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Nicholas Bellono

@NBellono
Cell Physiology | Harvard MCB
Harvard University
bellonolab.com
Joined March 2020
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    Nicholas Bellono
    @NBellono
    Jul 9
    How did octopuses evolve novel traits? Rishav Mitra, Richard Han, Trey Scott, et al serendipitously discover a unique ribosome adaptation that increases the accuracy of protein synthesis and evolved alongside their elaborate nervous systems. biorxiv.org/content/10.648…
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    Nicholas Bellono
    @NBellono
    Jun 16
    How did animal senses evolve? Max Coyle et al. used choanoflagellates to uncover TRPW, ancient ion channels predating animal somatosensory receptors. TRPW links microbial ecology to evolution of receptor structure, organelles, & multicellular processing. biorxiv.org/content/10.648…
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    Nicholas Bellono
    @NBellono
    Apr 2
    Pablo Villar et al discover male octopus mating arms are sensory organs used to find females, navigate internally to the oviduct & deliver sperm. From behavior to structure, these findings offer a framework for how sensory systems shape reproduction & species barriers
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    Science Magazine
    @ScienceMagazine
    Apr 2
    Male octopuses use a specialized arm that acts as both a sensory and reproductive organ to navigate the female’s mantle, locate oviducts, and transfer sperm. These findings reveal how sensory systems shape reproductive behavior and drive speciation. Learn more this week in
    Animals rely on sensory cues to choose mates before reproduction. Male octopuses use a specialized arm that acts as both a sensory and reproductive organ to navigate the female’s mantle, locate oviducts, and transfer sperm. These findings reveal how sensory systems shape reproductive behavior and drive speciation. This image shows courtship during mating.
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    Nicholas Bellono
    @NBellono
    Dec 11, 2025
    Wendy Valencia-Montoya and team uncover thermal infrared as one of the most ancient pollination signals uniting plants and animals. From the field to single proteins. @wendyssae
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    Science Magazine
    @ScienceMagazine
    Dec 11, 2025
    Long before flowers dazzled pollinators with brilliant colors and sweet scents, ancient plants used another feature to signal insects: heat. The findings in Science offer new insights into what shaped the earliest eras of plant-animal coevolution. Learn more in this week's
    Cycad plants use thermogenesis to warm their reproductive cones. A beetle dusted with pollen and fluorescent dyes lands on the warm cone of a cycad. High concentrations of dye have been deposited on the cone’s hottest regions during previous visits by other labeled beetles. Beetle pollinators use these thermal infrared patterns as a guide to locate host pollen and ovulate cones.