PhD in neuroscience. Pushing for fewer diseases and more cures
MHb-IPN | Philly
Joined June 2015
- Tweets4K
- Following665
- Followers2.7K
- Likes5.2K
Pinned Tweet
In case you missed it, check out this amazing platform that enables you to explore imaging data - from the brain to specific neurons - in virtual reality! (#syGlass)
pscp.tv/_Anthropoid/1BdGYRMl…
Great article on declining overdose fatalities in STAT by @_gaffknee that touches on the convergence of policy approaches doing what everyone hoped they would.
Public policy actually...working‽ Also touches on what could screw up that progress.
statnews.com/2026/09/03/drug…
Just played a video game with one of my kids for the first time. Totally surreal. So interesting to see her personality expressed is that situation. Now she clearly contemplates her plans for the next time we play. It's very cool. Thanks, @Minecraft . Wholesome stuff.
I've reached a level of fatherhood where I just want to play documentaries about the differences between orcas and humpback and sperm whales and whatnot and then debate which is the coolest type of whale with my kids.
There is a correct answer
Very neat paper provides some insights regarding part of the mechanism of the therapeutic effects of a variety of psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ibogaine): reopening a "critical period" reflecting important developmental stages in adolescence.
nature.com/articles/s41586-0…
Here's a more metabolized explanation of these findings, as well as what they're exploring next (potential therapeutic applications for stroke!!)
nature.com/articles/d41586-0…
Interesting development as more people are prescribed semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic, etc.), a GLP-1 agonist: people are experiencing diminished drives towards addictive behaviors.
Something worth keeping an eye on, but def begging for more basic research: nytimes.com/2023/02/24/well/…
Some additional popular coverage: theatlantic.com/health/archi…
As transformational as these medications are expected to be, this potential application is fascinating—if only from a purely mechanistic perspective.
My daughter has entered the phase where all of the various things that mysteriously go missing somehow end up in her backpack. There has to be an evolutionary explanation to why all of our highlighters end up in her backpack with the various pebbles she's collected.
This is such a bananas story in academia.
One of the world’s most cited scientists, Rafael Luque, suspended without pay for 13 years
The prolific chemist, who has published a study every 37 hours this year, has been sanctioned by the University of Córdoba
@manuelansede reports english.elpais.com/science-t…
Check out this journal cover
Our latest issue is out cell.com/neuron/current
The cover depicts malignant glioma as a maleficent rider controlling neuronal activity. Check out @itsrachelnaomi & coll.'s paper on drivers of glioma-related epilepsy for more:
cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S08… 1/2
Ian McLaughlin, PhD retweeted
Update: 64,100 people texted for a squid fact.
(66212 if you count people who replied "STOP" at some point.)
67,594 seats in the eagles' stadium.
3494 more people until we fill the hypothetical stadium with squid facts. We're getting there.
This gizmo appears to be working perfectly—though I'm pretty sure I'm staring at a screen of some kind for the full 24 hrs
Another fascinating change in the world of scientific publications
In addition to the great points in this thread, it'll be critical for the press to be aware that just because a paper can be found doesn't necessarily equate to credibility—a problem we've had with preprints
Massive news: eLife to abolish accept/reject decisions: papers will just be “peer reviewed”. Others can argue about this, but lots of interesting consequences. 1/9 elifesciences.org/articles/8…
Observed in the wild. Love it!! Easily one of the coolest stickers in Philadelphia.
Now you know where to go.
@SarahMackAttack
Another amazing pic from @Sassephoto. It motivated me to learn about globular clusters—which are bananas and cool. Pretty wonderful talent to have.
47 Tucanae (NGC 104) -Globular Star Cluster, in incredible detail from Chile (0.6m) over several nights. 60s and 600s RGB combined. Zoom in to see single stars. #Astrophotography #astronomy #Cosmos
This work by the @zenbrainest lab & partner labs is very fascinating. Developing a hallucination-free psychiatric medication derived from psychedelic molecules has been an effort for decades. Super exciting to see this progress!
npr.org/sections/health-shot…
The first essay I ever wrote when I decided to get into neuroscience was on ibogaine & 18-MC and the field sure has come a long way.
Peer-reviewed publication (in Nature) here: nature.com/articles/s41586-0…