Palaeoecology quiz!
I am teaching the course “Palaeoecology: methods and applications” at the University of Genova. Here…
Read MoreMy research interests are focused on the study of Ichnology, that is the study of life-substrate interactions. You can find me on the peak of the mountains looking for fossil tracks or I can annoy your beach-time while looking for recent worm burrows on the tidal flat.
However, I am not only studying traces: I also produce them!
I am involved in Digital Arts and multimedia design…follow my creative traces in this website!
I research on fossil burrowsmodern burrowsastrobiologygeology and arthistory of science
The fossilized products of life-substrate interactions (ichnofossils or trace fossils) are the only direct evidence for ancient animal behaviour. For instance, trilobite burrows and dinosaur tracks can tell us how their producers moved, dwelled or searched for food. I am interested in using ichnofossils for understanding behaviour and environment of extinct animals.
Life produces sophisticate architectures by interacting with the substrate, e.g. the U-shaped burrows of bristleworms and the underground tunnels of ants. I am interested in understanding how animals build such architectures, what is their function and whether their distribution is environmentally-controlled.
I am interested in using computational tools to explore quantitatively the fossil record. Fractal analysis can quantify geometries of extinct life; geostatistics allows to estimate the values of (paleo)biologically important variables at unsampled positions; network theory is very useful for finding patterns in complex paleontological datasets.
Burrows, trails and tracks preserve the activity of soft-bodied organisms, are resilient to processes that obliterate other biological signatures and their shape is virtually independent from the biochemistry of their tracemakers. These properties motivate me to apply the study of life-substrate interactions (ichnology) to the search for life beyond Earth.
Since Leonardo da Vinci times, art has been a passionate way to describe geological phenomena. I am interested in walking along this line of continuity between science and art to explore the history of geology, with particular emphasis on palaeontology.
by interacting with the substrate
interested in exploring my research? Click on the images below!
follow my research in a timeline fashion
I am teaching the course “Palaeoecology: methods and applications” at the University of Genova. Here…
Read MoreMy astrobiological research has been featured on the Secolo XIX newspaper! The article focuses on…
Read MoreAnyone clicking on this link before August 29, 2021 will be taken directly to the…
Read MoreAcross the past 500 million years, deep-sea animal burrows have followed assembly rules remarkably similar…
Read MoreIn the 19th-century, Camille Flammarion authored a magnificent book about the Earth Sciences. Many scientific…
Read MoreHere are some of backstage pictures of my video about the geology and palaeontology of…
Read MoreI published my new short documentary about the trace fossils of Sauris, Italy! The Alps…
Read MoreFocus is one of the major Italian science magazines. It discussed my research on ichnology…
Read Morefrom the Mediterranean Sea to Mongolia
creative ways to disseminate geology
Paleobiologica – 600 million years in art is a set of large-sized paintings that I realized for Dinoexpo, world’s largest travelling exibition about dinosaurs
Geology&Art is an exhibit exploring the aesthetic diversity of geological art.
Why geology in art? I tackled this question by interviewing contemporary artists dealing with geology. The answer is surprising!
Mongolia in Super 8 is the reportage of a scientific expedition in Mongolia. Proudly made with a noisy Super 8 camera!
Geodelia is a Video Art installation linking Geology and Art. Do petrographic thin secions fit well into a music festival?