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Michael Sheehan

@sheehanmj.bsky.social

Associate Prof at Cornell Neurobiology and Behavior. Social behavior, evolution, neuroscience. Paper wasps and mice.

538 Followers  |  671 Following  |  29 Posts  |  Joined: 01.11.2023
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Posts by Michael Sheehan (@sheehanmj.bsky.social)

When my publisher told me to post about writing my book, I was like yeah sure I post about everything I do every day. I did not anticipate these book posts would give the vibe of a woman being put under some kind of rumpelstiltskin-like curse to spin spin spin away at her writing in a dank dungeon.

01.03.2026 23:51 β€” πŸ‘ 213    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0
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Israel strikes two schools in Iran, killing more than 50 people State media says Israeli attack on girls' school in the city of Minab in the south of the country kills dozens.

I have Epic Fury.

All decent people do.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...

28.02.2026 15:10 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Macro photo of a brown stink bug in face view on a leaf, guarding a tightly-clustered bunch of eggs that are shaped and colored exactly like a full tray of dark beer with foam on top.

Macro photo of a brown stink bug in face view on a leaf, guarding a tightly-clustered bunch of eggs that are shaped and colored exactly like a full tray of dark beer with foam on top.

Finally, the bug is back with a round of the Guinness.

25.02.2026 01:59 β€” πŸ‘ 8247    πŸ” 1763    πŸ’¬ 93    πŸ“Œ 90
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Letz go even bigger and better,,, ALL Female US Olympians and Paralympian medalists are invited out to celebrate in Viva Las Vegas for the SHE GOT GAME Weekend ,,,

Hit a guy up and LETZ GOOO

25.02.2026 01:58 β€” πŸ‘ 26744    πŸ” 4849    πŸ’¬ 729    πŸ“Œ 700

For those of you in Austin, the UT insect collection is having an open house today, 10-3pm. 3001 Lake Austin Blvd.

21.02.2026 16:31 β€” πŸ‘ 33    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Don't congratulate John Roberts or the Supreme Court.

Congratulate Rick Woldenberg, the Chicago-area leader of Learning Resources, an educadtional toy company that had the courage to sue the president of the United States to save his family business.

As well as everyone else who stepped up.

20.02.2026 15:14 β€” πŸ‘ 28309    πŸ” 6846    πŸ’¬ 346    πŸ“Œ 261
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Place cells in CA1 lack topographical organization of firing locations | PNAS Topography is a well-described and well-known concept for cortical organization in primary sensory and motor cortices of mammalian brains. Similar ...

A half-century old question may have its final answer. Using high-resolution #Mini2P microscopes, we find no evidence of local topography in #PlaceCells. Place fields of neighbouring cells are no more similar than those of randomly selected cells. πŸ§ πŸ—ΊοΈ Out now in @pnas.orgΒ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

19.02.2026 11:53 β€” πŸ‘ 147    πŸ” 43    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 8

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Microbes are awesome
Even when they're in poo

#microValentines

14.02.2026 14:57 β€” πŸ‘ 53    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 2
What if you made a jetpack using rifles?
YouTube video by xkcd's What If? What if you made a jetpack using rifles?

What if you made a jetpack using rifles?

What the latest What If? video in collaboration with @minuteearth.bsky.social!

youtu.be/IdlQsjq5vKo

11.02.2026 20:42 β€” πŸ‘ 1185    πŸ” 160    πŸ’¬ 33    πŸ“Œ 13

60 years ago today, mild-mannered jim bowl was bitten by a radioactive spider

08.02.2026 17:47 β€” πŸ‘ 3453    πŸ” 773    πŸ’¬ 28    πŸ“Œ 4
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Got our plates ready for Superb Owl Sunday meal!

09.02.2026 00:22 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
[photo of a pottery bowl with the stylized face of an owl]
Columbia River region, Washington or Oregon Owl Effigy Bowl, Pre-contact

[photo of a pottery bowl with the stylized face of an owl] Columbia River region, Washington or Oregon Owl Effigy Bowl, Pre-contact

Guys, guysβ€”I found a Superb Owl that is also a Super Bowl!!!

08.02.2026 21:30 β€” πŸ‘ 790    πŸ” 217    πŸ’¬ 15    πŸ“Œ 6
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Celebrating Superb Owls day, here are some of our burrowing owls being particualrly superb! Training isn't just tricks; medical behaviors like learning voluntary nail trims here mean not having to catch and restrain birds, much less stress for people and birds alike.
#SuperbOwl

08.02.2026 17:46 β€” πŸ‘ 388    πŸ” 130    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 5
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Egg-cellent news! The first California condor eggs of the season have been laid at our wildlife conservation center, and more could be on the way.

06.02.2026 20:03 β€” πŸ‘ 4485    πŸ” 650    πŸ’¬ 51    πŸ“Œ 36
a round pottery piece with pig eyes and a snout

a round pottery piece with pig eyes and a snout

i think we all need to step back and realize that peak art was made when neolithic pot in the shape of a pig was fired

06.02.2026 19:46 β€” πŸ‘ 10753    πŸ” 2685    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 152
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Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientistβ€”because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

06.02.2026 09:09 β€” πŸ‘ 47137    πŸ” 19331    πŸ’¬ 1350    πŸ“Œ 795

Gave a talk on free will the other day and got what is an increasingly common question: isn't my mind really being controlled by my gut microbiome? πŸ€ͺ

06.02.2026 10:08 β€” πŸ‘ 66    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 1
three thick big books, all titled "vegetable situation"

three thick big books, all titled "vegetable situation"

quick, someone help, we've got a vegetable situation

04.02.2026 21:32 β€” πŸ‘ 1203    πŸ” 252    πŸ’¬ 43    πŸ“Œ 39
Comic. [Person talking to person with black hat.] PERSON 1: Historically, it refers to a ceremony to predict the weather using a rodent. But nowadays people often use it to mean β€œa time loop experienced by one person.” PERSON 2: …What. [caption] Easily our weirdest holiday.

Comic. [Person talking to person with black hat.] PERSON 1: Historically, it refers to a ceremony to predict the weather using a rodent. But nowadays people often use it to mean β€œa time loop experienced by one person.” PERSON 2: …What. [caption] Easily our weirdest holiday.

Groundhog Day Meaning

xkcd.com/3202/

04.02.2026 21:35 β€” πŸ‘ 6997    πŸ” 1267    πŸ’¬ 56    πŸ“Œ 40

Our founders, though deeply flawed, understood that democracy requires an informed citizenry and a government accountable to it people. That’s why the press is the only profession protected by the Constitution. It’s also why autocrats and oligarchs seek to control and destroy it.

04.02.2026 20:58 β€” πŸ‘ 9921    πŸ” 3033    πŸ’¬ 143    πŸ“Œ 125

Never forget: Pam Bondi and Kash said there was nothing in the Epstein files back in March

04.02.2026 00:11 β€” πŸ‘ 23905    πŸ” 6846    πŸ’¬ 699    πŸ“Œ 246

I found the first investigative file from the first complainant against Epstein in 2005.

There are descriptions from the officer, over several interviews of the girl, of her pulling her knees up on the chair, drawing doodles, & the officer high-fiving her to keep her calm as she speaks of horror.

31.01.2026 20:57 β€” πŸ‘ 3009    πŸ” 1238    πŸ’¬ 49    πŸ“Œ 194

Even benign changes to accreditation rules can require 1000s of person hours to change policies & document compliance. And uggh the committees.

Want to know why unis' admin costs have grown so much faster than faculty costs? It's partly due to unfunded mandates like this one.

28.01.2026 03:52 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Question. If Joe Biden called Greenland, β€œIceland” four times…. What would the right be saying?

21.01.2026 22:43 β€” πŸ‘ 7345    πŸ” 1339    πŸ’¬ 459    πŸ“Œ 87
Side view macro photograph of a dark red/brown eumenine potter wasp standing in a pure white backdrop on four legs, the front legs held up next to its body. The wings are folded fan-like into narrow, metallic blue-black strips held over the abdomen.

Side view macro photograph of a dark red/brown eumenine potter wasp standing in a pure white backdrop on four legs, the front legs held up next to its body. The wings are folded fan-like into narrow, metallic blue-black strips held over the abdomen.

Toltec Potter Wasp, Parazumia tolteca. Texas.

20.01.2026 16:56 β€” πŸ‘ 118    πŸ” 18    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1

So much of GOP policy is based on claims that don't hold up to evidence:
- exporters pay for tariffs
- taxing [b/m]illionaires makes them move
- immigrants reduce native-born wages, get more in welfare than pay in taxes
- work requirements save taxpayer money
- trickle-down econ helps working class

20.01.2026 14:52 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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20.01.2026 18:11 β€” πŸ‘ 172    πŸ” 52    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 4

Mainstream US press is utterly failing in its duty to inform readers that the US *already* controls land in the Arctic, and that this land is far better positioned than Greenland to stave off any Russian or Chinese threats.

It's called "Alaska." It's a state. It even looks big on the map.

20.01.2026 20:21 β€” πŸ‘ 65    πŸ” 21    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1
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Just sharing something completely normal and not at all stressful or disturbing. My cat thinking he's hidden under a piece of paper.

16.01.2026 05:08 β€” πŸ‘ 11551    πŸ” 734    πŸ’¬ 477    πŸ“Œ 55