Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪

Time for a reintroduction! I'm an assistant professor at the U of Alabama. I run the Comparative Vertebrate Neurodegeneration Lab (the CoVeN to friends), where our main research focus is modeling chronic TBI in headbutting goats and woodpeckers. 1/... 🧪👩‍🔬🧠

These are the vibes our show brings to the function

The 5-year cancer survival rate is up to 70% SIDS deaths have decreased by over 50% 89% decline in tornado deaths All thanks to federal investment in science and OUR tax dollars at work!

There are a lot of amazing ceilings in Vienna and I’m a sucker for all of them (deets in alt text)

Not long til #SICB's zoom Nov 5th 9 am est With @nicoleackermans.com email to get the link & spread the word @sicb-dcb-dvm.bsky.social @sicb-dab.bsky.social @sicb-dedb.bsky.social @sicb-spdac.bsky.social @sicb-dpcb.bsky.social @sicb-diz.bsky.social @sicb-pui.bsky.social #science #neuro

A really thought-provoking experiment. The simple presence of a gun has a strong psychological impact that undermines cognitive control doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

Please tell me a marine biologist is going to watch Whalefall and report back

This paper is so good. More evidence we can't just lift things from 🐁 and apply to 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 because low and behold primate brains are different. 🐒 models matter. @anitadisney.bsky.social huge congrats on lovely meaningful work!

Why is every startup like "no... we can be MORE evil" Colossal is full of hot air by the way. I'm not taking the bait.

In a heroic feat, I deleted instagram, Bluesky and Reddit off of my phone (deleted TikTok last summer). And I... don't miss it at all? I thought I would be so bored but honestly I've just regained hours of my life

A study of articles suspected of being associated with “paper mills”in the field of molecular cancer shows the papers cite other paper mill papers to inflate their metrics. These practices can amplify unreliable findings and slow scientific progress. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/g7W251008lG

Have you ever wanted to know what a research scientist or a software engineer actually do at work? Well now's your chance. We'll be taking your questions into account for our next episode which is "a day in the life" of Huyen and Niki so ask away!

Does anyone in here work with osteokines, PIEZO receptors, or heat sensitive proteins and want to brainstorm something with me? 🧠

It's very important to me to make my work as accessible as possible. Until now I've been doing this by writing loads of detail for clear context, which leads to LONG papers. I was recently confronted with the fact that shorter papers have way more reach. I'm going to have to kill some darlings.

"But according to the latest data compiled by Grant Witness, the NSF awarded 6,238 grants in fiscal 2026 and around 8,650 in fiscal 2025, compared with an average of 11,387 grants awarded annually between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2024."

I routinely confuse the finance admin at my uni

me realizing in real time that they ground up mice and injected the juice into other mice in this experiment (and it worked)

My PhD taught me research. I wish it had taught me how to answer ten emails without needing the rest of the day off.

This is a really specific question but has anyone has success with immunohistochemistry on brains ordered online (sheep, cow etc.) which are usually for dissection classes? 🧠

November SICB zoom nov 5th 9 am est with @nicoleackermans.com email sicbmedia@sicb.org to receive a link. Nicole's lab is working on a variety of thing including  goats as a model for #brain damage ​https://nicoleackermans.com/research/ #dementias #research #alzheimers #science

🌄 Naturgeschichte der Vögel Mitteleuropas Gera-Untermhaus, F.E. Köhler, 1897-1905 [v.1, 1905] [Source]

In the midst of discussing Hirudo Medicinalis, the medical leech, after @nicoleackermans.com points out a cute leech, @queencodemonkey.dev wonders how one might create cute leech swag, and thus, they start to craft the Kawaii Leech. #pocast #womeninstem youtube.com/shorts/qNgEx...

If you haven't seen Episode 3 yet, this might be REALLY confusing but our hosts have learned to stop worrying and love the leeches. youtu.be/M7GE2WEyqeo And one of the hosts stayed up late Saturday to draw this.

Me: I think I can unlock my productivity, if only I have the perfect office setup! The setup in question: the golden imperial writing room and the emperor's writing desk from the Albertina Museum in Vienna

@nicoleackermans.com poses a hypothetical to @queencodemonkey.dev as one might at a table of biologists after talking about rabies and hydrophobia (which BTW presents as fear of DRINKING water) on our NEW Episode 3. youtube.com/shorts/n3xO2...

YELLOWHAMMER

I just saw someone walk down the street with a fresh harry potter tattoo. In the year of our lord 2026?????????

Scoop: For nearly a year, NSF has struggled to make new grants. Now we know that it will not catch up. In fact, NSF will award just 6,100 new grants—a 30% y/o/y decline, itself down from a previous avg. of 11,000+. In fact, the last time NSF awarded so few grants was in the early '80s.

For October, we went all out on @technicaltea.show. A truly stupendous amount of leech facts, alongside a terrible trifecta of the scariest zombie diseases. Incredible visuals and editing by the one and only @queencodemonkey.dev You simply must see it for yourselves! youtu.be/M7GE2WEyqeo?...

Yall, Monday's episode is going to be so fun. I can't wait for you to listen

I saw a pigeon with a really cool leucistic pattern today. I pay attention to these things ever since I say a talk on pigeon genetics by Mike Shapiro. Darwin was on to something

Noice

I have absolutely wondered about this. Amazing.