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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves

@scinuno.bsky.social
1.2K followers 2.1K following 373 posts

Animal Research @EARA.eu 🐁🔬 Molecular Biology PhD 👨‍🔬🧬 Science Communication MSc 👨‍💻🦠 LGBTI Activism @esQrever.com 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Cinephile 🧟‍♂️🎞️ boxd.it/sy8b Gaymer 🎮🧚

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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Can we protect the heart without giving up effective chemotherapy? ❤️ In mice, vorinostat reduced heart damage caused by doxorubicin and preserved cardiac function. A promising preclinical route towards safer cancer treatment. #CancerResearch #CardioOncology #AnimalResearch
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Good discussions in Magdeburg on openness in Animal Research. I spoke about EARA’s Patient Discovery Project and moderated the panel. Openness means explaining not only what research is done, but why, how and for whom. #AnimalResearch #Openness #PatientEngagement
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Can stimulating bone help the brain recover? 🦴🧠 In mice and pigs with brain injury, controlled tibia compression improved recovery. The effect depended on PIEZO1 in bone cells, pointing to a bone–brain signalling pathway. A striking example of how interconnected our organs are. #Neuroscience
medicalxpress.com
Gentle rhythmic tapping on shinbone helps injured brains heal faster in animal models
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can turn a person's life upside down, leaving lasting effects on memory, thinking, physical abilities and overall quality of life. TBI remains one of the leading causes ...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The brain of mice doesn't behave exactly the same way outside the lab. 🐭🧠 A new wireless device let researchers record mouse brain activity in naturalistic environments. “Place” cells showed both familiar patterns and important differences from lab studies. #Neuroscience #AnimalResearch
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Could ageing across the body be influenced by the brain? 🧠🐭 In mice, restoring the hypothalamic protein Menin improved, bone mass, skin thickness, and cognition, especially when combined with amino acid D-serine. But, calm down, this is not evidence that supplements can “reverse ageing” in humans.
sciencedaily.com
Scientists restore a brain protein and reverse signs of aging in mice
Scientists found that declining levels of the brain protein Menin may help drive aging, with lower levels in mice linked to inflammation, cognitive decline, weaker bones, and thinner skin. Restoring M...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Open data reduces animal use. 🧠 This new database brings together 734 macaque brain-stimulation studies, helping researchers see what has already been tested, identify gaps and avoid unnecessary duplication. A practical example of Open Science supporting the 3Rs. #3Rs #OpenScience
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Long-lived bats may offer clues to cancer resistance. 🦇🧬 When severely damaged, their cells shifted towards self-destruction rather than repair, a strategy also seen in elephants. Evolution may already hold some answers to healthier ageing. #Ageing #CancerResearch
sciencedaily.com
The secret to longer life may be hidden in bat DNA
Long-lived bats appear to combine powerful immune defenses with unusual strategies for eliminating damaged cells, potentially helping them avoid cancer and disease for decades. Researchers hope these ...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
An antimalarial drug may do more than clear infection. 🦟 In mice, cabamiquine also protected against severe disease after later re-exposure, possibly by controlling the parasite while still allowing immune memory to develop. #Malaria #Immunology #AnimalResearch
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It’s about time that women's biology is studied on its own terms. 🧠 In 2,600+ women followed for up to 18 years, earlier menopause was linked to faster cognitive decline, earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis and more white-matter changes. #WomensHealth #Menopause #Alzheimers
medicalxpress.com
Women who hit menopause early see faster brain aging and earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis
Menopause is more than just the end of a woman's reproductive years. It brings a cascade of hormonal changes that can affect overall well-being, giving rise to a range of physical and emotional sympto...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is what decades of translational research can eventually look like 💉 An mRNA vaccine built on research including studies in mice, ferrets, monkeys, dogs and rats is now helping prevent melanoma recurrence in skin cancer patients. And the implications could extend to other cancers 💪 #mRNA
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It's a crystal-clear example of how models and methodologies aren't in competition at a scientific level. On other platforms, some pit them against each other, and that's just wrong for science.
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Amazing work, really. Probably gonna follow up with you by email, sorry in advance, hehe.
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I met Sergiu Pașca at our Brain Debate during #FENS2026 and want to congratulate him and his colleagues on this astonishing work. Animal Research vs NAMs? No. Not either/or. Both, together. And now that concept has become literal. 5/5
nature.com
Developmental xenocortication using human-derived organoids in mice - Nature
Xenocortication with human neurons enables circuit- and behaviour-level analysis of neurodevelopment in mice.
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The result is not a “mouse with a human brain”. The mice remained mice and showed no enhanced behaviour or intelligence. Instead, this creates a new way to study human brain development and disorders, including cerebral palsy. 4/5
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Organoids can capture aspects of human biology that mice cannot. But in a dish, they lack proper blood vessels, sensory input, motor output and the complexity of a living nervous system. Here, they can develop within a living organism. 3/5
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
In these mice, the human tissue grew and integrated (!) with the mouse nervous system and developed specialised cell types never previously produced in laboratory-grown brain tissue. That is what is mind-blowing. 2/5
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
No, scientists have not created mice that “think like humans”. It’s actually way better than that. 🧠🐭 Researchers at Stanford transplanted human cortical organoids into mice engineered to lack most of their own cortex. 1/5
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A better animal model sometimes starts with a better map of its biology. 🧬🐒 The first complete marmoset genome revealed variation in genes also linked to Alzheimer's in humans. Understanding the genetics more precisely can also help us understand what they can and cannot tell us about disease.
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Knowing something can be rewarding in itself. Apparently, even for mice. 🐭🧠 Mice sometimes gave up some water just to receive information about what would happen next. Researchers also found the brain represented the value of information separately from the water reward itself. #AnimalResearch
medicalxpress.com
Curiosity has its own neural signal: Brain separates valuable information from water rewards in mice
Often, humans and other animals seek information that can help them complete tasks and attain desired rewards. In some cases, however, they seek information driven simply by curiosity and a desire to ...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Turns out, Syrax isn't only found in Westeros. 🐉🦎 Scientists discovered a new mountain horned dragon in Thailand and named it Acanthosaura syrax after Rhaenyra's dragon. Yellowish, small and surprisingly prolific at laying eggs: the resemblance wasn't just in the name. #Biodiversity #Taxonomy
sciencedaily.com
Scientists discover a real-life “dragon” and name it after Syrax
Scientists discovered a small, yellowish mountain horned dragon in Thailand and named it Acanthosaura syrax after a dragon from House of the Dragon. Found only in a narrow band of high-elevation fores...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Good news for coffee drinkers? Perhaps. But don't order another espresso just yet. ☕ A study linked higher coffee intake with less body fat, more muscle and healthier metabolic markers. But association ≠ causation. Researchers are now looking to investigate the biology behind those links in animals.
sciencedaily.com
Coffee drinkers have less fat, more muscle, and surprising hormone differences
Coffee drinkers may be getting more than an energy boost. A Finnish study found that people who drank more coffee tended to have less total and abdominal fat, more muscle, and healthier metabolic mark...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Dogs don't see all our emotional expressions in the same way. 🐶🧠 Brain scans showed dogs clearly distinguished human fear from sadness and anger, while happiness produced the strongest response. Thousands of years living alongside us may have shaped how dogs process our social signals. #Dogs
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
We often ask scientists to communicate more openly about animal research. But are we giving them the conditions to do it? A review identified barriers including limited training and support, fear of hostility and increasingly polarised public debate. Openness requires institutional support 👍
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Usually don’t use social media anymore for personal stuff but we just lost one of the best humans this world has ever seen. Not only was Dolly a true legend and rule breaker of music, she was a true philanthropist, always had queer people in her heart and financed the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. 💔🕊️
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
What if deep brain stimulation could work without implanted electrodes? 🧠🧲 Researchers injected tiny magnetic particles into the brains of mice and activated them with an external magnetic field. In mice with Parkinson's-like symptoms, stimulation significantly improved movement. #Parkinsons
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
As we age, our bodies seem to prioritise stability over walking efficiency🚶🧠 Researchers found older adults stiffen the ankle by activating opposing muscles together. It can make each step safer, but also slower and more tiring. A fascinating trade-off between stability and efficiency #Biomechanics
sciencedaily.com
Scientists reveal why walking gets so much harder with age
As we age, the body appears to sacrifice walking efficiency in exchange for stability. Older adults stiffen the ankle more with each step, which may help prevent falls but also forces the muscles to w...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Can scientists communicate their work without becoming targets? This question reaches far beyond one country. Public trust isn't built by asking people to "trust science". It's built through openness, transparency and honest conversations about how science actually works. #ScienceCommunication
aol.com
Why are biomedical scientists being vilified? | Opinion - AOL
Protect those scientists who provide the underlying research that can continue furthering progress toward lifesaving preventions and treatments
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Can a fibre found in baker's yeast help the immune system fight cancer? 🍞🧬 In obese mice, beta-glucan changed how immune cells developed in bone marrow and restored their response to tumours. Not a cancer treatment, but an intriguing link between diet, metabolism and cancer immunity. #AnimalResearch
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Could growing up with a dog help train a baby's immune system? 🐶👶 Researchers found specific dog-associated microbes in homes were linked to fewer respiratory infections and antibiotics during babies' first year. Another fascinating clue about how our early microbial environment shapes immunity.
medicalxpress.com
Early dog exposure may protect babies from infections through home microbes
Children who have been in contact with dogs in early childhood are, on average, healthier and require fewer courses of antibiotics than children without such contact. The protective association is exp...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
What if a wound dressing didn't add healing molecules... but activated the ones already in your body? 🩹 Researchers developed a biomaterial that boosted wound repair in rats, mice and lab-grown human skin by activating the body's own repair proteins. #RegenerativeMedicine #Biomaterials #Science
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
What if excessive sweating doesn't always start in the sweat glands? 🥵 Researchers linked some hereditary forms of the condition to mutations affecting nerve signalling when, in mice, existing drugs that block nerve cell signals reduced excessive sweating. #Genetics #AnimalResearch
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
What if the world's oceans are quietly entering a new ecological era? 🌊 Using AI to analyse 1.2 million satellite images, researchers at @usf.edu found floating algae are expanding across much of the global ocean, revealing changes that are only visible at planetary scale. #MarineBiology #Science
sciencedaily.com
AI reveals a massive algae boom across the world’s oceans
An AI analysis of 1.2 million satellite images shows that floating algae blooms are spreading across the global ocean. The rapid growth of massive seaweed mats could reshape marine habitats while brin...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Can the same diet protect one organ but increase cancer risk in another? 🥘 In mice, researchers found that a ketogenic diet had very noxious effects in the small intestine, different from the previously reported benefits in the large intestine, highlighting the complexity of metabolism. #Keto
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
What if ageing doesn't remove one of our muscle repair signals, it just makes it less effective? 💪 Researchers identified a compound that helped protect and strengthen a key muscle regeneration signal, with promising early results in mice. #HealthyAgeing #MuscleBiology #Science
medicalxpress.com
Scientists find compound that may help muscles stay strong as we age
Skeletal muscle is one of the first tissues to decline with age. This decline can lead to weakness, scarring, fat accumulation inside muscle and the loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers that are importan...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Working with laboratory animals can be emotionally challenging 🧑‍🔬 A Nature article highlights practical advice for early-career researchers and reminds us that empathy isn't a weakness, it is part of responsible animal research. #AnimalResearch #ResearchCulture #MentalHealth
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
What if access to nature was treated as part of healthcare? 🌳 A new paper argues that regular time in nature should be considered public health infrastructure, not just recreation, helping reduce anxiety, depression and burnout while improving wellbeing. An idea worth discussing. #MentalHealth
medicalxpress.com
Nature-based mental health care is worth the investment, researchers say
A new study underlines the annual AU$7 trillion (US$5 trillion) value of nature in mental health benefits and is calling for urgent government action to expand access to nature as a frontline response...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Great to host EARA–ICLAS webinar with speakers from Mauritius, Brazil, India, Japan and Canada. 🌍 Different contexts, different challenges, but a shared goal: building public trust through better communication, openness and transparency. Check it out: www.eara.eu/news/eara-ho... #AnimalResearch
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Maybe that's the lesson I took from Pluribus. Good science fiction teaches us to question certainty. Ironically, this article offers an "Atom Bomb": one simple answer to a complex problem. Science advances differently, through evidence, questioning assumptions and combining different approaches. 6/6
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The article also suggests that failed clinical trials prove animal research failed. Not necessarily. Preclinical research is designed to identify compounds that are likely to be unsafe or ineffective before they ever reach people. That's a scientific success. 5/6
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Modern biomedical research doesn't choose between animal models, organoids, AI and clinical studies. It integrates evidence from all of them. Confidence comes from the convergence of multiple models—not from relying on a single one. 4/6
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
No scientist claims animal models perfectly reproduce human biology. The question isn't whether a model is perfect. It's whether it's the right model for the scientific question being asked. 3/6
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I genuinely enjoy Pluribus and 28 Days Later. They're excellent at exploring our anxieties about science, ethics and technology. But fiction explores possibilities. It doesn't establish scientific evidence. 2/6
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
There is something deeply ironic about this article. Published by PCRM — an organisation whose mission is to end animal research — it is an advocacy piece, not a balanced review of the evidence. It then uses science fiction to make its scientific case. 1/6
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Some geckos naturally develop aggressive cancers that spread throughout the body. 🦎 By studying these spontaneous tumours, researchers identified genetic changes linked to cancer that are also relevant across other species, including humans. #CancerResearch #AnimalResearch #Science
eara.eu
EARA | News - Geckos offer new clues on how cancer develops and spreads
Researchers in the UK have identified genetic changes linked to aggressive tumours that develop spontaneously in geckos, offering insights into how cancer develops and spreads.  Most laboratory animal...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Do fish and humans make sense of the world in the same way? 🐟🧠 Zebrafish and mammals use different brain regions to combine sensory information, but researchers found they follow the same basic strategy. 400+ million years of separate evolution. Different brains. Similar solution. #AnimalResearch
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Turns out, photographing weird creatures and uploading them to the internet can help solve evolutionary mysteries 📸 @inaturalist.bsky.social observations more than doubled known records of parental care in harvestmen arachnids, helping researchers reconstruct how maternal and paternal care evolved.
sciencedaily.com
Spider-like creatures help uncover the surprising origins of fatherhood
Citizen scientists have helped researchers solve a long-standing mystery about how parental care evolved in harvestmen. Using photos and observations from iNaturalist, scientists more than doubled the...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Do video games actually sharpen the brain? 🎮🧠 A meta-analysis of 133 studies suggests they might, with small but consistent cognitive benefits, especially for memory. Gaming won't make you a genius, but saving kingdoms or solving puzzles isn't such a bad workout for the brain. Back to my Zelda now 🧝
medicalxpress.com
Video games might modestly sharpen your memory and other cognitive skills, review suggests
Because video games are a regular part of many people's everyday lives, researchers have spent a lot of time trying to determine whether they are beneficial or detrimental to brain health. A new study...
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Can one tiny genetic change help a virus jump from bats to humans? 🦇🦠 Researchers found that changing a single amino acid altered how a coronavirus interacted with the immune system, helping explain why some viruses stay in bats while others can infect people. Small change. Big consequences #Science
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Nuno Miguel Gonçalves @scinuno.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
A great discussion yesterday at #FENS2026 on how patient engagement can strengthen neuroscience research. Patients don't just want to hear about science. They want to help shape it. Really pleased to share @eara.eu 's work on the Patient Discovery Project alongside researchers and patient advocates.
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Reposted by Nuno Miguel Gonçalves
EARA @eara.eu · 09/07/2026
Emmanuel Procyk from EU-Simia is joining #BOARD26 to promote understanding of how animal research and other approaches complement each other. #BOARD #EARA #SCICOMM
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