Catherine Dulac
@DulacLab
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Identifying the neural basis of innate social behaviors using molecular and genetic tools @Harvard @HHMINEWS and at DulacLab at mstdn dot science
Cambridge, MA
Joined September 2017
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Pinned Tweet
I am thrilled to share new work from the lab led by
@harris_kaplan
investigating the emergence of hypothalamic cell types involved in social behavior and homeostatic control. 1/9
Sensory Input, Sex, and Function Shape Hypothalamic Cell Type Development
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Why does one feel sick when fighting an infection? It's not only because of pathogens, or immunity fighting pathogens, its because of the brain! Here we (i.e
@Jess_Osterhout
et al.) discovered hypothalamic neurons that orchestrate sickness symptoms
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This message is to honor my dear mom, Liliane Dulac, who passed last night. She was a wonderful mom, a great scholar, an extremely generous person and a rebel. I love you, I miss you.
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My deep thanks to
@harvard
and
@MCB_Harvard
colleagues and staff, and to current and past members of my lab, who all contributed to make being a Harvard faculty such an exciting journey!... 🙏
Catherine Dulac Named University Professor, the Seventh Woman to Hold the Honor
@DulacLab
@JAManning15
@HHMINEWS
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Why is social isolation associated with negative valence while social grouping elicits positive reward? How to animals know they are alone or together? Our latest work uncovers two distinct hypothalamic populations underlying social homeostasis.
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Our latest today in
@nature
: deconstructing parental behavior, i.e explaining motor, motivational, social and hormonal aspects of parenting by Gal+ neurons in the MPOA. Terrific work of
@jonnykohl
and fabulous collaborators, see
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I am very honored to be the recipient of this year Ralph Gerard Prize from
@SfNtweets
@Neurosci2019
and want to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution of past and present lab members and great support from
@MCB_Harvard
@Harvard
@HHMINEWS
and
@NIH
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I was fortunate to be mentored by this amazing scientist during my PhD. I, and cohorts of French and international students and postdocs have been forever marked by her superb intellectual and experimental rigor, her vibrant creativity and contagious enthusiasm for science!
Nicole LeDouarin, an iconic
#WomenInScience
turns 90 today! Bon anniversaire🎂 She revolutionized Developmental Biology, was 1st woman awarded Jeantet prize &
@KyotoPrize
& elected perpetual secretary
@AcadSciences
(since 1666), 1st women scientists elected professor
@cdf1530
...
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Our latest, a great collaboration between Xiaowei Zhuang's and my lab: Molecular, spatial and functional single-cell profiling of the hypothalamic preoptic region
@Harvard
@Sciencemagazine
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Very honored to participate in the ceremony tonight to recognize Eve Marder
@MarderLab
becoming Brandeis university professor
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RIP Philippe Ascher: extraordinary scientist, fabulous teacher and amazingly dedicated and caring mentor to younger scientists. I owe him my first interest into neuroscience and will always remember the twinkle in his eyes when discussing the brain mysteries
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Strong and important statement made by
@doc_becca
. From our molecular to behavior data we often see more variability among male than female cohorts, irrespective of their estrus status, a fact that many investigators using only male cohorts continue to ignore.
OK I need to rant a little (thread).
The belief that if you study female animals you MUST take hormones into account is SEXIST.
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New work from the lab led by
@KeeperofBrains
in collaboration with Xiaowei Zhuang on the three-dimensional Interrogation of Cell Types and Instinctive Behavior in the Periaqueductal Gray
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The latest from the lab at
@CellCellPress
: Terrific work by
@yohisogai
and collaborators led to the identification of sensory cues driving Infant-directed aggression by males
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Great question: we found that different mouse strains displayed diverse ranges of sensitivity to social isolation, from absent or weak (BALB/c and DBA), to moderate (C57BL/6J, C3H/HeJ, SWR/J), and strong (FVB/NJ), suggesting great variability according to the genetic background
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I am very honored to be named Lee and Ezpeleta Professor of Arts and Sciences, and even more delighted to have one of my students benefit from it!
@MCB_Harvard
@harvardbrainsci
@Harvard
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A nice tribute to lab mice and their many unsung contributions to science.
@AllenInstitute
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Well said!!
@REMLehmann
@WhiteheadInst
!... Whitehead Institute’s new director slams Trump as anti-science, anti-foreigner via
@BostonGlobe
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Wonderful lectures by the recipients of the 2023 Brain Prize: Christine Holt,
@MEGNeuro
and
@erin_schuman
, introduced by Richard Morris, Chair of
@BrainPrize
selection committee. What a treat!! Congrats to the 3 extraordinary scientists honored today🎉👏🍾
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Scoop!! Mariela Zirlinger, former postdoc in the lab, now Editor in Chief at Neuron. Congratulations!
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Our latest: representation of social information in MeA in awake behaving mice, fantastic collaboration with
@UtopianCynic
& Mark Schnitzer
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Missing point: lab size not all that matters, quality of interactions critical, good lab mates become friends and trusted colleagues forever
Choosing a lab of the right size is crucial for early-career development
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Great read: just finished The idea of the Brain by
@matthewcobb
, I devoured it (total page turner, tons of ideas and fun stories about successful and not successful quests to understand the brain) and savored it (amazing scholarship, had to pause often to check interesting refs)
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Using gain and loss of function, we show that these neurons, which we name VMPOLPS, orchestrate fever response, warmth seeking and appetite loss in response to an infection. They do so by projecting to brain centers involved in thermoregulation and appetite regulation
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In this wonderful collaboration with
@Jess_Osterhout
@Kapoor_Vic
Liqun Luo, Xiaowei Zhuang and other collaborators we identify a specific population of neurons in the hypothalamus VMPO that are activated during bacterial and viral infection
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How are VMPO-LPS neurons activated during an infection? We show that they express receptors for, and are activated by, immune signals crossing the BBB as well as secreted locally by non-neuronal cells
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Our latest perspective on the genes and circuits controlling parenting behavior is just out in Current Opinion in Neurobiology, check it out!
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Many thanks to
@Claudiadreifus
and
@QuantaMagazine
for making the work of my lab shine!
“This was, to my knowledge, the first mechanistic deconstruction of a social behavior circuit.”
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@erin_schuman
, Christine Holt and
@MEGNeuro
: 3 brilliant scientists recognized by the 2023
@BrainPrize
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Looking forward to a conversation with
@KarlDeisseroth
about his upcoming book Projections: a beautifully written window into his personal and scientific journey in neuroscience and psychiatry. It's on June 21 as part of the
@Harvard
science book talk series with
@HarvardBooks
It’s good to reach out this way… but “returning home” on June 21 to an online conversation with the always-inspiring Catherine Dulac at the Harvard Book Store:
In great company….
Looking forward to it
@Dulaclab
!
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A really curious story on growing up without left temporal lobe and being totally fine, an amazing feat of brain plasticity: The Curious Hole in My Head
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Congratulations to
@jonnykohl
, postdoc in the lab and this year Eppendorf and
@sciencemagazine
Grand Prize Winner in Neurobiology! Awesome assay, and awesome work on circuits of parenting! And best wishes for your new lab and new projects at
@TheCrick
!
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Terrific collaboration led by
@weallen1
together with Xiaowei Zhuang and
@zurisullivan
on the aging brain
@HHMINEWS
@MCB_Harvard
online
@CellCellPress
Dulac and Zhuang Labs Create “Cell Atlas” of Aging in the Mouse Brain
@DulacLab
@zurisullivan
@HHMINEWS
@harvardbrainsci
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I got very interesting colleagues
@harvardbrainsci
and
@MCB_Harvard
🤣🤣
Good luck
@EngertLab
and
@BOlveczky
in your crazy sailing adventure!...
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Our latest review on the neural coding of sex-specific social information is just out in Current Opinion in Neurobiology, check it out!
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Nice tribute to Ben Barres in the Boston Globe
Ben Barres, 63, groundbreaking neuroscientist and advocate for women in science via
@BostonGlobe
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Ben was an extraordinary person and an amazing scientist: his many influences in science and society have been profound, and he will continue to inspire future generations. RIP and my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, mentees, and Stanford colleagues.
Our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of acclaimed Stanford neuroscientist Ben Barres, who died today 20 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was 63:
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Harvard Professors Win Lifetime Achievement Award in Neuroscience | News | The Harvard Crimson
@MCB_Harvard
@HHMINEWS
@SfNtweets
@MEGNeuro
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The dark side of adult-infant interactions in mice: Ucn3+ neurons in the PeFA control a specific neural system underlying infant-directed aggression and neglect in males and females. Terrific circuit deconstruction by
@anitaautrydixon
in the lab with
@jonnykohl
@GraveNeurosis
Perifornical Area Urocortin-3 Neurons Promote Infant-directed Neglect and Aggression
#biorxiv_neursci
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Congratulations to Haim Sompolinsky
@MCB_Harvard
as well as Larry Abbott
@Columbia
and Terry Sejnowski
@salkinstitute
for wonderful recognition by
@BrainPrize
Professor Haim Sompolinsky Receives The Brain Prize
@HSompolinsky
@RachelleGaudet
@VMurthyLab
@Harvard
@harvardbrainsci
@harvardphysics
@HebrewU
@Columbia
@salkinstitute
@lundbeckfonden
@BrainPriz
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Senior postdocs in molecular, developmental biology, neuroscience, biology of all sorts: apply to
@MCB_Harvard
and become my colleague in the greatest place to do science and teach!
MCB Has an Assistant Professor Search Underway. You have one week--November 1.-- to apply!
@RachelleGaudet
@fleshball
@JeeyunC
@sharadramanath1
@DulacLab
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Many surprises here: although pheromones are essential for male attacks, specific features of the infant's shape are also critical
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We lost a giant in the field and a wonderful person, I have so many great memories of my meetings with Larry: RIP
@lyoun03
and all my condolences to
@AnneZMurphy
It is with an unbelievably heavy heart that I write that my husband, best friend, and partner in crime for 20 years, Larry Young, passed away unexpectedly. I will share details regarding a memorial service once I know something. Please share with those who knew Larry
@lyoun03
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Super interesting findings by
@jonnykohl
on circuit remodeling during pregnancy, congrats!🎉🍾
Excited to share our paper in
@ScienceMagazine
on how hormone-mediated neural remodelling drives parenting onset during pregnancy:
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👏👏👏
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Best advice from
@Jess_Osterhout
on how to organize an amazingly successful scientific career and start a family!
I had a conversation yesterday about how conferences mix my two lives together: academic scientist and motherhood. Afterwards I thought about the intentionally and unintentional steps I took during my career to make being a mom and a postdoc/PI a little easier...
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An amazing lineup of scientists for this year Brain Prize! Congratulations to
@erin_schuman
@MEGNeuro
and Christine Holt for a well deserved recognition of spectacular work 🎉👏🍾
Congratulations to The Brain Prize winners of 2023: Professors Michael Greenberg, Christine Holt and
@erin_schuman
.
They have done pioneering work on molecular mechanisms of brain development and plasticity
Read:
#TheBrainPrize
#BrainPrize23
#neuroscience
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Congratulations to my
@HarvardOEB
@MCB_Harvard
colleague Hopi Hoekstra for her new responsibilities as FAS Dean!
Hopi Hoekstra, who has served on the Harvard faculty since 2007, will begin her role as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on August 1
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Nice write-up on neural mechanisms of sickness by
@richardsima
from
@washingtonpost
based on our recent paper in
@Nature
by
@Jess_Osterhout
et al., and that of Jeff Friedman's lab : when you feel sick, you can thank your brain – it’s helping you heal
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Congratulations
@zurisullivan
at
@MCB_Harvard
and the other newly minted
@HHMINEWS
Hanna Gray Fellows! You are already extraordinary scientists and I am looking forward to your next accomplishments 👏👏👏👏👏
Humbled, honored, thrilled to announce that I am a 2020
@HHMINEWS
Hanna Gray Fellow!
THANK YOU to my brilliant postdoc mentor
@DulacLab
, PhD mentor
@RMedzhitov
, and phenomenal colleagues at
@MCB_Harvard
and
@YaleIBIO
. So grateful to be part of this community of scholars
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Here, we deconstruct the molecular, spatial, and functional organization of the PAG by combining snRNA-seq and MERFISH. Our data provide the first comprehensive cell atlas of the PAG, with detailed spatial coordinates and functional annotations of molecularly defined cell types.
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Going down scientific memory lane at Developmental Biology, starting by a commentary and reprints on the seminal work of my former PhD adviser Nicole Le Douarin on the development of the neural crest.
Developmental Biology has started republishing a set of classic DB papers that have been influential and inspirational. Together with a commentary from Marianne Bronner, here is the first (papers by LeDouarin). Check out future DB issues for more to come!
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The repeatedly demonstrated sex bias in biological studies, with profound sociological and clinical implications, never ceases to surprise me. It should be a no-brainer to see better balance, but sadly it does not seem to improve much....
We demonstrate a strong sex disparity with major emphasis on male animals ... this neglect of female subjects in basic research may stem from a hard-wired sex/gender bias, reflected in a similar attitude toward female scientists
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Hey
@Jess_Osterhout
, guess who I met at a Janelia conference earlier this week?!... Bella Beckett
@IsabellaBecket2
(I think), our terrific former undergrad
@MCB_Harvard
, now thriving graduate student in
@gsxej
lab! This was a great meeting on sex differences, I learned a lot...
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Nice new work from
@JenelleWallace5
@UtopianCynic
and
@stevens1lab
!
Microglia are necessary for normal functional development of adult-born neurons in the olfactory bulb
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I am uncomfortable when I visit a place and have to walk down a corridor or give a talk in a conference room under the stare of tens of all stern old white men: I feel that I don't belong. Will other places follow?
via
@BostonGlobe
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Mesmerizing lecture by Pietro di Camilli yesterday
@MCB_Harvard
on lipid transport and fun dinner with some my favorite colleagues
@VMurthyLab
@denic_lab
and twitter-less Jeeyun Chung
#CellBiology
#AmazingLectures
@Yale
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Super cool new paper by
@DoetschLab
showing transient remodeling of olfactory bulb circuits during pregnancy by specific pools of adult neural stem cells
Switching on brain stem cell power: Pregnancy transiently remodels olfactory function in anticipation of motherhood needs.
I am very excited to share our recent work in the
@DoetschLab
in collaboration with
@moorlab
,
@ScienceMagazine
. Thread below🧵🤟
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Fabulous awardees! Congratulations to
@MarderLab
@JShendure
as well as Xiaowei Zhuang, Liqun Luo, David Reich and the other terrific scientists honored by
@theNASciences
Breaking: We’re pleased to announce the 2019 NAS Award recipients! These 18 individuals are honored for their extraordinary scientific achievements in a wide range of fields spanning the physical, biological, and medical sciences.
#NASaward
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Very proud of
@wuzhengherbert
! As graduate student in the lab
@wuzhengherbert
discovered the role of POA Gal neurons in maternal and paternal behavior, launching my lab on the study of parenting. Next he made more seminal discoveries as a joint postdoc with R. Axel and
@shadlen
Meet Dr. Zheng Wu
@wuzhengherbert
, PhD
@Harvard
, Postdoc
@Columbia
. Dr. Wu uses context dependent decision-making tasks in mice to study flexible behavior. Dr. Wu showed that the anterolateral motor cortex computes the decision locally in a novel population of Layer 2 cells.
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Congratulations
@naoshigeuchida
for receiving the Nakaakira Tsukahara Memorial Prize!
@MCB_Harvard
In Kobe for the Japan Neuroscience meeting. Gave a talk in an Alzheimer's disease session. Great to meet old familiar faces. But my highlight was of course the Mori lab alumni party. Congrats Nao, for the Nakaakira Tsukahara award!! This award is very special for our family tree.
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Superb seminar yesterday on genetic and circuit basis of short and long term memory by Priya Rajasethupathy
@RockefellerUniv
followed by fun dinner with
@naoshigeuchida
and Takao Hensch
@harvardbrainsci
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Extremely helpful for women trainees, thanks
@NINDSdirector
!
2 NEW supplement funding opportunities
@NIH
to help first R01 holders & K awardees experiencing critical life events such as childbirth. Supports staff help in the lab, etc. Need to bridge the gender gap! ;
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our new
@biorxivpreprint
Oxytocin Signaling in the Medial Amygdala is required for Sex Discrimination of Social Cues
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Congratulations “Dr.” Olivia Ho-Shing for a successful thesis defense and terrific work on genomic imprinting leading to that!
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A terrific lineup of extraordinarily promising early career scientists, among which
@zurisullivan
who will explore in my lab the intersection between immunology and neuroscience
@MCB_Harvard
Today, HHMI is proud to announce the new
#HannaGrayFellows
, 21 early career researchers who are taking on some of the biggest challenges in the life sciences.
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Terrific work by
@anitaautrydixon
and collaborators (see next tweet) uncovering the role of hypothalamic PeFA urocortin-3 expressing neurons and related circuitry in controlling infant neglect and infanticide by both male and female mice
Pleased to see our research uncovering the critical role for urocortin-3 expressing neurons in the perifornical hypothalamus for infant-direct neglect and aggression in males and females in print!!
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Our new paper in
@CellCellPress
Sexual experience triggers long lasting changes in the mouse
#brain
. Paper
@CellCellPress
by
@Dulaclab
and co-->
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Congratulations
@KarlDeisseroth
for so many contributions that changed our field!
Congratulations to HHMI Investigator
@KarlDeisseroth
on winning the 2018
@KyotoPrize
in Advanced Technology! He is being recognized for his contributions to the field of neuroscience and his role in spearheading optogenetics.
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Very excited to start my Forbes Lectureship this week at MBL Woods Hole, and interact with terrific Grass Fellows and program director Kamran Khodakah
@grassfoundation
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Congratulations
@JessicaAllisonO
for winning the best poster award at the terrific Ascona 2019 meeting on Assembly and Function of Neuronal Circuits!!👏👏👏🥂🥂
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Extraordinary recognition to two fabulous scientists and colleagues:
@AngelikaAmon
and Xiaowei Zhuang. Xiaowei's many inventions (STORM, MERFISH...) changed the ability of my lab to visualize key molecules of important behavior circuits. Congratulations!
Congratulations to Angelika Amon, Xiaowei Zhuang, and James Chen – winners of the 2018
@brkthroughprize
in Life Sciences!
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Powerful Harvard Commencement address by Angela Merkel!
"Tear down the walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness for nothing has to stay as it is," Chancellor Angela Merkel
#Harvard19
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Scientists: Support for the innovation engine of American science: immigrants - Sign the Petition! via
@Change
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An extraordinary honor for me to be today with Dr. Muyembe, aka the Ebola hunter, recipient of Harvard honorary degree in Science 2022
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Congratulations
@KeeperofBrains
aka Dr. Vaughn for a terrific thesis defense and PhD work
@PiN_Harvard
! And many thanks to thesis committee members
@GordFishell
@SLiberles
@macosko
and Fan Wang for nice grilling!
🥂🎉👏👏👏
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Very worrisome situation, but I can't think of anybody better than
@EdvardMoser
and
@MayBrittMoser
to help the Norwegian government see the light and change their mind!...
If the defunding is going to continue for another 2 years (no calls, more cuts), it will irreversibly hurt recruitment and research plans and put an effective end to Norway´s position as a research nation. We cannot escape a💰restart, regardless of who is to blame.
@KISNeuro
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Beautiful work from the Zoghbi lab out at
@CellCellPress
: another remarkable example of how the exquisite dosage of key molecules is essential for normal brain function
Different dosages of an
#RNA
-binding protein result in human
#neurological
diseases of corresponding severities.
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Fascinating new work on female aggression
Esr1+ neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus control aggression in females; separate VMHvl neurons control sex
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Nice dinner yesterday -and impressive wine bottles- to celebrate
@IU_GillCenter
Awards and Symposium on sex differences in the brain tomorrow, here with
@Hoosierflyman
, Barry Dickson and Cary Lai
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Intriguing: wild orangutans don't seem curious and don't explore new things. But captivity (lack of predators? Boredom?) unlocks curiosity in these apes, turning them into better problem-solvers.
@edyong209
reports
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@HHMINEWS
Impressive line-up! Congratulations
@michelle_monje
@c_eroglu
@KafuiDzirasa
@kaymtye
@Bautista_DianaM
@DanielKronauer
Vanessa Ruta, my Harvard colleagues
@BalskusLab
@redmakeda
and Chenghua Gu, and all the other new HHMI investigators
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Great paper from
@KamranKhodakhah
dissecting the modulation of social behavior by the cerebellum: amazing finding, cool science!
All paths lead to the VTA. Stunning evidence by
@KamranKhodakhah
lab for monosynaptic projection of deep cerebellar nuclei that excites dopamine neurons. When is this afferent active and how is the message integrated in non-motor function of cerebellum?
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Congratulations and best wishes to
@wuzhengherbert
for starting his new lab. Plenty of great projects at the intersection of social and cognitive neuroscience and terrific mentor for future trainees 👏👏
I am thrilled to announce that I will start my lab as an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
@SinaiBrain
@IcahnMountSinai
this summer! I’m actively recruiting students, postdocs and technicians. Please reach out if interested and visit for more info! 1/3
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Very sad news, David Allis was such a wonderful scientist, colleague and human being. His legacy will be long lasting.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved colleague and friend, C. David Allis. Aside from his groundbreaking contributions to biomedical science, David will be remembered for his warmth, humility, and relentless optimism.
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Congratulations to this year's 3 graduating seniors from the lab --unfortunately none on Tweeter-- who worked under the expert mentorship of
@brandon_logeman
@dingliuabc
and
@mztalay
@MCB_Harvard
@harvardbrainsci
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