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About Massimo
Massimo, molecular biologist, is constantly on a mission to inspire scientists and laypeople around him with his passion for science. During the time spent on the bench, he followed his natural all-around curiosity, investigating several topics from medical diseases to plant physiology. Head of TheScienceBreaker, Massimo proudly chases his naïve dream of an engaged society where scientists and citizens are facing together the upcoming challenges for human civilizations.
Massimo is the editor of 321 Breaks:
A connected ocean: drifting fish larvae bind nations' marine territories
Ocean currents carry fish in the early stages of their life cycle across international boundaries. As a result, international cooperation is crucial to maintaining marine fisheries sustainably.
Feb 12, 2020 | 3.5 min readHow machine intelligence helps in translating the neural code
What happens when visually responsive neurons in the primate brain are allowed to interact with artificial neural networks that generate images?
Feb 11, 2020 | 4 min readTracing the Ancestral Roots of Neandertals
We recovered DNA from two 120,000-year-old Neandertal bones discovered in Europe. All later Neandertals trace at least part of their ancestry to these early European Neandertals. Yet, additional ancestry from an unknown population hints at a mysterious event deeper in Neandertal history.
Feb 5, 2020 | 3 min readMicroraptor and Indrasaurus: food for thought
Flying is hard. To achieve such an endeavor, bird digestion must be super-efficient, with many of them regurgitating pellets like owls. The flying dromaeosaur Microraptor lacked this ability. Stomach contents are rare in fossils, but this new Microraptor preserves a new species of lizard, Indrasaurus.
Jan 31, 2020 | 3.5 min readAre girls too good at reading to study math?
Women remain strongly underrepresented in math-related fields. We showed that the difference between 15-y-old students' math and reading abilities influences the gender gaps in self-concept in math and in intentions to pursue math-related studies and careers.
Jan 28, 2020 | 3.5 min readFamily history and personal health behind memory’s impairments
Adults with a first-degree relative with Alzheimer's disease perform more poorly on online paired-learning tasks than adults without such a family history. This impairment appears to be exacerbated by having diabetes or a genetic variation in the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene linked to the disease.
Jan 24, 2020 | 3.5 min read