Dr Elisabetta Versace
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor)
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
animal cognition, predispositions, experimental evolution, early cognition, crossmodality, dance science - positive psychology
Publications
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainability2024
Robotics for poultry farming: challenges and opportunitiesChen Z, Ozenturk U, Jamone L and Versace E
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Elsevier
07-09-2024
Exploratory analysis of early-life chick callsTorrisi A, De Almeida Nolasco IS, Versace E and Benetos E
4th International Workshop on Vocal Interactivity in-and-between Humans, Animals and Robots (VIHAR) Kos, Greece 6 Sep 2024.
06-09-2024
Assessing preferences for adult versus juvenile features in young animals: Newly hatched chicks spontaneously approach red and large stimuliFreeland LV, Emmerson MG, Vasas V, Gomes J and Versace E
Learning & Behavior, Springer Nature, 1-12.
16-08-2024
Noxious stimulation induces self-protective behavior in bumblebeesGibbons M, Pasquini E, Kowalewska A, Read E, Gibson S, Crump A, Solvi C, Versace E and Chittka L
Iscience, Elsevier vol. 27 (8)
02-07-2024
Spontaneous biases enhance generalization in the neonate brainWang S, Vasas V, Freeland L, Osorio D and Versace E
Iscience, Elsevier vol. 27 (7)
07-06-2024
Reproductive isolation arises during laboratory adaptation to a novel hot environmentHsu S-K, Lai W-Y, Novak J, Lehner F, Jakšić AM, Versace E and Schlötterer C
Genome Biology, Springer Nature vol. 25 (1)
28-05-2024
First-sight recognition of touched objects shows that chicks can solve Molyneux's problemVersace E, Freeland L and Emmerson MG
Biology Letters, The Royal Society vol. 20 (4)
01-04-2024
2023
Learning to detect an animal sound from five examplesNolasco I, Singh S, Morfi V, Lostanlen V, Strandburg-Peshkin A, Vidaña-Vila E, Gill L, Pamuła H, Whitehead H, Kiskin I, Jensen FH, Morford J, Emmerson MG, Versace E, Grout E, Liu H, Ghani B and Stowell D
Ecological Informatics, Elsevier vol. 77
10-08-2023
Crossmodal association between visual and acoustic cues in a tortoise (Testudo hermanni)Loconsole M, Stancher G and Versace E
Biology Letters, The Royal Society vol. 19 (7)
01-07-2023
A spontaneous gravity prior: Newborn chicks prefer stimuli that move against gravityVersace E, Bliss L, Vasas V, Freeland L, Roach R and Ferrè E
Biology Letters, The Royal Society
08-02-2023
2022
MotionPerfection: An agile tool for the visualisation, analysis, annotation, and record of motor practiceVersace E, Gallo V, Xin Z, Abdallah D, Angioi M, Redding E, Ackroyd B and Galvan C
Softwarex, Elsevier
03-11-2022
Joint Scattering for Automatic Chick Call
RecognitionWang C, Benetos E, Versace E and Wang S
30th European Signal Processing Conference Belgrade, Serbia 29 Aug 2022 - 2 Sep 2022., 195-199.
29-08-2022
Motivational trade-offs and modulation of nociception in bumblebeesGibbons M, Versace E, Crump A, Baran B and Chittka L
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences vol. 119 (31)
26-07-2022
Light-induced asymmetries in embryonic retinal gene expression are mediated by the vascular system and extracellular matrixVersace E, Sgadò P, George J, Loveland JL, Ward J, Thorpe P, Jensen LJ, Spencer KA, Paracchini S and Vallortigara G
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 12 (1)
15-07-2022
Young domestic chicks spontaneously represent the absence of objectsSzabó E, Chiandetti C, Téglás E, Versace E, Csibra G, Kovács ÁM and Vallortigara G
Elife, Elife vol. 11
11-04-2022
Recognition of rotated objects and cognitive offloading in dogsVersace E, Lonardo L and Huber L
Iscience, Elsevier (Cell Press)
26-01-2022
Filial ImprintingVallortigara G and Versace E
In Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, Springer Nature 2726-2728.
01-01-2022
2021
Visual Field Analysis: A reliable method to score left and right eye use using automated trackingJosserand M, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E and Lemaire BS
Behavior Research Methods, Springer Nature vol. 54 (4), 1715-1724.
08-10-2021
Attraction for familiar conspecifics in young chicks (Gallus gallus): an interbreed studyVersace E, Ragusa M, Pallante V and Wang S
Behavioural Processes, Elsevier
06-09-2021
Using RoboChick to Identify the Behavioral Features Promoting Social InteractionsSlonina Z, Bonzini AA, Brown J, Wang S, Farkhatdinov I, Althoefer K, Jamone L and Versace E
2021 IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL).
23-08-2021
Resurgence of an inborn attraction for animate objects via thyroid hormone T3Lorenzi E, Lemaire BS, Versace E, Matsushima T and Vallortigara G
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers Media
19-04-2021
Stability and individual variability of social attachment in imprintingLemaire BS, Rucco D, Josserand M, Vallortigara G and Versace E
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 11 (1)
12-04-2021
Young chicks quickly lose their spontaneous preference to aggregate with femalesPallante V, Rucco D and Versace E
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Springer Nature vol. 75 (5)
12-04-2021
Sensitive periods for social development: Interactions between predisposed and learned mechanismsRosa-Salva O, Mayer U, Versace E, Hébert M, Lemaire BS and Vallortigara G
Cognition, Elsevier vol. 213
02-01-2021
2020
Early preference for face-like stimuli in solitary species as revealed by tortoise hatchlings.Versace E, Damini S and Stancher G
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
14-09-2020
Individual, but not population asymmetries, are modulated by social environment and genotype in Drosophila melanogasterVersace E, Caffini M, Werkhoven Z and de Bivort BL
Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group vol. 10 (1)
11-03-2020
Rapid sex-specific adaptation to high temperature in DrosophilaVersace E, Schloetterer C, Hsu S-K, Jakšić AM, Nolte V, Lirakis M, Kofler R and Barghi N
Elife, Elife Sciences Publications Ltd
21-02-2020
2019
A transient time window for early predispositions in newborn chicksVersace E, Ragusa M and Vallortigara G
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 9 (1)
10-12-2019
Inexperienced preys know when to flee or to freeze in front of a threatHebert M, Versace E and Vallortigara G
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of Usa, National Academy of Sciences
12-11-2019
Positional encoding in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus)Versace E, Rogge JR, Shelton-May N and Ravignani A
Animal Cognition, Springer Nature vol. 22 (5), 825-838.
01-07-2019
Embryonic Exposure to Valproic Acid Affects Social Predispositions for Dynamic Cues of Animate Motion in Newly-Hatched ChicksLorenzi E, Pross A, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Sgadò P and Vallortigara G
Frontiers in Physiology, Frontiers vol. 10
30-04-2019
2018
Priors in Animal and Artificial Intelligence: Where Does Learning Begin?Versace E, Martinho-Truswell A, Kacelnik A and Vallortigara G
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Elsevier vol. 22 (11), 963-965.
07-08-2018
Spontaneous learning of visual structures in domestic chicksrosa-salva O, Fiser J, VERSACE E, Dolci C, Chehaimi S, Santolin C and Vallortigara G
Animals, Mdpi Ag
06-08-2018
Corrigendum to “Evolutionary compromises to metabolic toxins: Ammonia and urea tolerance in Drosophila suzukii and Drosophila melanogaster” [Physiol. Behav. 191, 1 July 2018, 146–154]Belloni V, Galeazzi A, Bernini G, Mandrioli M, Versace E and Haase A
Physiology & Behavior, Elsevier vol. 194
24-05-2018
Evolutionary compromises to metabolic toxins: Ammonia and urea tolerance in Drosophila suzukii and Drosophila melanogasterBelloni V, Galeazzi A, Bernini G, Mandrioli M, Versace E and Haase A
Physiology & Behavior, Elsevier vol. 191, 146-154.
19-04-2018
Embryonic Exposure to Valproic Acid Impairs Social Predispositions of Newly-Hatched ChicksSgadò P, Rosa-Salva O, VERSACE E and Vallortigara G
Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group
12-04-2018
Born to be asocial: Newly-hatched tortoises avoid unfamiliar individualsVERSACE E, Damini S, Caffini M and Stancher G
Animal Behaviour, Elsevier Masson
30-03-2018
Filial ImprintingVallortigara G and Versace E
In Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, Springer Nature 1-4.
01-01-2018
2017
Spontaneous generalization of abstract multimodal patterns in young domestic chicksVersace E, Spierings MJ, Caffini M, ten Cate C and Vallortigara G
Animal Cognition, Springer Nature vol. 20 (3), 521-529.
04-03-2017
Newborn chicks show inherited variability in early social predispositions for hen-like stimuliVersace E, Fracasso I, Baldan G, Dalle Zotte A and Vallortigara G
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 7 (1)
24-01-2017
2016
Lateralized antennal control of aggression and sex differences in red mason bees, Osmia bicornisRogers LJ, Frasnelli E and Versace E
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 6 (1)
08-07-2016
2014
Experimental evolution reveals habitat‐specific fitness dynamics among Wolbachia clades in Drosophila melanogasterVersace E, Nolte V, Pandey RV, Tobler R and Schlötterer C
Molecular Ecology, Wiley vol. 23 (4), 802-814.
29-01-2014
Grants
Grants of specific relevance to the Centre for Biodiversity and SustainabilityGeneralisation from limited experience: how to solve the problem of inductionElisabetta Versace
£269,334 Leverhulme Trust
23-08-2021 - 31-03-2026
Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowships 2021 - Generalisation using sparse data: From animal to artificial systemsElisabetta Versace
£61,326 Royal Society
01-11-2021 - 30-06-2024
Augmented feedback to enhance motor and artistic learning during social distancingElisabetta Versace, Kristin Hadfield, Steven Buckingham, Andrea Cavallaro, Manuela Angioi and Dylan Morrissey
£234,297 ESRC Economic and Social Research Council
01-01-2021 - 30-04-2022
General AI and interactive robots for farmingElisabetta Versace and Alan Walker
£22,000 Alan Turing Institute, The
01-01-2020 - 28-02-2021
Dissecting the preference for social reciprocity at birth: A virtual reality study in chicksElisabetta Versace
£19,999 Royal Society
15-03-2019 - 14-03-2020
Developmental reprogramming following prenatal acoustic signalsElisabetta Versace
£518,189 BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
01-12-2018 - 31-01-2024