ilanawitten.bsky.social
Ilana Witten
@ilanawitten.bsky.social
1.2K followers 130 following 4 posts
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Ilana Witten
mohebial.bsky.social
Ali Mohebi @mohebial.bsky.social · 3d
Excited to hear the latest science updates from @czimmerman.bsky.social on Monday, 1-2 pm CST. You can join us too—either on Zoom or in person! bit.ly/3VOJrcy
Neuroscience lecture by Dr. Chris Zimmerman on Body-Brain interactions in learning
1 12 33
Reposted by Ilana Witten
intlbrainlab.bsky.social
International Brain Laboratory @intlbrainlab.bsky.social · Sep 3
Two flagship papers from the International Brain Laboratory, now out in ‪@Nature.com‬:
🧠 Brain-wide map of neural activity during complex behaviour: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09235-0
🧠 Brain-wide representations of prior information in mouse decision-making: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09226-1 +
2 69 120
Reposted by Ilana Witten
olveczky.bsky.social
Bence Ölveczky @olveczky.bsky.social · Aug 25
Wrote a eulogy for the yellow letters in my office window. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
My Lab Displayed A Message of Solidarity on Our Windows. Harvard Took It Down. | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
If we continue down this path, we risk not only Harvard’s future as an institution of free inquiry and expression but also its integrity and trustworthiness.
www.thecrimson.com
4 52 120
Reposted by Ilana Witten
ptoncompmemlab.bsky.social
Norman Lab @ptoncompmemlab.bsky.social · Aug 13
Come work with us! @princetonneuro.bsky.social and the Department of Psychology at Princeton University are searching for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of human cognitive neuroscience, to be hired jointly in Psychology and Neuroscience: puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...
puwebp.princeton.edu
2 64 69
ilanawitten.bsky.social
Ilana Witten @ilanawitten.bsky.social · Aug 5
We're looking for a research assistant to work in our neuroscience lab at @princetonneuro.bsky.social @hhmi.org where we study learning and decision-making circuitry.

Apply here: research-princeton.icims.com/jobs/21001/r...

Pls share w/ anyone who might be interested!
36 39
Reposted by Ilana Witten
guidomeijer.com
Guido Meijer @guidomeijer.com · Aug 5
🚨Pre-print alert🚨

We stimulated serotonin with optogenetics while doing large-scale Neuropixel recordings across the mouse brain. We found strong widespread modulation of neural activity, but no effect on the choices of the mouse 🐭

How is this possible? Strap in! (1/9) 👇🧵

doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Serotonin drives choice-independent reconfiguration of distributed neural activity
Serotonin (5-HT) is a central neuromodulator which is implicated in, amongst other functions, cognitive flexibility. 5-HT is released from the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) throughout nearly the entire f...
doi.org
3 35 91
Reposted by Ilana Witten
czimmerman.bsky.social
Chris Zimmerman @czimmerman.bsky.social · Jul 8
I’m very excited to share that I will join the University of Utah Department of Neurobiology as an Assistant Professor in Jan 2026!! 🎉🏔️🏜️

My lab will focus on body–brain interactions in learning & memory — how do signals from our internal organs remodel the brain & behavior?
University of Utah Health Campus in winter. Image courtesy of the University of Utah.
18 12 140
Reposted by Ilana Witten
americas-lab.bsky.social
America's Lab @americas-lab.bsky.social · May 31
Am I pregnant? Pregnancy tests have been around since ancient Egypt, but did you know the first reliable at home test was the result of publicly funded science? The first hCG sensitive test was first developed by scientists at the NIH.

Learn more here: publicusaresearchbenefits.com/examples/202...
NIH reproduction research creates the world's first reliable at-home pregnancy test
NIH funding for what was then cutting edge research into human reproductive biology lead to the study of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which could be used to check for pregnancy in a...
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
2 5
Reposted by Ilana Witten
americas-lab.bsky.social
America's Lab @americas-lab.bsky.social · May 24
we're crowd-sourcing a searchable repository of tangible benefits stemming from federally-funded research. Come enjoy the great stories; or send in an idea; or volunteer to join the team.

publicusaresearchbenefits.com

please re-post so we get more great stories in there!
Searchable database of tangible benefits that federally-funded research gave us.
A crowd-sourced site. Health and Well-being. National Security. Prosperity.
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
11 8
Reposted by Ilana Witten
petebuttigieg.bsky.social
Pete Buttigieg @petebuttigieg.bsky.social · May 23
America cannot long remain free, nor first among nations, if it becomes the kind of place where universities are dismantled because they don't align politically with the current head of the government.
1.5K 11K 48K
Reposted by Ilana Witten
cantlonlab.bsky.social
CantlonLab @cantlonlab.bsky.social · Apr 23
Scientists whose Science Homecoming op-eds are mentioned in this Nature story include @flagel-lab.bsky.social @keananjoyner.bsky.social @magpine.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How we’re battling Trump’s science cuts across small-town America
Neuroscientist Jessica Cantlon is urging scientists to use the power of local newspapers in the fight against US research-funding cuts.
www.nature.com
1 9 12
Reposted by Ilana Witten
jessedjenkins.com
Jesse D. Jenkins @jessedjenkins.com · Apr 15
Now there's a memorable stat!

"Colleges and universities are among America’s most competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined."

wapo.st/3EvzMCI
Opinion | Trump is killing one of our strongest exports
The president wants to balance U.S. trade deficits? He can’t do it without this industry he hates.
wapo.st
22 450 1K
Reposted by Ilana Witten
kim.senate.gov
Senator Andy Kim @kim.senate.gov · Apr 15
My statement calling for the rightful return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia
54 120 570
Reposted by Ilana Witten
czimmerman.bsky.social
Chris Zimmerman @czimmerman.bsky.social · Apr 3
How do we associate the flavors we experience during a meal 🍽️😋 with postingestive effects like food poisoning 🤢🤮 that arise much later?

Our answer in @nature.com this week: Illness signals from the gut reactivate and strengthen flavor representations in the amygdala.

📄: nature.com/articles/s41...
A neural mechanism for learning from delayed postingestive feedback - Nature
Illness signals from the gut reactivate and strengthen flavour representations in the amygdala to support learning from delayed postingestive feedback.
www.nature.com
10 50 170
Reposted by Ilana Witten
princetonneuro.bsky.social
Princeton Neuroscience Institute @princetonneuro.bsky.social · Apr 2
One bad oyster, lasting brain change 🧠 Princeton neuroscientist @czimmerman.bsky.social reveals how a bad meal creates a lasting foul food memory.

📰: pni.princeton.edu/news/2025/ho...
How the brain remembers what gave you food poisoning
We've all been there: one bad oyster ruins seafood forever. Now, Princeton neuroscientists have pinpointed how the brain stores memories for these powerful food aversions in mice. The new results reve...
pni.princeton.edu
1 6 13
Reposted by Ilana Witten
sainsburywellcome.bsky.social
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social · Mar 31
Ever sworn off a food after a bad experience? Your brain knows what made you sick, even many hours later.

@czimmerman.bsky.social, from @princetonneuro.bsky.social studies how the brain learns from delayed post-ingestive feedback.

Read more in our Q&A:

www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/qa/it-mu...
Light sheet microscopy image showing neural activation (blue) during food poisoning in the central amygdala of the mouse brain. Credit: Christopher Zimmerman
3 7
Reposted by Ilana Witten
andrewleifer.bsky.social
Andrew Leifer @andrewleifer.bsky.social · Mar 25
"We are passionate about science and its benefits to society, but we fear more what will happen if we do not help defend everyone’s fundamental rights." Op-ed I co-wrote w/ @samwang.bsky.social @jpillowtime.bsky.social @ilanawitten.bsky.social & David Tank www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2025...
To stop intimidation, Eisgruber needs your help
When targeting one institution is a bald attempt to divide and conquer, as is the case with Columbia, it is essential for a coalition or group of institutions and individuals to stand up together.&nbs...
www.dailyprincetonian.com
3 10 19
Reposted by Ilana Witten
njindivisible.bsky.social
Indivisible One New Jersey ❌👑 @njindivisible.bsky.social · Mar 24
"If you don’t like what is happening to this country, you don’t need to wait for someone to come along and save it: You need each other."

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/o...
Opinion | There Is a Way for Democrats to Stop Trump and Save America (Gift Article)
The Democratic Party can’t stop America’s spiral into autocracy and oligarchy unless it casts off its stale talking points and reimagines what it stands for.
www.nytimes.com
3 44 100
Reposted by Ilana Witten
kwcollins.bsky.social
Kevin Collins @kwcollins.bsky.social · Mar 17
Scientists have just cured pancreatic cancer in some patients with personalized mRNA vaccines. Pancreatic cancer. And this Trump administration wants to throw it all away.

They’re throwing away a cure for cancer.
aawayne.bsky.social
Alex Wayne @aawayne.bsky.social · Mar 16
Exclusive: NIH officials have advised scientists to remove reference to mRNA vaccines from their grant applications, in expectation the Trump administration intends to abandon most research in the field.

By @arthurallen202.bsky.social

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub mRNA References on Grants - KFF Health News
Two senior scientists say National Institutes of Health officials advised them to remove references to mRNA vaccines in grant applications, and they fear the Trump administration will abandon a promis...
kffhealthnews.org
610 13K 24K
Reposted by Ilana Witten
ezralevin.bsky.social
Ezra Levin ❌👑 @ezralevin.bsky.social · Mar 7
I'm having a hard time finding anything to disagree with in this succinct, insightful, research-based piece with practical advice.
brianklaas.bsky.social
Brian Klaas @brianklaas.bsky.social · Mar 6
I wrote about how Trump is destroying American democracy, along with eight crucial lessons about how to counteract it, drawing on my 14 years of studying brave pro-democracy opposition movements in authoritarian regimes across the globe. We’re in serious trouble, but there’s still hope.
Is American democracy doomed?
How to understand the concept of "competitive authoritarianism" and why it's crucial to push back now to avoid it.
www.forkingpaths.co
20 130 350
Reposted by Ilana Witten
atnj.org
Action Together New Jersey @atnj.org · Mar 2
#CD7
Kean's Bernardsville Office
Thursday, March 20, 12:00-1:00 pm.
Sponsored by Indivisible Lambertville New Hope
Just say NO to Tom Kean Jr. budget cuts · Indivisible Lambertville New Hope
Tom Kean, Jr. pretends he is a moderate Republican, but then hides from his constituents. During this March congressional recess, we will rally outside his offices in Bernardsville to send him a messa...
www.mobilize.us
13 23
Reposted by Ilana Witten
allisonharvey.bsky.social
Dr. Allison G. Harvey @allisonharvey.bsky.social · Mar 2
My colleague and friend, Silvia Bunge, a developmental neuroscience professor at UC Berkeley, created these fantastic signs for Friday’s rally. Sharing them here in case they inspire others to make their own! @standupforscience.bsky.social‬
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
6 95 520
ilanawitten.bsky.social
Ilana Witten @ilanawitten.bsky.social · Mar 2
Related: www.wsj.com/health/healt...
Exclusive | The Trump NIH Pick Who Wants to Take On ‘Cancel Culture’ Colleges
Jay Bhattacharya would consider academic freedom at universities and medical schools seeking NIH grants
www.wsj.com
1