNIGE #Biologie

Many thanks to the PhD students and postdocs at D-BSSE in Basel for hosting me in their seminar series — and to the PIs at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, for inspiring conversations. @ETH_BSSE @biozentrum

Wonderful visit to @embl Heidelberg! Grateful to Alexandre Aulehla and @AissamIkmi for the invitation and to all the group leaders, post-docs and students for the stimulating discussions. Amazing science and a great community! #EMBL #ScienceTalk #DevelopmentalBiology

🐊 New 90‑second video: watch the digital model of a #crocodile head side‑by‑side with a stunning multi‑material #3Dprint. ▶️ Video: youtu.be/3roeSI-HBbg?si… 📖 Nature Article: rdcu.be/d3dnd 🎬 Full explainer (26K+ views, multiple languages): youtube.com/playlist?list=…