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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪

@nicoleackermans.com

1.9K followers 400 following 970 posts

Assistant prof neuroscientist studying TBI in headbutters 🐏🐂🐐🪶 at U of Alabama CVN lab. Accepting PhD students! Science correspondent for DTNS. I'll happily ID the random bone you found in the woods!

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · Nov 13

Time for a reintroduction!
I'm an assistant professor at the U of Alabama. I run the Comparative Vertebrate Neurodegeneration Lab (the CoVeN to friends), where our main research focus is modeling chronic TBI in headbutting goats and woodpeckers. 1/...
🧪👩‍🔬🧠

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Reposted by Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪

Eric Ekdale @eekdale.bsky.social · 22h

This is the single most important video that you will watch all day.

Amy @lolennui.bsky.social · 1d

oh hell yeah youtu.be/nGZOFyLrCwk?...

Slug Eating Spaghetti Time Lapse (With Stopwatch Timer)

YouTube video by Nature's Fantastic

youtu.be

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Reposted by Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 1d

A study of nearly 300,000 people published today in the New England Journal of Medicine found “that last season’s 2024–2025 mRNA COVID vaccines reduced people’s risk of emergency department visits by 29 percent, their risk of hospitalizations by 39 percent and their risk of death by 64 percent.”

Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows

A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪

Bea⁷ @beasea613.bsky.social · 1d

If anyone is wondering why the US loves Dolly Parton so much, regardless of what kind of music we like or where we stand politically, this podcast will give you insight into what an incredible human being she is.

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Reposted by Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪

Jason Shepherd @jasonsynaptic.bsky.social · 3d

#goals

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 3d

What are your favorite fieldwork snacks? 🧪

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 5d

How am I supposed to sleep
When my childhood friend is sleeping on a concrete floor
In a prison in the desert

And I feel guilty for even mentioning it. Because my job is science. But I can't think.
I keep thinking about the concrete.

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 6d

I've made stickers. And I'm thinking of organizing a similar event inspired by you next semester but I haven't nailed down exactly which kind yet. Maybe crafts or trivia or something.

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 6d

How today is going:
- check if friend who got arrested has been deported yet
- work on R21
- can't access NIH info because of gvmt shutdown
- mentor student
- check news on the flotilla
- write grant budget justification
- avoid breakdown
- microscopy training
- check news. Get overwhelmed
...

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 7d

Ooh that's helpful! Thank you!

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 7d

In case, like me, you were wondering... The Hatch act is a US federal law that prevents civil service employees in the executive branch of government from engaging in some forms of political activity.

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 7d

It's really hard to keep continuing like everything is fine. There is so much going on.
I found out today one of my friends was on the flotilla. I'm so worried.

Norio Nakatsuji @norionakatsuji.bsky.social · 7d

[Israel stops 41 boats in aid flotilla with one ‘still sailing strong’ | Gaza | The Guardian]

“Activists from Global Sumud flotilla including Greta Thunberg arrested as final boat is presumed intercepted in Palestinian waters“

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Israel stops 41 boats in aid flotilla with one ‘still sailing strong’

Activists from Global Sumud flotilla including Greta Thunberg arrested as final boat is presumed intercepted in Palestinian waters

www.theguardian.com

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 7d

Someone who works with vision: do you have a good figure that can help me explain to students how light gets to the photoreceptors "through" the axons? 🧪 👁️ 🧠

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 7d

slime mold? Always a fun one

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 8d

Sure I'd love that thanks! Email is on my website linked in bio. Thanks!

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 8d

Oh good I get to block you.

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 8d

Does anyone have slides or resources on trans biology they'd be willing to share? I'm covering sex and gender in neuro and want to make sure to cover transness too.
🧪

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

That encompasses my reaction as well 😅

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

I am glad other fields are excited about how awesome woodpeckers are! I don't want to take away from that.
I just want to underline the importance of collaboration between fields to avoid glaring errors like these.

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

Oh I'm not familiar. What's the concept there?

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

Breaking news, woodpeckers spontaneously develop gyrencephaly when studied by engineers /s

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

I'm trying to remain polite but... what is this AI anatomy junk!!? A folded brain? Super thick skull? Random brown organs in the head? PLEASE call a biologist. This should never have gotten through review.

AI generated image falsely representing woodpecker brain anatomy

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

Usually with these types of bio-inspired projects, the engineering is solid but the biological premise is faulty. The engineers don't tend to collaborate with biologists and don't investigate the biology further, perpetuating misconceptions like that of the woodpecker being "immune to brain damage"

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 9d

A perfect example of why my research is needed. The tagline "woodpeckers don't suffer brain injuries" is not entirely true!
My review on why is out soon! 🧪
newatlas.com/drones/swift...

Crash-proof drone inspired by the head of the woodpecker

Despite the fact that they bang their heads against trees on a daily basis, woodpeckers don't suffer brain injuries. Inspired by the tough-headed birds, scientists have developed a fixed-wing drone th...

newatlas.com

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Reposted by Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 11d

Btw, if you’re gonna buy mums this year*, don’t. Buy asters instead. Mums are not native to N. America, asters are. Ideally one grown without pesticides but I know that’s hard to find. Any aster is better than a mum.

*if you live in N. America

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 11d

Some person walking by my friend’s flower pots last night ripped the flowers out so we’re gonna do a real quick emergency aster job here. Nobody tell her I want it to be a surprise.

Sarah’s passenger seat is loaded up with purple flowers and one black eyed Susan poking up in the back

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Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 12d

I had a lucky birding moment this morning. Red shouldered Hawk eating a frog #Binoblast

A red shouldered hawk perched eating a frog

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