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Christopher A. Baker

@bakermind.bsky.social
329 followers 223 following 405 posts

Firstgen Scientist in Yale Center for Infection and Immunity using imaging and transcriptomic technologies to alleviate pain in long COVID and similar syndromes.

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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Completely moved to hear the emotion in your voice, @profgalloway.com, regarding alleged abuse of Belgian Malinois and prisoners. The notion that anyone could abuse the bond of a Malinois to perpetuate heinous acts is disgusting. They will die for you. Mine is one of the best things to happen to me
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
The ghost of Golgi arises to challenge Cajal www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Astroengrams: rethinking the cellular substrate for memory - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Recent evidence suggests that astrocytes, through coordinated activation in sparse ensembles, contribute to memory traces — termed ‘astro-neuronal engrams’. In this Perspective, Sánchez Romero and Nav...
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Dating myself, but I'm always excited to hear a streaming recording of a show where I was present. My voice from the past is coming back to me
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
They once told you to never read the comments, but one of the best parts of social media nowadays is reading the comments on official government posts
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
I've been a fan of @wiringthebrain.bsky.social for many years and notice that he spent a lot of time criticizing epigenetics and now he's laying into gut-brain axis. 🧵 1/
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
This essential truth applies to vaccine debates, political issues, and public trust of scientists: facts only helps humans justify the choice they are already making. To persuade anyone you must appeal to personal safety and identity first. youtu.be/dtxjpLCVTMQ?...
youtu.be
Facts Don't Win Buy-In (Learn What Actually Does)
YouTube video by Dr. Grace Lee
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Which Renaissance painting is this
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
The first paper for this year's medicine Nobel was NOT published in Science, Nature, or Cell. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medic...
nobelprize.org
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
So glad I've spent the last couple of days in the woods immersed in science and teamwork with @virusesimmunity.bsky.social, @yalecii.bsky.social, and colleagues, unplugged from media for the most part
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
A farewell to the summer with a suggestion from @anderseriksson.bsky.social : it's not Mountain Dew; it's a chartreuse swizzle (Chartreuse, pineapple juice, lime juice and falernum), which is orders of magnitude more expensive (glass from Cognitive Surplus)
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
intersection of SARS-CoV-2 and beta amyloid gets at concepts that have bugged me for years: 1) that amyloid deposition is an antecedent of infection or host defense, and 2) that spike protein itself may have amyloidogenic properties. science.org/doi/epdf/10....
science.org
SARS-CoV-2 induces Alzheimer’s disease–related amyloid-β pathology in ex vivo human retinal explants and retinal organoids
You have to enable JavaScript in your browser's settings in order to use the eReader.
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
I made a post earlier about Fluorescence Friday, but some people say it's Fascist Friday because of the ouster of UVA president... to which I say I'm still going to do science for the public interest for as long as I can
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
People consider the pineal gland to be a Third Eye. Maybe they should have focused on the Subfornical Organ instead - also in the middle of the brain, but with a newly acknowledged pathway for T cell traffic between the gut and the brain that affects behavior #FluorescenceFriday
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
This seems like a general principle in nature and not mysterious: early rate of return leads to a large inequity over time. That applies to success, wealth, and viral replication www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Early grant success attracts more funding: study of 100,000 applicants hints at why
Largest study of its kind explores the ‘Matthew effect’ in research.
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
What I think of every time I hear Trump say "two weeks"
media.tenor.com
a woman with red hair and a scarf around her neck is wearing a yellow sweater and a scarf .
ALT: a woman with red hair and a scarf around her neck is wearing a yellow sweater and a scarf .
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Which Renaissance painter is this #accidentalrenaissance
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
For this #fluorescencefriday I've got my go-to image of small pain sensing nerve fibers and collagen in the toe, now selected as one of many examples of the "Beauty of Science" for the current exhibit at @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
A Bouvaldier, because it's been that kind of week
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
I just want to thank @profgalloway.com for this uplifting commentary on American universities as engines of innovation, as well as his recognition of PhDs as incredible contributors to society and human knowledge. Have a nice weekend youtu.be/r4N7BKtgJHo?...
youtu.be
How Trump Plans to Incentivize a Baby Boom | Pivot
YouTube video by Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Today's activity: not exactly Maiden or Master of Puppets
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
"COVID-19 has killed more Americans than all the wars in the 20th century combined" ~ Shane Crotty, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Has importing python packages been a major problem to making your code great? Now you can impose TARIFFS on whenever you import a package github.com/hxu296/tariff
github.com
GitHub - hxu296/tariff: The official repository for tariff
The official repository for tariff. Contribute to hxu296/tariff development by creating an account on GitHub.
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Nominations open for a prize in nanometer-scale connectomics, in honor of my friend Jennifer N. Bourne www.sfn.org/careers/awar...
sfn.org
Jennifer N. Bourne Prize in Neuronal and Synaptic Structure and Function
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
If New Haven is Avelo Air's most important market, they might have shot themselves in the foot by signing up to conduct ICE deportation flights (and then blaming New Haven for their problems) www.nhregister.com/news/article...
nhregister.com
Avelo's defense of ICE deportation flights targets Tweed, shows tension between airline and airport
Avelo's CEO says the airline needs to fly ICE deportation charters to shore up its bottom line because of Tweed Airport issues
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Songs of hope wtop.com/montgomery-c...
wtop.com
Employees returning to work at NIH in Bethesda are met with songs of support - WTOP News
As federal workers on Monday returned to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, they were met by supporters holding signs and offering thanks.
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Data Report @datareport.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Whooping cough cases continue to surge in Seattle, and across Washington mynorthwest.com/local/whoopi...
mynorthwest.com
Whooping cough surging in Washington and Seattle
Whooping cough cases continue to surge in Seattle and across Washington state.
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
We polled Nature readers to ask if they were thinking of leaving the US for jobs abroad. Three-quarters of them (who said they were US-based scientists) said yes. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving
More than 1,600 readers answered our poll; many said they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada.
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Patient-Led Research Collaborative @patientled.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
The elimination of: grants to study #LongCovid, the Office of LC, & Advisory Committee on LC — have sent a chilling signal. We encourage folks to take the following action led by our partners: 1. Call your reps: win.newmode.net/longcovidcam... 2. Email your reps: actionnetwork.org/letters/long...
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Metaphor www.sfgate.com/national-par...
sfgate.com
America's 'Tree of Life' is nearing the end of its life
'Tree of Life,' a Sitka spruce in Olympic National Park, is nearing the end of its life on the Washington coast.
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
KFF Health News @kffhealthnews.org · 26/03/2025
“I am going through hell”: The Trump administration’s mass firings are harming federal workers’ mental health, with major consequences for their lives, families, and communities. 📝: @rachanadpradhan.bsky.social + @aneripattani.bsky.social bit.ly/4c7KoUL
kffhealthnews.org
‘I Am Going Through Hell’: Job Loss, Mental Health, and the Fate of Federal Workers - KFF Health News
Since the Trump administration began firing federal workers, they say they feel overwhelmed, have obtained or considered seeking psychiatric care and medication, and are anxious about paying their bil...
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
@karaswisher.bsky.social I'm dying for you and Scott to address the gutting of science (and academics in general) under this administration on @pivotpod.bsky.social. You can discuss all tech and economic activity generated by NIH not to mention the novel therapeutics www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Saying ‘pandemic is over,’ NIH starts cutting COVID-19 research
Grant terminations halt research on improving vaccinations and preventing future pandemics
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Update from @science.org on termination of grants to study antivirals medications, pan-viral vaccines, and long COVID www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Saying ‘pandemic is over,’ NIH starts cutting COVID-19 research
Grant terminations halt research on improving vaccinations and preventing future pandemics
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
COVID funding is being terminated
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
www.thetransmitter.org/science-and-...
thetransmitter.org
Acting NIH director dismisses four neuroscientists from advisory boards
The letters they received this week did not include a reason for their termination.
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Looks like climate is definitely on the chopping block. So much for RFK saying he was an advocate for environmental causes of chronic illness. I think it only matters if the causes are certain ones. Deepest sorrow and condolences
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Mouse midline cerebral cortex, including the anterior cingulate area, motor cortex, and somatosensory cortex. Nuclei in blue and myelin tracts in green. Magenta staining for the c-Fos immediate-early gene as a proxy for sustained neuronal activity. #FluorescenceFriday
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Enigmatic Mammal is the name of my new band news.yale.edu/2025/03/11/6...
news.yale.edu
A 62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on an enigmatic mammal
A remarkably well-preserved skeleton of Mixodectes pungens offers insights into mammals’ evolutionary trajectory after non-avian dinosaur extinction.
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Jon Douglas @atranscendedman.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Researchers in Catalonia followed 2764 people with COVID-19 and found that 23% developed long-COVID. In half of these cases, symptoms lasted at least two years Risk was higher for women, younger adults, and those with severe infection/chronic condition bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com
Risk, determinants, and persistence of long-COVID in a population-based cohort study in Catalonia - BMC Medicine
Background Long-COVID has mostly been investigated in clinical settings. We aimed to assess the risk, subtypes, persistence, and determinants of long-COVID in a prospective population-based study of a...
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
The nominee for NIH director “isn’t sure COVID vaccines killed more people than they’ve saved.” COVID vaccines saved at least 20 million people the first year they were available alone. Please share this with your Senators (call them!).
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
IMO the purpose of peer review is to improve the scientific literature. Suggest experiments to bolster conclusions, or qualifying statements that acknowledge limitations of the study. Reject if these actions cannot bring the paper to the standard of the journal in question
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Denis Wirtz @deniswirtz.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Looks like NIH Councils are going to resume meeting in April/May
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
The answers to whether anything is independent of SARS-COV2 infection are probably near zero. Even if antibodies against the virus are undetectable, one will always say "well they have waned" (which goes for both neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies) www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
researchsquare.com
Recurrent waning of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies despite multiple antigen encounters
Background: SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies may protect against symptomatic infection in immunized individuals. However, vaccine-induced antibody levels wane over time, reducing vaccine efficacy. T...
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13/03/2025
holy shit this question at the Rep. Chuck Edwards town hall 🔥🔥🔥
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
CT's Blumenthal is also a NO x.com/SenBlumentha...
x.com
Richard Blumenthal on X: "I will vote NO on the Republican funding measure. https://t.co/nfrObzc8sg" / X
I will vote NO on the Republican funding measure. https://t.co/nfrObzc8sg
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
One CT senator isn't going along with whatever Chuck cooked up (unless he's changed his mind). His bluesky isn't updated but he's pinned thisbat Twitter x.com/ChrisMurphyC...
x.com
Chris Murphy 🟧 on X: "I will vote NO on the Republican spending bill tomorrow. I want to tell you why. It’s important. https://t.co/Exz74LmqhP" / X
I will vote NO on the Republican spending bill tomorrow. I want to tell you why. It’s important. https://t.co/Exz74LmqhP
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
"This is a massive loss for neuroscience,” says Cory Miller. By @avaskham.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/funding/u-s-...
thetransmitter.org
U.S. BRAIN Initiative set to lose $81 million this year
A government spending bill, approved today by the House of Representatives, allocates 20 percent less funding for the program than last year.
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
There remain people who don't listen to patients and say their symptoms are "not a thing" However, 18% of American adults report a long COVID experience, and 5% are CURRENTLY having symptoms. That's 13 million people. Don't sweep them (or anyone else) under the rug. www.statista.com/chart/31773/...
statista.com
Infographic: Long Covid Continues to Affect Americans
This chart shows the share of U.S. adults who have had/are experiencing long covid, as a percentage of all U.S. adults.
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Charles Jennings @chasjennings.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
This message needs to be heard widely.
news.harvard.edu
NIH funding delivers exponential economic returns — Harvard Gazette
Report finds all 50 states reap gains in patient health, job creation, research resources, business development.
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Christopher A. Baker @bakermind.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Without having dove too deep here, I note that certainly 2-3 doses of vax protect against long COVID, but one dose less so - particularly post-Omicron and with known previous infections. It keeps me thinking that repeated SARS-COV2 infections are not independent events regarding LC risk
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Reposted by Christopher A. Baker
Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
In fiscal year 2024, the report found, NIH awarded more than $36.9 billion to researchers, supporting more than 408,000 jobs and generating over $94.5 billion in new economic activity nationwide. news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu
NIH funding delivers exponential economic returns — Harvard Gazette
Report finds all 50 states reap gains in patient health, job creation, research resources, business development.
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