Stephen Holtz

Specialized parallel pathways for adaptive control of visual object pursuit To pursue a moving visual object, the brain must generate motor commands that continuously steer the object to the center of the visual field via feedback. The gain of this control loop is flexible, y...

Delighted to share an updated pre-print on how adaptive control in visual pursuit is implemented at the circuit level. New behavior and neuronal data in females (!) shows how two AOTU pathways are key elements in both sexes.

Check it out on @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social :
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

At long last, Steve Urkel has been linked to our research.

Public access to the first fly connectome that spans the whole CNS - BANC!: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc

Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)

We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...

A really satisfying story about feedback control in the wild—it’s been great seeing this project come together! Congratulations Matt!

Near complete funding freeze at Harvard due to threat of targeting by current administration

Devastating freeze at Harvard

Lobsters have brains!

Stand up for science protest in front of the Boston state house with 100s of people

Sign the Petition Petition to Reverse the NIH Indirect Cost Cap (NOT-OD-25-068)

Petition to Reverse the NIH Indirect Cost Cap initiated by Tom Maniatis. Please amplify
Sign the Petition: chng.it/kK2HMP5pGk
"Share with Leadership & Faculty. Reach out to professional societies, biotech and pharma leaders, and philanthropic organizations to raise awareness and mobilize support."

Two penguin sculptures in front of Harvard Medical School, the target of recent extreme NIH budget cuts, which faces an uncertain future.

Stay strong everyone. Penguins were my first biology love. I feel privileged as a basic science researcher, and hope the many kinds of value we bring to the country is recognized and defended.

Strong endorsement :)

Opportunities We welcome you to join our scientific adventure to understand the function of neuromodulators and the function of sleep, and become future bridge builders between cellular and systems neuroscience.…

🧠Excited about neuromodulator interactions or the mystery of sleep? Join our lab at Wash U! We're seeking passionate individuals to bridge cellular and systems neuroscience by decoding biochemical signaling dynamics in the brain. tinyurl.com/2bmf2py9 Postdoc and RA positions available. Pls repost.

It’s also just very pretty out of the box. My current favorite too (when I don’t *need* vscode or a notebook)

Making Sense of It All Hi! I’m Liz Neeley and I’m glad you’re here. Making Sense of It All is an outlet for my work at Liminal, which focuses on sensemaking in a noisy and complicated world. I built Liminal as an antidote t...

Each week, we are collecting, reading, vetting & tagging all the links, news & rumors you’re seeing whiz past you online. We are also talking to dozens of researchers & PIs about their firsthand experiences.

Every Friday, I debrief you over a drink at
buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Oh I am SO here for this

American science and medicine has been thrown into chaos and uncertainty over the past week. Here are some stories to get up to speed. 1/12

I have a dumb "how does Congress work" question.

My Congressman @repauchincloss.bsky.social Jake Auchincloss is ideally suited to advocate for NIH.

My question is, what should I look for him to do about the NIH and NSF freeze?

Call hearings? Sponsor a bill? File a lawsuit? Make phone calls?

Today the Trump admin abruptly and indefinitely terminated many of the activities of the National Institutes of Health, the $50B/year collection of agencies that power the US biotech and health ecosystems. Even if these orders were lifted tomorrow, the disruption would be enormous.

Why care? 🧵

We're finally here on Bluesky! We are the premier discovery-driven training opportunity for the next generation of neuroethologists and systems neuroscientists located at the Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social

New year's resolution is to pick this back up :)

github.com/stephenholtz...

Small tasting glass with a pinkish cocktail, missing a garnish because I’m being lazy.

pampleopolitan: smooth, slightly grapefruit-ified cosmopolitan, because sometimes you just need a pink cocktail.

1.5 oz vodka
1 oz cranberry juice
0.75 oz orange liqueur
0.5 oz grapefruit liqueur
0.5 oz lime juice
0.5 oz simple syrup

Happy holidays!

For those interested in brain body communication, the Keystone Symposium abstract deadline is approaching. I hope to see some of you soon!

Oh I am stealing this ideas as IgM :)

my lab (www.tuthill.casa) at UW is hiring a research assistant/tech. basic scope is to apply machine learning/computer vision tools to measure and model 3D animal behavior and mechanics. we are a diverse, collaborative, curiosity-driven group.

Apply: uwhires.admin.washington.edu/ENG/Candidat...

Congratulations Jerome!! Very excited to see what you find

Congrats Will!

The Neural Systems & Behavior course at @mblscience.bsky.social is now open for applications (deadline 1st Feb 2025, tinyurl.com/329nbtzp). Students often describe this 8-week training course as a life-changing and eye-opening scientific experience. Apply and join us in magical Woods Hole 💫🐙🧠🔬

the alt text 😂

3D design of a printable pipette holder.

Want to 3D print a pipette holder for Gilson and Eppendorf pipettes? New design by #IanKercher. www.printables.com/model/109822...

Congrats!!

Metazooa Become an evolutionary detective to find the Mystery Animal!

Do the biologists all know about the game of Metazooa? It's nice to warm up the brain with some morning taxonomy

metazooa.com