Catherine Marler

Orcas have been heard mimicking human speech. A study found that when prompted, the marine mammal could replicate the sounds.

Bad Bunny's historical advisor is an assistant professor at UW-Madison.

Hell of a flex for your tenure file.

Prefrontal neural geometry of learned cues guides motivated behaviours - Nature The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex encodes the value, salience and valence of learned stimuli along distinct neural dimensions, and the geometry of these representations shapes motivated behaviours in ...

Can you easily distinguish between value, valence, and salience?

Probably not, but the prefrontal cortex of mice seems to achieve this by creating a sort of multidimensional orthogonal neural space, where each dimension corresponds to one of these subjective elements

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The emergence of cooperative behaviors, norms, and strategies across five diverse societies Children’s cooperative behaviors and norms develop along distinct cultural pathways shaped by local norms.

Very excited that this paper is out!
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Led by the fabulous @dorsaamir.bsky.social with invaluable contributions from many awesome collaborators.

High estrogen levels in brain may increase women's risk of stress-related memory issues Findings of UC Irvine-led study could lead to new ways of addressing PTSD, dementia

news.uci.edu/2026/02/03/h... Happy I could contribute to this exciting project! @talliezee.bsky.social @eahellerphd.bsky.social

A universal hippocampal memory code across animals and environments How learning is affected by context is a fundamental question of neuroscience, as the ability to generalize learning to different contexts is necessary for navigating the world. An example of swift co...

🚨 New #Blueprint🚨 Ever wondered how the HPC supports learning across different contexts? My newest, a combo of experimental and comp neuro, w @SaraASolla & @DisterhoftLab, uncovers a 'universal' memory code in the HPC—consistent across animals and environments! 🧵👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Madison WI ice protest!

YouTube video by Heather Cox Richardson The Killing of Alex Pretti

m.youtube.com/watch?v=_r8f...

Hey ventral pallidum fans, see our new paper showing that #VP GABA neurons, known for reward, also regulate aversive motivation! Inhibiting these cells with #DREADDs potentiates active or passive defenses to threats, likely via LHb.
Congrats to Erica Ramirez & Marty Martinez!
doi.org/10.1016/j.yn...

Is there an evolutionary reason for same-sex sexual behaviour? Sexual behaviour among same-sex pairs is common in apes and monkeys, and a wide-ranging analysis suggests it does boost survival

Why is same-sex sexual behaviour turning out to be so common among animals? It's often assumed to be a disadvantage in evolutionary terms, but it's looking more and more as if that assumption is entirely wrong 🧪

www.newscientist.com/article/2511...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Post from Amanda Gorman’s Instagram that says amandascgorman Minneapolis, Minnesota For Renee Nicole Good Killed by ICE. on January 7, 2026 by Amanda Gorman They say she is no more, That there her absence roars, Blood-blown like a rose. Iced wheels flinched & froze. Now, bare riot of candles, Dark fury of flowers, Pure howling of hymns. If for us she arose, Somewhere, in the pitched deep of our grief, Crouches our power, The howl where we begin, Straining upon the edge of the crooked crater Of the worst of what we've been. Change is only possible, & all the greater, When the labour & bitter anger of our neighbors Is moved by the love * better angels of our nature.

Amanda Gorman wrote this poem for Renee Good and that’s it for me tonight.

Please spread the word and join us. Vigil scheduled for 5:00 today at E. 34th Street and Portland Ave S. in Minneapolis for woman murdered by ICE agents.

#NollaignamBan
The first woman admitted to the all-male Royal Astronomical Society, Agnes Mary Clerke's analyses were so reliable, thoughtful & wide reaching that she became a revered authority. The Clerke lunar crater was named to commemorate her. www.dib.ie/biography/cl... #DIBLives

Assistant Professor without Tenure (WOT), Marine Invertebrate Organismal Biology University of Washington: Academic Personnel & Faculty: College of the Environment: Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Location Friday Harbor Labs, WA Open Date Dec 12, 2025 Description The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) and Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) at the University of Washington (UW) invite applications for the Riddiford – Truman Endowed faculty Chair, a position in the Without Tenure (WOT) track at the Assistant rank with specialization in marine invertebrate organismal biology. The successful candidate is expected to develop a collaborative, extramurally-funded and nationally recognized research program based at FHL that leverages FHL’s unique marine research infrastructure and natural setting. We especially welcome candidates whose scholarship in natural systems advances fundamental knowledge and contributes to environmental stewardship. All University of Washington faculty engage in teaching, research, and service.

Looking for a faculty job at one of the world's great research stations?

We're looking for a marine invertebrate biologist at UW's Friday Harbor Labs.

apply.interfolio.com/178804

Thank you Brian!!

Thank you!!💕

YouTube video by Guardian News Timelapse footage shows a sea sponge sneezing

The natural world is a wonderful place. This is timelapse video from a few years ago of a marine sponge sneezing. It has mucus inside that traps the sort of particles that might clog it up, and expels them in periodic contractions every 3-8 hours. Atchoo!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJqI...

Sex-Based Gene Expression Influences Monogamous Bonding In a groundbreaking study, researchers led by C.L. Malone have unveiled compelling insights into the role of sex differences in the expression of mRNA relating to both structure and receptors within

See Candice Malone's paper published in Biology of Sex Differences on California mice: Social bonding, perineuronal nets and the anterior cingulate cortex. Congrats Candice!
scienmag.com/sex-based-ge...

🌊 🐟🦭🐋🐧 I have a PhD position available (4 years, start Mid-2026) at NRM Stockholm to work on the macrogenomics of sea warming.

Apply here:

recruit.visma.com/spa/public/a...

#PhD #MarineGenomics #ClimateChange #EvolutionaryBiology #PopGen #Bioinformatics #conservationgenomics

The Dept of Biology & Marine Biology at UNCW is offering 4 positions!!! A Distinguished Professor of Marine Science, an Assistant Professor of Invertebrate Biology, and two Lecturers of Biology. Plus, the UNCW Center for Marine Science is seeking a second Distinguished Professor of Marine Science!

Thank you for the video - very illuminating

Panel Votes to End Recommendation for Hepatitis B Shots for All Newborns

Is there an innoculation against stupidity? (gift article)

How to Get Rid of "Citizens United" We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment. There’s a far simpler way.

The Citizens United decision has corrupted our government and is destroying our democracy. Here's a way to get rid of it. robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get...

🧪🧠

RETRACTED: Safety Evaluation and Risk Assessment of the Herbicide Roundup and Its Active Ingredient, Glyphosate, for Humans This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy)This article has b…

I’m no expert, but I’ve seen this paper described as an important justification for claims about the safety of Roundup. And now it has been retracted by the journal it appeared in. 🧪

Reminder: For voters in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, November 26 is the last day to vote early in person.

Getting the most of out a scientific conference A slightly unconventional guide to your first time

A great intro to academic conferencing.
Not sure how I missed this one.

scienceforeveryone.science/getting-the-...