Mamdani: "I am in support of abolishing ICE. What we see is an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist. We're seeing a government agency that is supposed to be enforcing some kind of immigration law, but instead what it's doing is terrorizing people."

The second paper from the lab is now available on bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... We discovered that cannibalistic behavior in fly larvae is social-context dependent. Larval groups avoid dead conspecifics; individuals show high attraction. They only do it when no one is watching 😉

My collaborator at University of Copenhagen, Anders Garm, is looking for a 3 year postdoc to work on bioluminescence, neurobiology and ecology of ctenophores. More information here: candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...

The NIH's MYF policy in 2025 resulted in 4000 fewer grants and fellowships that touched every area of biology and medicine; continuing it in 2026 would be disastrous for science, technology and health in the United States 🧪 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Oh yes, oh yes. Let’s let this trend catch on.

House Appropriations minibus bill funding NIH is out now. - $400M increase - Multiyear funding of new awards capped at 2025 levels. - No line item for BRAIN Initiative text here: docs.house.gov/billsthiswee... Screenshots from Dem summary and Sec 240 (multiyear funding text).

The conference (agreement between House and Senate) appropriations bill that includes HHS and NIH was released this morning. www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majorit... 1/5

Cat wandered in front of the camera during the #aurora long exposure

Not sure we can keep up this pace for all of 2026 but here's our third paper this year 😊

New paper by our group! 🧪🐝 Confirmation of the spread of "behavioural traditions" in groups - and between groups! - of bumblebees, using the string-pulling paradigm! With @procenko.bsky.social @larschittka.bsky.social and @minibraincognition.bsky.social . doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

“Foreign exporters absorbed only 4% of last year’s U.S. tariff increases by lowering prices, while American consumers and importers absorbed 96%. “Rather than acting as a tax on foreign producers, the tariffs functioned as a consumption tax on Americans.” www.wsj.com/economy/trad...

ICE’s actions tear families apart, intimidate communities, & undermine the conditions that make education, research, healthcare, & public trust possible. We’re calling on scientists to join the general anti-ICE strike in Minnesota on January 23rd.

The ADA Final Rule requires accessibility for: -All online course content -Digital materials used for in-person courses -Content provided by publishers Historically, I have made PDFs of my slide decks available to students on Canvas. This year I won't be. Why not? #academicsky 1/n

Not sure I've seen a poll this bad on any major White House initiative ever?

'“As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have on several occasions clearly explained to Trump what is well known, namely that it is an independent Nobel Committee, and not the Norwegian government, that awards the prize,” [Norwegian Prime Minister] Mr. Store said.'

Practice kindness. Everyone around you is living a life of challenges that is hard to see and appreciate. We are all in this journey together.

New paper from the lab, led by @ronjabigge.bsky.social, in collaboration with Kentaro Arikawa. We reconcile contrast and spatial processing functions of lamina monopolar cells by integrating 3D morphology, connectivity and neurophysiology in the hummingbird hawkmoth. tinyurl.com/mvnh3325 For more 👇

There is an area in the ICE detention center in Minneapolis designated specifically for American citizens. Contemplate that for a minute.

oh it's going to be a Recession recession

NSF needs to hear from you. Among other points, I suggested: keep politics out of science; stop using the threat of cancelling scientific grants to try to control universities; increase NSF funding for fundamental research. Pls send around. Deadline is January 27. Thanks www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...

BREAKING: This dog is named Susan From Accounting

Now the actual military has to dress like it’s not the military cuz federal law enforcement agencies dress too much like the military

Getting asked about how academics can continue to do science & inspire trainees even in the midst of a continued (escalated) assault on science, reason, truth, & human rights. I don’t have great answers. I would love to hear from mentors about advice they’re giving to trainees/ colleagues.

Andor was a textbook

At least prior to 2025, you could expect all years on your grant (barring major issues). The main problem with MYF is the rapid transition absent an NIH budget increase. We can pay 4 grants for 1 year, or only 1 grant for 4 years. Under MYF, we can pay far fewer grants (1 instead of 4).

It doesn’t have to be big. Could be your own family or faith community. Volunteering once a month. Giving someone a ride or dropping off a meal. But being in community is sanity-saving!

I can’t just do science. I have to organize, protest, volunteer beyond science, so that we can keep having science. Even in better times, science benefits when scientists participate in society broadly and deeply. I encourage my students to find where they can make a difference beyond our lab.

Pre-long weekend story: Multiyear funding for NIH grants has become a sticking point in negotiating HHS’s appropriations package for 2026 www.statnews.com/2026/01/16/n...

Block instantly.

My (now) weekly update on 2026 NIH funding. New and competitive renewal awards. 3 new awards (compared to ~100 expected based on recent years). No new ICs... still just NIA, NINDS, NIDCD, and NIDCR. 1/2

It's now been four weeks since the deadline set by law and they still haven't fully released the Epstein files because withholding exculpatory evidence is clearly what you do when you're "innocent."

May be first published photo of Mobile Fortify app in use. 📸: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu/Getty Border Patrol agent scans the face of a driver as they stop and question him in the street...in Minneapolis. 13Jan26 Please keep/attach photo credits. Bassim is a well-known, courageous photojournalist.

The people wearing masks are scanning your face to capture your identity.

Can't wait to serve again as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila Neurobiology course this year! 🧪🪰👀 Application Deadline: March 27 meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx... @cshlnews.bsky.social @cshlcourses.bsky.social

Please apply. Amazing opportunity to dive into connectomics datasets for research, educational initiatives, outreach and whatever else your heart desires. Feb 2nd deadline.

Alice is a pretty kitty.

I found a tiny sea hare! This species is already adult at this scale. Its little black eyes are adorable, and the blue markings look so dreamy 🫧✨

Exciting new preprint on oxytocin neural circuits for massage led by Manon Bohic in Vicky Abraira’s lab. Sasha and I were glad to contribute imaging experiments to this collaborative effort, spanning mice to humans. Vicky is a master at bringing people together. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Our follow up paper on Sex: Differential neuronal survival defines a novel axis of sexual dimorphism in the Drosophila brain: Cell Genomics www.cell.com/cell-genomic...

#StarTrek #Muppets

A new paper from my lab. I will have a full description soon. rdcu.be/eX1Ld

I've just discovered in an 1830 article that stalk-eyed flies used to be called Perspectivfliegen ("perspective flies") in German, probably referring to the notion that their eye distance must afford some unique form of binocular perspective, and I just love that 🙂

I am very happy (and a bit scared) to present to you what we have been working on over the last 4 years. This manuscript is exactly what I dreamt of when I started the lab and I could not be happier and prouder of the outcome!

I guess I should re-post from the Bird Site "The Rules For Academic Success here": I always get asked for advice about starting/surviving the tenure track. Here are the rules I've found useful. Thought I'd put it out there for the masses... This list gets longer all the time

🙏📯a few non-spider arachnid orders🎺 🙇 Amblypygi - (w/ young!) feeding on a cricket, in cave, Belize Solifugae - under rock(?), Anza-Borrego, California Pseudoscorpiones - forest floor, Oklahoma Schizomida - under log, forest floor, Costa Rica

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... We had a lot of fun working on this project (led by Itzel Ishida, not on bluesky). Some interesting highlights from the paper -

Hot off the @nature.com press!! Our A-SOiD behavior library developed specifically for pain to quantify a new chemogenetic gene therapy that targets opioid circuit in ACC without addictive properties @flybottleescape.bsky.social @cmu-neuroscience.bsky.social @cmu.edu www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Yes, this. If you want to retire, you should retire. Make resources available for others. No need to a special hand-holding program to make this easier. It is already doable. I FOIAed the comments when NIH asked about this years ago. I will find them and post them. Some of them were breathtaking.

the front passenger's seat and glove compartment are filled with a little kid's stuffed animals. i am shaking with anger