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Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬

@neuromusings.bsky.social
627 followers 824 following 93 posts

Music, Food and Science Junkie | Grad School Survivor | Collegiate Assistant Professor @VTNeuro | She/Her (aka Neuro_musings from the site formerly known as Twitter)

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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 13h
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognizes @deisseroth.bsky.social, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for developing optogenetics—read more about this transformative technique and its applications in @thetransmitter.bsky.social’s archive: www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/swi...
thetransmitter.org
Switching neurons on and off to probe autism circuits
A 3D optogenetics method can mimic natural rhythms of neural activity, rendering previously unanswerable questions amenable to inquiry — including questions about autism.
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Science Magazine @science.org · 14h
Exclusive: A new analysis refutes James Watson’s claim that he was the first to recognize the significance of the famed photograph 51. scim.ag/4rTKck8
scim.ag
How did Rosalind Franklin miss the helix in her iconic DNA image? She didn’t
New analysis refutes James Watson’s claim he was first to recognize significance of famed photograph 51
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Nobel Prize @nobelprize.org · 22h
The 2026 Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine have laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience.
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Nobel Prize @nobelprize.org · 22h
Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel – awarded the 2026 medicine prize – discovered a remarkable protein, channelrhodopsin, in a single-celled alga. Hegemann wondered how Chlamydomonas, a single-celled alga, is able to swim towards a light source.
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Nobel Prize @nobelprize.org · 22h
This year’s medicine laureate Karl Deisseroth transformed the protein channelrhodopsin into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. Deisseroth introduced the gene for channelrhodopsin into nerve cells from rats. By illuminating the cells with blue light, he was able to trigger a nerve signal.
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Alex DiFeliceantonio @difeliceantonio.bsky.social · 21h
Out today in @naturemetabolism.bsky.social ! www.nature.com/articles/s42... Excited to see this one out. I’ve been yapping about it forever! @fralinbiomed.bsky.social
nature.com
Metabolic and neural responses to ultraprocessed foods: a randomized, controlled, crossover study - Nature Metabolism
In a randomized study in 57 healthy-weight adults, researchers compared nutritionally matched ultraprocessed and non-ultraprocessed meals and found that ultraprocessed foods elicited greater insulin a...
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Sameer Ashar @sameer-ashar.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This is my nephew, please forward to your networks, esp any University of Maryland students.
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Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬 @neuromusings.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Streaming the Power to the People concert today has made working on a Saturday a lot more tolerable. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLnT...
youtube.com
LIVE EXCLUSIVE: "POWER TO THE PEOPLE" with Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, and more!
YouTube video by MS NOW
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Jim Woodgett @jwoodgett.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I have the confidence in my cognitive abilities to write perfectly well enough without resorting to tools built from stealing the writing of others. So do you. We’ve all been doing this for a long time. Don’t let people whose wealth depends on making you feel incompetent convince you otherwise.
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
📣 Assistant Professor of Teaching in Neuroscience at UCLA! ☀️ 🧠 Apply before Nov 9th recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11315
recruit.apo.ucla.edu
Assistant Professor of Teaching in Neuroscience in the UCLA Department of Psychology and Undergraduate Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
University of California, Los Angeles is hiring. Apply now!
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Science peeps: Looks like SciENcv updated the digital certificate used to sign Biosketch and Current & Pending documents without notification. The old certificate expires Saturday, September 26, 2026. SciENcv docs before that date may fail validation in eRA Commons delaying or blocking submission.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I want you to think about the kids in your life. Maybe those kids are 8. Maybe they are 32. Do they know enough about snails? Hard to imagine anyone truly knowing *enough* about snails. Help those kids learn snailhood. Get them a Snail Facts advent calendar. SquidFacts.net.
An 11x14 inch poster featuring snails, slugs, nudibranchs, and other snails! There are 24 yellow-green snail shells that you can scratch off. There's a leaf sheep and sea bunny and sea angel and fire snail and banana slug and mystery snail and ramshorn snail and candy cane snail
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Nita Farahany @nitafarahany.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just out in Nature an extraordinary paper by @sergiuppasca.bsky.social and his team who genetically altered mice & transferred organoids derived from human neural cells into the cortex. @anilseth.bsky.social and I explore the ethical implications in a forthcoming commentary.
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Jeremiah Cohen @jeremiahycohen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Happy to share the version of record of our locus coeruleus paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Prior thread on some of our discoveries in this study: bsky.app/profile/jere...
nature.com
Topographic structure and function of locus coeruleus noradrenaline neurons - Nature
Dorsal and ventral noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus form topographic subpopulations whose projection patterns and activity encode choice switching, reward-prediction errors and disregard o...
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Ashley Juavinett, PhD @ashleyjuavinett.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
If there are any PhD hopefuls on here, I wanted to share a few thoughts on your timeline for the upcoming admissions cycle, with apps due starting mid-November. What should you be doing right now? ✔️ Generating a list of schools ✔️ Reaching out to possible recommenders 🧵!
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Physicians for a Healthy Democracy @physiciandemocracy.medsky.social · 02/09/2026
abcnews.com/Business/wir...
abcnews.com
Global warming will exceed limit, UN says
In a strategic retreat, the United Nations concedes that Earth has lost its chance to prevent some of the worst impacts of global warming
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Academic Chatter @academic-chatter.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
We should probably stop treating the number of things someone has produced as a proxy for how much thinking they have done.
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Nick @natwell.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
There’s a lot of terrible things going on but this is a genuinely great thing.
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The Department of Psychology at University of Minnesota seeks an Assistant Professor working on computational approaches related to cognition and/or perception (broadly). This would be in my area of the department and I’m happy to answer any questions. Posting : hr.myu.umn.edu/psc/hrprd/EM...
google.com
Careers
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Computational Approaches to Perception and/or CognitionDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of Minnesota, College of Liberal ArtsThe Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities announces a search for an outstanding scholar to fill a tenure-track assistant professor position focused on computational approaches to perception and/or cognition. This full-time position in the Department’s Cognitive and Brain Sciences (CAB) Training Program will begin in Fall 2027.Applications are invited from researchers who would extend or complement our historic strengths in combining experimental and computational approaches to perception and cognition. Examples of desired research topics include, but are not limited to, computational approaches in human and/or non-human animal models to study perceptual function and sensory loss, learning, motivation, emotion, and/or higher cognition. While we expect the primary appointment to be in our CAB area, there is  potential for cross-affiliation with other departmental areas.The appointment will be 100%-time over the nine-month academic year (late-August to late-May) and will be made at the rank of tenure-track assistant professor, depending on qualifications and experience and consistent with collegiate and University policy. Salary and start-up packages are competitive. The successful applicant should have and is expected to maintain a strong research program, advise graduate students from a variety of different backgrounds, and teach undergraduate and graduate courses, including core courses within the graduate training program. A strong record of teaching and mentorship is desired. The individual will also be expected to contribute to the service needs of the department, college, university, and profession.A successful candidate's application will demonstrate scholarly distinction, a record of publications, teaching commitment and, if applicable to the research program and the candidate’s career stage, evidence of success in securing and/or pursuing extramural funding.Applicants are invited to review the Workload Principles and Guidelines for Regular Faculty in the College of Liberal Arts, as well as the Standards for Promotion and Tenure in the Department of Psychology.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This is REALLY important. “Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same That perception gap on the issue is among the highest in the world, per a new Gallup poll.” They want you to think you’re alone. You’re not. #ClimateCrisis
sherwood.news
Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same
That perception gap on the issue is among the highest in the world, per a new Gallup poll....
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
When I was a medical resident in India in the 90s, I rarely saw kids with measles. And I did not see much of polio or diphtheria or whooping cough either None of this was luck It was because childhood vaccination coverage in that region of India was high, and vaccines were highly effective
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Coleen Murphy @ctmurphy1.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
More relevant today than expected, but found ourselves explaining that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism last night to a waitress. Explaining Wakefield's motivations ($$$) makes more sense than statistics or biological facts, we found
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Proud to share the first of a series of papers on “Picture a ‘Black in Neuro’ Scientist.” A thoughtful perspective on how mentorship is a reciprocal ecosystem and a necessary institutional investment! academic.oup.com/oons/article...
academic.oup.com
Mentorship as a Mechanism for Equity, Retention & Scientific Innovation in Neuroscience-related Careers
Abstract. Despite rapid advances in neuroscience, Black scientists remain persistently underrepresented across training and career stages, reflecting struc
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Anna Meier @annameier.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
If you have so much work to do that you feel you need AI in order to get it all done: you don't. You need a union.
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Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Please share--the Shansky lab is currently recruiting at all levels to work on an NIH-funded project investigating sex differences in the neural circuits that drive defensive behaviors. The official job ad isn't yet up, but interested folks can contact me as instructed here www.shanskylab.com/join
shanskylab.com
Join — Shansky Lab
The lab at our end-of-semester field day
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Science Magazine @science.org · 05/08/2026
Scientists have created the first comprehensive map of the human vagus nerve, tracing thousands of individual nerve fibers stretching from the lower brain stem to all major organs. scim.ag/457X63m
scim.ag
Major highway of the human nervous system gets a complete road map
First comprehensive map of the vagus nerve may point to more precise stimulation therapies
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Vivek Nityananda @viveknityananda.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Very proud of the special issue of Animal Behaviour I worked on with @wascherclaudia.bsky.social and @nicolakoyama.bsky.social on addressing biases in animal behaviour. Thanks to all authors- plenty of cool papers to read. Here's our editorial: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @asab.org
sciencedirect.com
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Siri Leknes @sirileknes.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A really interesting finding from this study was a dissociation between affect & motivation: Stress induction increased self-administration despite the drug not actually helping people cope with the stress: no improvement in positive or negative affect (vs placebo)
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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 10/07/2026
I joined the Sohal lab with one major hypothesis: psychedelic drugs can be powerful psychiatric treatments, depending on underlying neurobiology. Indeed, psilocybin restored cognitive flexibility in one circuit model of dysfunction, but not another! Then, we had to find out how! 🧠🍄🧪
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Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · 30/07/2026
“If the government hadn’t funded research into desert lizard venom, we wouldn’t know about semaglutide…If research scientists hadn’t studied how bees optimize nectar foraging within a colony, we wouldn’t have the algorithm that assigns internet traffic” www.publicnotice.co/p/michael-kr...
publicnotice.co
The new "science golden age" looks suspiciously like a grift
Trump wants to run scientific research like his family business.
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sanjana! @sanjanacurtis.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
"This appears to be a long document ... save time by reading a summary" my biggest goal in life was to get paid for reading long documents leave me alone !!
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Drew Schreiner @schreinerdrew.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Psychology paper studying undergraduates: “We need to confront the fact that our subjects are WEIRD and results may not generalize” Systems Neuroscience paper studying one inbred mouse strain: “Here is how the mammalian brain works.”
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Nose Stuck in a Book Blog @nsiabblog.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I feel attacked #booksky
You’re doing a lot of scrolling for someone who has a book to read
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Black In Neuro @blackinneuro.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
📣 It's Roll Call time! Kick off #BINW26 by introducing yourself! Share a selfie or short video telling us who you are, what you do, and the future you're helping reimagine. 🧠 Tag us and use #BINRollCall so we can celebrate our amazing community! Tag 3 BIN members you'd like to see join Roll Call ✨
Promotional graphic for #BINRollCall during Black In Neuro Week 2026. The design features a blue sunburst background with an arch-shaped cream panel. At the top, a blue banner reads "Mon 27 July, 2026." The center text says: "Kick off #BINW26 by introducing yourself! Share a selfie or short video telling us who you are, what you do, and what future you're helping reimagine." The Black In Neuro logo appears in the bottom left corner, and #BINW26 is displayed in a banner at the bottom.
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Cat Hicks @grimalkina.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
SEATTLE friends: Cat-in-real-life alert! I am in Seattle this week and decided to host a small (limited spots) Psychology of Software Teams happy hour this thursday July 30th, 4-6pm. RSVP here for location & to secure a spot: luma.com/lxcmtn68
luma.com
The Psychology of Software Teams: Seattle happy hour edition · Luma
Let's talk about being more human in tech! Join a small group for a happy hour meetup talking about getting better psychology in our software and technical…
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I have two preprints out (and under review/revision) and another coming soon (linked below), and I go up for tenure next spring. So if your department is looking for a speaker - call me! (Actually do not. Email me. I am a millennial and unexpected phone calls give me anxiety). 🧪
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Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 27/07/2026
#ProcB in @bbc.co.uk | Reassuring body contact promotes social tolerance in bonobos and chimpanzees: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
bbc.co.uk
Great Apes kiss and cuddle to keep the peace, says study
Hugging before stressful events may be an ancient way of building trust, say scientists studying apes.
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
Neuronline (SfN) @neuronline.sfn.org · 23/07/2026
Early-career neuroscientist? Learn how to turn your science into policy impact. Join former SfN Early Career Policy Ambassadors for this webinar on advocacy, science communication, and connecting with policymakers. Aug 6, 1–2PM EDT. 🔗: vist.ly/5c99k
SfN logo, Neuronline logo, Professional Development Webinar, Science to Policy: Practical Advocacy Training for Early Career Neuroscientists, Thursday, August 6, 1– 2 p.m. EDT 
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Reposted by Dr. Aparna Shah 🧠 👩‍🔬
PREreview @prereview.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
🎉 We’re celebrating #PeerReviewWeek with a Review-a-thon! Gather your lab, classroom, department, or community to review preprints or datasets as a team, in any language or research field. You can win a prize to support your Club's activities! Learn more & register by Aug. 31: bit.ly/Review-a-thon
Review-a-thon flyer with the Peer Review Week logo on the top-right corner. Celebrate #PeerReviewWeek by reviewing together. 14-18 September, 2026. Three icons with numbers signaling the three steps to participate: 1° Register a PREreview Club or create your own. 2° Publish at least 1 collaborative review. 3° Win a prize for your Club. A QR code leads to the Review-a-thon website and reads “Register by August 31”. PREreview logo on the bottom-left corner.
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Black In Neuro @blackinneuro.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
💼 Your neuroscience career can take you anywhere. Join #NeuroCareers at #BINW26 for "Becoming a Global Asset in Neuroscience," a career panel on building skills, expanding your network, and making an impact worldwide. 🗓 July 31 | 🕛 12–1:30 PM ET Registration is open now!
Promotional graphic for #NeuroCareers, a featured day of Black In Neuro Week 2026. The flyer has a retro-inspired purple sunburst background with a cream arch-shaped panel. A banner at the top reads "Fri 31 July, 2026." The text invites attendees to explore the future of neuroscience through global collaboration and innovation. It encourages Black neuroscientists from around the world to discuss building sustainable scientific communities. The featured event is a Career Panel titled "Becoming a Global Asset in Neuroscience," taking place from 12:00–1:30 PM ET. The Black In Neuro logo appears in the bottom left corner, and #BINW26 is displayed in a banner across the bottom.
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PBF Comics @pbfcomics.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
“What a beautiful universe, hon" says a telescope as gazes upon an aurora borealis. “It really is”, responds the telescope's partner, who it turns out is not a telescope, but a microscope. Hands full of algae, she wades waist deep in a disgusting swamp, amazed by the heavenly microscopic life all around them.
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Dennis Goris | Cartoons @dennisgoris.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I’ll stick with the bread #cyclospora
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 17/07/2026
Probably more helpful to think of them not so much as “Canadian wildfires” but rather “climate change wildfires currently consuming Canada”
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Earl K. Miller @earlkmiller.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
MIT Professor Susumu Tonegawa, renowned molecular biologist and Nobel laureate, dies at 86 news.mit.edu/2026/mit-pro... #neuroscience
news.mit.edu
MIT Professor Susumu Tonegawa, renowned molecular biologist and Nobel laureate, dies at 86
Susumu Tonegawa, a renowned MIT professor of biology and neuroscience and a Nobel laureate, has died at the age of 86. His discovery of how the immune system generates many different antibodies earned...
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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
JOIN US TODAY! With @aaup.org and @aft.org
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
People who spiral out overusing LLM chatbots are really just experiencing the kind of brain-damaging stream of unconditional validation that’s always been the norm for the hyper-wealthy, which explains a lot.
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Luke Sjulson @lukesjulson.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Want to understand the new OMB rules and why many researchers are concerned? @rossenator.bsky.social put together an outstanding video series: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... She also compiled advocacy resources: github.com/rrosslab/Pol... Please like and repost so they reach a wider audience!
youtube.com
Take Action for Science and Public Health - YouTube
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
“When mayors in other cities ask me how #Copenhagen afforded to invest in its cycling networks, I ask them how on earth they have been able to afford highway projects. We invested in bike lanes because that was the cheapest option.” What the world can learn from Copenhagen’s cycling revolution.
theprogressplaybook.com
Copenhagen Cycling Revolution: Lessons for Cities
Close to two-thirds of the city’s residents commute by bike to school or work every day.
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Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Happy #MicroscopyMonday! This live image captures a larval sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) that refracts light like a gemstone. The vibrant, true-color image highlights the organism’s birefringence. Imaged by @shribak.bsky.social) and @karenecheverri.bsky.social from the MBL’s Bell Center.
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