‘Digital sphinx’ raises questions about connectome models The sphinx, with a worm’s brain and a fly’s body, illustrates the potential pitfalls of using deep-learning techniques to model biological processes.

A new preprint shows that deep learning can make a fly walk realistically using a worm’s brain — exposing a fundamental problem with how connectome models are being built and sold to investors.

By @natmesanash.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...

The Orange Cat Brain Atlas is here. 🧠🐈

Today, we published the first comprehensive cellular map of the orange cat brain. The new atlas reveals a single, specialized neuron responsible for behaviors like staring at walls, knocking objects off tables, and the 3am "zoomies."

Neuro’s ark: Sounding out the evolution of hearing with geckos Catherine Carr explains her discovery that geckos retain a vibration-sensing pathway previously thought to be lost when animals moved onto land.

Catherine Carr explains her discovery that geckos retain a vibration-sensing pathway previously thought to be lost when animals moved onto land.

By @helenak.bsky.social

#neuroskyence"
www.thetransmitter.org/neuros-ark/n...

Researchers retract multisensory learning paper Even though one set of experiments did not hold up, the authors stand by the original conclusions of the work and plan to resubmit it as a new paper.

The authors of a Nature paper outlining a mechanism for multisensory memories in Drosophila melongaster have retracted the work after they were unable to replicate a set of imaging experiments.

By @callimcflurry.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/r...

2025 winner @callimcflurry.bsky.social tells the stories behind scientific discoveries, focusing on the people and systems that make them possible.

🔗 Apply by April 3, 2026 for our #scicomm awards which recognize excellent science journalists like Calli: www.nationalacademies.org/awards/excel...

Neuro’s ark: Cracking the secret sensory world of ticks Carola Städele, a self-proclaimed “tick magnet,” studies the sensory neurobiology of ticks—how the parasitic animals zero in on their next meal.

Carola Städele @tickphysiology.bsky.social a self-proclaimed “tick magnet,” studies the sensory neurobiology of ticks—in other words, how the parasitic animals zero in on their next meal.

By @callimcflurry.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/neuros-ark/n...

Tick on a purple plant waves it's legs in the air to sense the chemicals from passing hosts, indicated by wafting multicolored scents drifting down towards the tick.

Wicked art by Kai Gietzen: Spying on the secret sensory world of ticks. Carola Städele, a self-proclaimed “tick magnet,” studies the arachnids’ sensory neurobiology—how these tiny parasites zero in on their next meal. By @callimcflurry.bsky.social: www.thetransmitter.org/neuros-ark/n... #sciart

Chances are you have not heard her name, but Marcelle Lapicque may have been the first Black woman neuroscientist in Europe.

By @avaskham.bsky.social, @rebeccasky.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/history-of-n...

NIH scraps policy that classified basic research in people as clinical trials The policy aimed to increase the transparency of research in humans but created “a bureaucratic nightmare” for basic neuroscientists.

Some good NIH news! Basic studies in people won't need to follow clinical trial reporting rules anymore. Read more: www.thetransmitter.org/policy/nih-s...

PIEZO channels are opening the study of mechanosensation in unexpected places The force-activated ion channels underlie the senses of touch and proprioception. Now scientists are using them as a tool to explore molecular mechanisms at work in internal organs…

A wonderful piece by @callimcflurry.bsky.social on how mechanosensitive PIEZO ion channels are being used to explore how our bodies rely on pressure sensing. It is a thoughtfully researched article, with perspectives from many colleagues across the field.
www.thetransmitter.org/interoceptio...

‘Peer review is our strength’: Q&A with Walter Koroshetz, former NINDS director In his first week off the job, the former National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke director urges U.S. scientists to remain optimistic about the future of neuroscience research…

Former NINDS director Walter Koroshetz sat down with @avaskham.bsky.social to reflect on his tenure and share his thoughts on the "attempts at influence" from politicians www.thetransmitter.org/science-and-...

Shaping the Future of Neuroscience Shaping the Future of Neuroscience on Simons Foundation

🧠 Some of science’s greatest unanswered questions center around the human brain. Join us on 1/30 for free Presents event: “Shaping the Future of Neuroscience,” featuring three of @thetransmitter.bsky.social Rising Stars. www.simonsfoundation.org/event/shaping-the-future...

Had a great time chatting with Steve about his new book, How to Change A Memory. Check out the interview and read a short excerpt of the book today on @thetransmitter.bsky.social

tinyurl.com/42vam6hn

The work with bats on barren, 7-acre Latham Island was Nachum Ulanovsky’s most complex undertaking yet.

By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...

Check out our FlyWire anniversary piece to learn how @crezaval.bsky.social, @anitadevineni.bsky.social, Pelin Volkan, and six other researchers are using connectome data in their labs, and to read their thoughts on what new tools Drosophila neuroscience needs to move forward!

Why we need basic science to better understand the neurobiology of psychedelics Despite the many psychedelics clinical trials underway, there is still much we don’t know about how these drugs work. Preclinical studies represent our best viable avenue to answer these lingering…

@deffinger.bsky.social and @melissaherman.bsky.social argue that, though many human psychedelic clinical trials are underway, preclinical studies remain our best bet to answer fundamental questions about the neurobiology of psychedelics.

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/psychedelics...

Quantifying funding sources across neuroscience labs We want to hear from you about the sources of funding for your research.

Hi everyone! We are taking a look at the state of funding in the neuroscience field so we are looking for PIs to answer this survey. Please feel free to fill out and share with colleagues.

Ty!

Robots marry natural neuroscience, experimental control to probe animal interactions Faux fish and birds are helping researchers decipher some of the rules that govern schooling and squawking, among other social behaviors.

Faux fish and birds are helping researchers decipher some of the rules that govern schooling and squawking, among other social behaviors.

By @callimcflurry.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/social-behav...

The Transmitter’s reading list: Six upcoming neuroscience books, plus notable titles in 2025 Dig into an exploration of the fundamental aspects of intelligence, a new textbook about theoretical neuroscience and a memoir about memory research, among other new releases.

In The Transmitter's reading list, we highlight the most anticipated upcoming neuroscience books and other notable 2025 releases. Featuring titles by @okaysteve.bsky.social, @dr-brein.bsky.social, @nicolecrust.bsky.social,‬ Xiao-Jing Wang and many more.

By @franciscorr25.bsky.social
bit.ly/45MvK41

ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.

NEW: The NIH removed gender identity variables from the latest ABCD study data release. This counteracts the goals of the study "by pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist," @nicolagrissom.bsky.social told me. Read more: www.thetransmitter.org/gender/abcd-...

Shattered Science: The Research Lost as Trump Targets NIH Funding The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. More than 150 researchers shared with ProPu...

NEW: The Trump administration said their research did not "enhance health, lengthen life, or reduce illness."

Thousands of scientists disagreed.

We heard from +150 researchers impacted by the NIH grant terminations on what is being lost in the cuts. 🧵👇
projects.propublica.org/nih-cuts-res...

How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.

The hunt for a soulmate can be hard work. Neurons in the developing Drosophila antennal lobe simplify the problem by turning a 3D search into a 1D one.

By @callimcflurry.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/developmenta...

FlyBase funding squashed amid Harvard grant terminations The team behind the Drosophila genetics database is now requesting donations from labs to keep the resource afloat.

FlyBase, a crucial resource for drosophila research, has lost its funding because its grant is awarded to Harvard. The team is scrambling to find other sources of funds, including donations from labs. Read more: www.thetransmitter.org/community/fl... @flybase.bsky.social

NIDA shutters diversity fellowship program, axes active awards It’s unclear if the cancellation at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse extends to the fellowships awarded by other institutes within the National Institutes of Health.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse canceled its diversity-based fellowship program, including active awards. It’s unclear if fellowships awarded by other institutes within the NIH are also implicated.

By @callimcflurry.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/funding/nida...

Exclusive: Recruitment issues jeopardize ambitious plan for human brain atlas A lack of six new brain donors may stop the project from meeting its goal to pair molecular and cellular data with the functional organization of the cortex.

A forthcoming human brain atlas hopes to include the functional organization of each donor's cortex alongside the single-cell data. But the team is struggling to recruit donors, and might have to scale back their ambitious plan. My latest: www.thetransmitter.org/brain-mappin...

Five things to know if your federal grant is terminated If you want to appeal the decision, know the rules that govern terminations, as well as the specific rationale given in your notice, science policy experts say.

I hope no one ever has to use this story, but here are the key things to know if your grant is terminated: #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/funding/five...

Acting NIH director dismisses four neuroscientists from advisory boards The letters they received this week did not include a reason for their termination.

Three researchers who served as scientific advisers to NIMH and one to NIDA were removed from their positions this week with no explanation. @callimcflurry.bsky.social and I reported for @thetransmitter.bsky.social:

#neuroskyence 🧪

www.thetransmitter.org/science-and-...

In 15 yrs of reporting, I've never had so many health & biomed researchers & outreach orgs tell me they're afraid to talk w/press or barred from speaking bc of new comms policies.

I understand the fear of losing funds. I don't know if silence does more harm than good. If you can speak up, pls do.

Big big thank you to @tristansyates.bsky.social @camerontellis.bsky.social @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social @rhodricusack.bsky.social and others for guiding me through their work and this growing subfield!

What infant fMRI is revealing about the developing mind Cognitive neuroscientists have finally clocked how to perform task-based fMRI experiments in awake babies. Now they want watch cognition take shape.

A brave (and patient) group of neuroscientists have figured out how to do task-based fMRI in babies and toddlers. They aim to uncover how the infant mind takes shape—and the method has already provided new insight into infantile amnesia. My latest www.thetransmitter.org/cognitive-ne... #neuroskyence