π New to SBN? Apply for the Welcome Initiative! π
First-time members from historically underrepresented backgrounds can receive one year of free SBN membership + a registration waiver for the annual meeting.
π Learn more & apply: bit.ly/40Gjgr4
ποΈ Deadline: April 1st
A photo of Doc Brown from Back to the Future holding jumper cables labelled "Deranged Activist" with a grant of NIH funding curves below it.
My weekly update on NIH funding
This includes awards made through 2/27/26
Warning: This thread contains data compiled by a known deranged_activistβ’. Do not read while operating heavy machinery.
1/9
Congress rejected massive cuts to US science budgets for 2026, but much of the money still isnβt flowing to researchers.
The culprit? The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is quietly slow-walking the release of funds. π§΅π
Why are some males caring toward infants while others are neglectful or abusive? I'm so pleased to share work that my colleagues and I @princeton.edu have just published @nature.com (an explanatory thread to follow!) (1/8)
Omg Forrest huge congrats!! Excited to read it. πΎ
Coral background with faint heart illustrations. A glossy male Blackbird with a bright yellow bill faces left. Large title reads: βBirds as bad exes*β Smaller text reads: β*Yes, you read that right.β
Happy Valentineβs Day, from us to you. Tag your exes. Xoxox
A coworker took this from her apartment. I haven't seen a crowd this size before. Maybe the first Women's March? But it was much much warmer that day. ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA!
Sad day to be a Chicago girl living in LA.
Extremely excited & proud to share our new preprint - we provide for the first time a single cell map of the mouse brain across sex, the estrous cycle, and peripartum! Data are π₯ π
"Single-cell map of the female brain across reproductive transitions"
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... Nice work by Cecilia Jalabert and Megan Liu, former graduate students in my lab! πππΎ
Want to track the dynamics of estrogen in the brain across long periods of time? New paper as part of very fun collab with team UCLA Ed Van Veen and Steph Correa! We use a specialized optical reporter and show that this is possible and actually very easy! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Kisspeptin and early pregnancy: Insights from animal models into hormonal regulation and miscarriage.
Decourt C, Heads K.
Read the new early view article: onlinelibrary.wiley....
Net-casting spider stretching it net
enlarged forward facing eyes of Asianopis subrufa
π¨Good news, everyone!
1) I'm thrilled to be joining the behavior powerhouse that is Indiana University!! So stoked, starting Jan 2026.
2) I'm recruiting grad students! Are you (or your trainee) interested in sensory ecology? behavior? evolution? fieldwork? spiders? Drop me a line Jstafstr(at)iu.edu
So, so deserved! Couldnβt have asked for a better PhD mentor than Nancy. Canβt wait to celebrate at SBN 2026. π₯³
Visit our posters on Sat, Sun & Weds @sfn.org ! @luisadema.bsky.social & @lailaouldibbat.bsky.social will present at #TPDA session too. I'll be around for all posters - let's chat about single-cell studies across the cycle, peripartum, OVX.. & the cool dynamics of the X chrom! See you there! #SfN25
β¨ New preprint β¨ What if we could watch AND control thousands of individual neurons in behaving miceβwith stable access over months? π§ β‘ Our work introduces transgenic all-optical tools that make this possible - and a resulting surprising discovery! ππ‘
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/13 π§΅
My first official post to say see you at #SfN2025! I'm presenting some new ephys work with @healeylab.bsky.social looking at auditory responses to chick calls in zebra finch parents! π¦π§ ππ£ Tuesday @ 2pm (PSTR346, Vocal/Social Communication). ALSO ~ my lab is opening soon and we're HIRING!! (see β¬οΈ)
Terrible news, Iβm so sorry for your loss.
Well, it's a little clearer now why billionaires are so invested in technology that produces better written emails.
congratulations!!
Stop by my poster tonight at #ISDP2025 - P1.14
I'll be presenting the last bit of data from my F32 on how maternal LG mitigates DNA methylation changes in prenatal bisphenol-exposed pups
This will also be the last conference I present as a postdoc (most likely). I have mixed feelings about it..
Who is going to the @sbn-bsky.bsky.social social at SfN?
We are considering sending down a delegation.
Graphical abstract describing the main findings. Top, Nanog, Pou5f3, and Sox19b (NPS) work together for cellular reprogramming following fertilization of the egg and sperm in the embryo's maternal-to-zygotic transition. Clearance of the maternal program, plus activation of the zygotic and late zygotic genes expression programs later in development, together will enable gene expression programs towards cellular differentiation. In maternal-zygotic NPS (mzNPS) mutant embryos, there is a failure of reprogramming and subsequently no gastrulation. However, when mzNPS embryonic cells are transplanted into wild type embryos, some cells survive and form mixed cell states, likely due to failed nuclear and cytoplasmic reprogramming. We find that some gene expression states, including primordial germ cell-like and motoneuron-like cell states, are able to develop in vivo, bypassing the loss of NPS-mediated embryonic reprogramming.
What cell states are possible when they are missing key factors - Nanog, Pou5f3 (Oct4), & Sox19b (Sox2) - that are required for the first embryonic reprogramming steps? Follow along with our latest publication, finally out at doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... #devbio #reprogramming #zebrafish #embryo (1/6)
π¨Applications are now open for 2026 @beckmanillinois.bsky.social Postdoctoral Fellowships! We provide 3 years of support ($63k/year) for candidates conducting interdisciplinary research with two or more Beckman faculty members. Please apply and RT! beckman.illinois.edu/opportunitie...
New paper on precise tool use learning in carrion crows @currentbiology.bsky.social. We show thatβlike New Caledonian crowsβexpert carrion crows pay close attention to the working end of their tool, suggesting tool integration into their peripersonal space. 𧡠& vids! π
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Woo hoo @paulvander24.bsky.social !
We are looking for a new postdoc to join our team! Details below. Please reach out if interested. share widelyβThanks!
