Publications: DR Elisabetta Versace

Versace E, de Bivort BL ( 2026 ) . Multiple weak biases support adaptive choices without prior experience: a self-supervised strategy . Proceedings of the Royal Society B vol. 293 , ( 2064 )

Vikatou T, Jubb C, Angioi M, Versace E, Abdallah D, Weber X, Cavallaro A, Morrissey D ( 2026 ) . Usability testing of digitally augmented visual feedback for remote exercise rehabilitation of injured dancers and athletes: a mixed-methods feasibility study . Physical Therapy in Sport vol. 78 ,

Torrisi AMC, Nolasco I, Sgadò P, Versace E, Benetos E ( 2026 ) . Embryonic Exposure to VPA Influences Chick Vocalisations: A Computational Study .

Gibbons M, Versace E, Crump A, Baran B, Chittka L ( 2026 ) . Reassessment confirms motivational trade-offs and modulation of nociception in bumble bees . Animal Behaviour vol. 231 ,

Davidson A, Nanda I, Ong A, Chittka L, Versace E ( 2025 ) . Duration discrimination in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris . Biology Letters vol. 21 , ( 11 )

Loconsole M, Malaman B, Stancher G, Versace E ( 2025 ) . Crossmodal Pitch−Luminance Association in Tortoises . Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences vol. 1553 , ( 1 ) 233 - 239 .

Chen Z, Crucianelli L, Versace E, Jamone L ( 2025 ) . Exploring Tactile Perception for Object Localization in Granular Media: A Human and Robotic Study . Conference: 2025 IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) vol. 00 , 1 - 6 .

Özentürk U, Chen Z, Jamone L, Versace E ( 2024 ) . Robotics for poultry farming: Challenges and opportunities . Computers and Electronics in Agriculture vol. 226 ,

Chen Z, Versace E, Jamone L ( 2024 ) . 3D Localization of Objects Buried within Granular Material Using a Distributed 3-Axis Tactile Sensor . Conference: 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) vol. 00 , 5621 - 5626 .

Torrisi A, De Almeida Nolasco IS, Versace E, Benetos E ( 2024 ) . Exploratory analysis of early-life chick calls . Conference: 4th International Workshop on Vocal Interactivity in-and-between Humans, Animals and Robots (VIHAR) ( Kos, Greece ) from: 06/09/2024 to: 06/09/2024 ,

Freeland LV, Emmerson MG, Vasas V, Gomes J, Versace E ( 2024 ) . Assessing preferences for adult versus juvenile features in young animals: Newly hatched chicks spontaneously approach red and large stimuli . Learning & Behavior vol. 53 , ( 2 ) 145 - 156 .

Gibbons M, Pasquini E, Kowalewska A, Read E, Gibson S, Crump A, Solvi C, Versace E et al. ( 2024 ) . Noxious stimulation induces self-protective behavior in bumblebees . iScience vol. 27 , ( 8 )

Wang S, Vasas V, Freeland L, Osorio D, Versace E ( 2024 ) . Spontaneous biases enhance generalization in the neonate brain . iScience vol. 27 , ( 7 )

Hsu S-K, Lai W-Y, Novak J, Lehner F, Jakšić AM, Versace E, Schlötterer C ( 2024 ) . Reproductive isolation arises during laboratory adaptation to a novel hot environment . Genome Biology vol. 25 , ( 1 )

Versace E, Freeland L, Emmerson MG ( 2024 ) . First-sight recognition of touched objects shows that chicks can solve Molyneux's problem . Biology Letters vol. 20 , ( 4 )

Ozenturk U, Chen Z, Jamone L, Versace E ( 2023 ) . Robotics for poultry farming: challenges and opportunities .

Nolasco I, Singh S, Morfi V, Lostanlen V, Strandburg-Peshkin A, Vidaña-Vila E, Gill L, Pamuła H et al. ( 2023 ) . Learning to detect an animal sound from five examples . Ecological Informatics vol. 77 ,

Loconsole M, Stancher G, Versace E ( 2023 ) . Crossmodal association between visual and acoustic cues in a tortoise (Testudo hermanni) . Biology Letters vol. 19 , ( 7 )

Bliss L, Vasas V, Freeland L, Roach R, Ferrè ER, Versace E ( 2023 ) . A spontaneous gravity prior: newborn chicks prefer stimuli that move against gravity . Biology Letters vol. 19 , ( 2 )

Wang C, Benetos E, Wang S, Versace E . Joint Scattering for Automatic Chick Call Recognition . 2015 23rd European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO) . Conference: 2022 30th European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO)195 - 199 .

Gallo V, Zhou X, Abdallah D, Angioi M, Redding E, Ackroyd B, Galvan C, Versace E ( 2022 ) . MotionPerfection: An agile tool for the visualisation, analysis, annotation, and record of motor practice . SoftwareX vol. 20 ,

Gibbons M, Versace E, Crump A, Baran B, Chittka L ( 2022 ) . Motivational trade-offs and modulation of nociception in bumblebees . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 119 , ( 31 )

Versace E, Sgadò P, George J, Loveland JL, Ward J, Thorpe P, Jensen LJ, Spencer KA et al. ( 2022 ) . Light-induced asymmetries in embryonic retinal gene expression are mediated by the vascular system and extracellular matrix . Scientific Reports vol. 12 , ( 1 )

Vallortigara G, Versace E ( 2022 ) . Filial Imprinting . Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior , Springer Nature

Szabó E, Chiandetti C, Téglás E, Versace E, Csibra G, Kovács ÁM, Vallortigara G ( 2022 ) . Young domestic chicks spontaneously represent the absence of objects . eLife vol. 11 ,

Lonardo L, Versace E, Huber L ( 2022 ) . Recognition of rotated objects and cognitive offloading in dogs . iScience vol. 25 , ( 2 )

Wang C, Benetos E, Wang S, Versace E ( 2021 ) . Joint Scattering for Automatic Chick Call Recognition .

Josserand M, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Lemaire BS ( 2021 ) . Visual Field Analysis: A reliable method to score left and right eye use using automated tracking . Behavior Research Methods vol. 54 , ( 4 ) 1715 - 1724 .

Versace E, Ragusa M, Pallante V, Wang S ( 2021 ) . Attraction for familiar conspecifics in young chicks (Gallus gallus): An interbreed study . Behavioural Processes vol. 193 ,

Slonina Z, Bonzini AA, Brown J, Wang S, Farkhatdinov I, Althoefer K, Jamone L, Versace E ( 2021 ) . Using RoboChick to Identify the Behavioral Features Promoting Social Interactions . Conference: 2021 IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) vol. 00 , 1 - 6 .

Lorenzi E, Lemaire BS, Versace E, Matsushima T, Vallortigara G ( 2021 ) . Resurgence of an Inborn Attraction for Animate Objects via Thyroid Hormone T3 . Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience vol. 15 ,

Lemaire BS, Rucco D, Josserand M, Vallortigara G, Versace E ( 2021 ) . Stability and individual variability of social attachment in imprinting . Scientific Reports vol. 11 , ( 1 )

Pallante V, Rucco D, Versace E ( 2021 ) . Young chicks quickly lose their spontaneous preference to aggregate with females . Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology vol. 75 , ( 5 )

Rosa-Salva O, Mayer U, Versace E, Hébert M, Lemaire BS, Vallortigara G ( 2021 ) . Sensitive periods for social development: Interactions between predisposed and learned mechanisms . Cognition vol. 213 ,

Versace E, Damini S, Stancher G ( 2020 ) . Early preference for face-like stimuli in solitary species as revealed by tortoise hatchlings . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 117 , ( 39 ) 24047 - 24049 .

Versace E, Caffini M, Werkhoven Z, de Bivort BL ( 2020 ) . Individual, but not population asymmetries, are modulated by social environment and genotype in Drosophila melanogaster . Scientific Reports vol. 10 , ( 1 )

Hsu S-K, Jakšić AM, Nolte V, Lirakis M, Kofler R, Barghi N, Versace E, Schlötterer C ( 2020 ) . Rapid sex-specific adaptation to high temperature in Drosophila . eLife vol. 9 ,

Versace E, Ragusa M, Vallortigara G ( 2019 ) . A transient time window for early predispositions in newborn chicks . Scientific Reports vol. 9 , ( 1 )

Hébert M, Versace E, Vallortigara G ( 2019 ) . Inexperienced preys know when to flee or to freeze in front of a threat . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 116 , ( 46 ) 22918 - 22920 .

Versace E, Rogge JR, Shelton-May N, Ravignani A ( 2019 ) . Positional encoding in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) . Animal Cognition vol. 22 , ( 5 ) 825 - 838 .

Lorenzi E, Pross A, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Sgadò P, Vallortigara G ( 2019 ) . Embryonic Exposure to Valproic Acid Affects Social Predispositions for Dynamic Cues of Animate Motion in Newly-Hatched Chicks . Frontiers in Physiology vol. 10 ,

Versace E, Martinho-Truswell A, Kacelnik A, Vallortigara G ( 2018 ) . Priors in Animal and Artificial Intelligence: Where Does Learning Begin? . Trends in Cognitive Sciences vol. 22 , ( 11 ) 963 - 965 .

Rosa-Salva O, Fiser J, Versace E, Dolci C, Chehaimi S, Santolin C, Vallortigara G ( 2018 ) . Spontaneous Learning of Visual Structures in Domestic Chicks . Animals vol. 8 , ( 8 )

Belloni V, Galeazzi A, Bernini G, Mandrioli M, Versace E, Haase A ( 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] . Physiology & Behavior vol. 194 ,

Belloni V, Galeazzi A, Bernini G, Mandrioli M, Versace E, Haase A ( 2018 ) . Evolutionary compromises to metabolic toxins: Ammonia and urea tolerance in Drosophila suzukii and Drosophila melanogaster . Physiology & Behavior vol. 191 , 146 - 154 .

Sgadò P, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Vallortigara G ( 2018 ) . Embryonic Exposure to Valproic Acid Impairs Social Predispositions of Newly-Hatched Chicks . Scientific Reports vol. 8 , ( 1 )

Versace E, Damini S, Caffini M, Stancher G ( 2018 ) . Born to be asocial: newly hatched tortoises avoid unfamiliar individuals . Animal Behaviour vol. 138 , 187 - 192 .

Vallortigara G, Versace E ( 2018 ) . Filial Imprinting . Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior , Springer Nature

Chiandetti C, Lemaire B, Versace E, Vallortigara G ( 2017 ) . Early- and Late-Light Embryonic Stimulation Modulates Similarly Chicks’ Ability to Filter out Distractors . Symmetry vol. 9 , ( 6 )

Versace E, Spierings MJ, Caffini M, ten Cate C, Vallortigara G ( 2017 ) . Spontaneous generalization of abstract multimodal patterns in young domestic chicks . Animal Cognition vol. 20 , ( 3 ) 521 - 529 .

Versace E, Fracasso I, Baldan G, Dalle Zotte A, Vallortigara G ( 2017 ) . Newborn chicks show inherited variability in early social predispositions for hen-like stimuli . Scientific Reports vol. 7 , ( 1 )

Versace E, Schill J, Nencini AM, Vallortigara G ( 2016 ) . Naïve Chicks Prefer Hollow Objects . PLOS ONE vol. 11 , ( 11 )

Di Giorgio E, Loveland JL, Mayer U, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Vallortigara G ( 2016 ) . Filial responses as predisposed and learned preferences: Early attachment in chicks and babies . Behavioural Brain Research vol. 325 , ( Pt B ) 90 - 104 .

Rogers LJ, Frasnelli E, Versace E ( 2016 ) . Lateralized antennal control of aggression and sex differences in red mason bees, Osmia bicornis . Scientific Reports vol. 6 , ( 1 )

Versace E, Eriksson A, Rocchi F, Castellan I, Sgadò P, Haase A ( 2016 ) . Physiological and behavioral responses in Drosophila melanogaster to odorants present at different plant maturation stages . Physiology & Behavior vol. 163 , 322 - 331 .

Morgante M, Gianesella M, Stelletta C, Versace E, Cannizzo C, Ravarotto L, Vallortigara G ( 2007 ) . Short-term adaptive response in strongly versus weakly lateralized dairy ewes . Italian Journal of Animal Science . vol. 6 , 567 - 569 .

Schlötterer C, Kofler R, Versace E, Tobler R, Franssen SU ( 2016 ) . Erratum: Combining experimental evolution with next-generation sequencing: a powerful tool to study adaptation from standing genetic variation . Heredity vol. 116 , ( 2 ) 248 - 248 .

Versace E, Vallortigara G ( 2015 ) . Origins of Knowledge: Insights from Precocial Species . Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience vol. 9 ,

Versace E, Reisenberger J ( 2015 ) . Large-scale assessment of olfactory preferences and learning in Drosophila melanogaster: behavioral and genetic components . PeerJ vol. 3 ,

Versace E ( 2015 ) . Experimental evolution, behavior and genetics: Associative learning as a case study . Current Zoology vol. 61 , ( 2 ) 226 - 241 .

Versace E, Vallortigara G ( 2015 ) . Forelimb preferences in human beings and other species: multiple models for testing hypotheses on lateralization . Frontiers in Psychology vol. 6 ,

Schlötterer C, Kofler R, Versace E, Tobler R, Franssen SU ( 2014 ) . Combining experimental evolution with next-generation sequencing: a powerful tool to study adaptation from standing genetic variation . Heredity vol. 114 , ( 5 ) 431 - 440 .

Versace E, Nolte V, Pandey RV, Tobler R, Schlötterer C ( 2014 ) . Experimental evolution reveals habitat‐specific fitness dynamics among Wolbachia clades in Drosophila melanogaster . Molecular Ecology vol. 23 , ( 4 ) 802 - 814 .

MORGANTE M, GIANESELLA M, VERSACE E, CONTALBRIGO L, CASELLA S, CANNIZZO C, PICCIONE G, STELLETTA C ( 2010 ) . Preliminary study on metabolic profile of pregnant and non‐pregnant ewes with high or low degree of behavioral lateralization . Animal Science Journal vol. 81 , ( 6 ) 722 - 730 .

Endress AD, Carden S, Versace E, Hauser MD ( 2009 ) . The apes’ edge: positional learning in chimpanzees and humans . Animal Cognition vol. 13 , ( 3 ) 483 - 495 .

Versace E, Endress AD, Hauser MD ( 2008 ) . Pattern recognition mediates flexible timing of vocalizations in nonhuman primates: experiments with cottontop tamarins . Animal Behaviour vol. 76 , ( 6 ) 1885 - 1892 .

Versace E, Morgante M, Pulina G, Vallortigara G ( 2007 ) . Behavioural lateralization in sheep (Ovis aries) . Behavioural Brain Research vol. 184 , ( 1 ) 72 - 80 .

Versace E, Ragusa M, Vallortigara G . A transient time window for early predispositions in newborn chicks .

Freeland L, Vasas V, Gomes J, Versace E . Assessing preferences for adult vs juvenile features in young animals: newly-hatched chicks spontaneously approach red and large stimuli .

Versace E, Ragusa M, Pallante V . Conserved abilities of individual recognition and genetically modulated social responses in young chicks (Gallus gallus) .

Loconsole M, Malaman B, Stancher G, Versace E . Crossmodal pitch-luminance association in tortoises .

Davidson A, Nanda I, Mun AOL, Chittka L, Versace E . Duration discrimination in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris .

Lorenzi E, Pross A, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Sgadò P, Vallortigara G . Embryonic Exposure to Valproic Acid impairs Social Predispositions for Dynamic Cues of Animate Motion in Newly-Hatched Chicks .

Versace E, Angioi M, Hadfield K, Gallo V, Jensen LJ, Roman J, Sheriff K, Redding E et al. . Enhancing dance learning by reducing cognitive load: A preregistered study on the effect of dancers’ viewing perspective and expertise .

Versace E, Freeland L, Wang S, Emmerson MG . First-sight recognition of touched objects shows that chicks can solve the Molyneux’s problem .

Versace E, Caffini M, Werkhoven Z, de Bivort BL . Individual, but not population asymmetries, are modulated by social environment and genotype in Drosophila melanogaster .

Versace E, Sgadò P, George J, Loveland JL, Ward J, Thorpe P, Jensen LJ, Spencer KA et al. . Light-induced asymmetries in the embryonic retina are mediated by the vascular system and extracellular matrix .

Gallo V, Zhou X, Abdallah D, Angioi M, Redding E, Ackroyd B, Galvan C, Versace E . MotionPerfection: An agile tool for the visualisation, analysis, annotation, and record of motor practice .

Gibbons M, Versace E, Crump A, Baran B, Chittka L . Motivational trade-offs in bumblebees .

Bliss L, Vasas V, Freeland L, Roach R, Ferrè ER, Versace E . Newborn chicks prefer stimuli that move against gravity .

Gibbons M, Pasquini E, Kowalewska A, Read E, Gibson S, Crump A, Solvi C, Versace E et al. . Noxious stimulation induces self-protective behaviour in bumblebees .

Loconsole M, Stancher G, Versace E . Pitch-size crossmodal correspondence in tortoises (Testudo hermanni) .

Subba P, Mylene M, Palios K, EMMERSON M, Versace E, Buchanan K, Clayton D, George J . Prenatal Acoustic Communication Triggers Adaptive Vascular Programming in the Developing Avian Brain . Journal of Experimental Biology

Subba P, Mariette MM, Palios KA, Emmerson MG, Versace E, Buchanan KL, Clayton DF, George JM . Programming of Embryonic Blood Brain Barrier and Neurovascular Transcriptome by an Anticipatory Acoustic Signal of Heat in the Zebra Finch .

Damini S, Stancher G, Versace E . Recognition of familiar objects in tortoise hatchlings (Testudo spp.) .

Lorenzi E, Lemaire BS, Versace E, Matsushima T, Vallortigara G . Resurgence of a perinatal attraction for animate objects via thyroid hormone T3 .

Versace E . Sex, not familiarity, shapes social interactions in adult captive tortoises (Testudo hermanni) . Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

Damini S, Versace E, Stancher G . Sex, not familiarity, shapes social interactions in adult tortoises (Testudo hermanni) .

Wang S, Vasas V, Freeland L, Osorio D, Versace E . Spontaneous biases enhance generalisation in the neonate brain .

Lemaire BS, Rucco D, Josserand M, Vallortigara G, Versace E . Stability and individual variability of social attachment in imprinting .

Hsu S-K, Lai W-Y, Novak J, Lehner F, Jakšić AM, Versace E, Schlötterer C . Two different adaptive speciation mechanisms operate during adaptation to a novel hot environment .

Josserand M, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Lemaire BS . Visual Field Analysis: a reliable method to score left- and right eye-use using automated tracking .

Pallante V, Rucco D, Versace E . Young chicks quickly lose their spontaneous preference to aggregate with females .

Szabó E, Chiandetti C, Téglás E, Versace E, Csibra G, Kovács ÁM, Vallortigara G . Young domestic chicks spontaneously represent the absence of objects .