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Alaina Jaster, PhD

@jasteralaina.bsky.social

1.2K followers 380 following 370 posts

PhD in PharmTox. Head of Communications at Xylo Bio. Drug policy + harm reduction 🤘Education & Consulting via https://www.psychedelicbrainscience.com Opinions do not reflect those of my employer.

www.psychedelicbrainscience.com

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 18d

My latest coverage of the psychedelic community in Michigan ft. Harm reduction, state reps who microdose, and celebration of community leaders!

www.lucid.news/michigan-psy...

Michigan Psychedelic Community Presents the Entheo Cup

The Michigan Psychedelic Society (MPS) and the Detroit Psychedelic Society (DPS) presented the Entheo Cup and Community Steward Awards last month to support and recognize local psychedelic community, ...

www.lucid.news

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Zoe McElligott @nanopharmnc.bsky.social · 1h

My friend and colleague @nabarund.bsky.social !!!! www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n...

Scientist on front lines of overdose crisis receives MacArthur 'genius' award

Nabarun Dasgupta was recognized with a MacArthur "genius" award for work studying the deadly overdose crisis. He's also a front-line organizer, helping people survive.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 7h

Prenatal Acetaminophen Exposure Does Not Disrupt Human Fetal Brain Development in Cortical Organoid Models https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.07.681041v1

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Bryan Roth @zenbrainest.bsky.social · 1d

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Finally out!!

Psychedelic compounds directly excite 5-HT2A layer V medial prefrontal cortex neurons through 5-HT2A Gq activation - Translational Psychiatry

Translational Psychiatry - Psychedelic compounds directly excite 5-HT2A layer V medial prefrontal cortex neurons through 5-HT2A Gq activation

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Stephanie L. Grella, PhD @sgrella.bsky.social · 2d

First lab paper out today! Student authors: Mikayla Cutler and Abhi Thati 🎉🤩

Hippocampus | Neuroscience Journal | Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Memory is a cornerstone of human behavior, and addiction offers a compelling model of its persistence and plasticity. The scope of engram research has rapidly expanded to include addiction-related ph....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 4d

Every taylor swift album that comes out I listen to and every time I think why is she so popular

This album is very much giving “old pop star tries to stay relevant with more interesting and talented pop stars on the rise”

Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 5d

Closing out my first week at my dream job. 😍

It’s amazing to be doing what I love at a place where my expertise is valued.

Going from a job that was the complete opposite to this is just an incredible feeling and a reminder that a single bad situation doesn’t define your value.

Cheers! 🥂

Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 7d

BREAKING

Dr. Jane Goodall has died. She was 91.

It is impossible to sum up the impact she has had on our world and on science in a social media post.

She lived a long and incredible life but I am devastated.

Full Story: bit.ly/4pPcNFH

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Psychedelic Brain Science @psychedbrainsci.bsky.social · 7d

Happy October!

We’ve dropped a new episode discussing a paper on naturalistic psilocybin use & profile analysis related to cognition and addictive personality factors 🍄

Tune in wherever you get your pods!

open.spotify.com/episode/4XNQ...

Spotify – Web Player

open.spotify.com

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

AAUP @aaup.org · 8d

BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥

Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.

Full ruling here:

Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com

Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Additional attachment(s) added on 9/30/2025: # 1 Main Document) (J...

www.courtlistener.com

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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 9d

“It’s hard to know if I should close down my existing projects and/or redouble my efforts writing new grant applications,” Joshua Jacobs, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University, told @thetransmitter.bsky.social.

By Natalia Mesa

www.thetransmitter.org/funding/nih-...

NIH awarded 37 percent fewer neuroscience-related grants in 2025 than in past years

But the agency has spent nearly its entire budget for this fiscal year, which ends tomorrow.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 9d

What happens if you forced them to swim while head twitching

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intelligentwat 🇹🇹 @zinrock.bsky.social · 10d

this is something white people will never understand.

JazzReads📚 @jazzreads.bsky.social · 10d

So exhausting..

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 10d

Starting my literal dream job tomorrow!! So exciting!

Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 10d

Let's be perfectly clear: executive order or no executive order, "domestic terrorism" has always meant whatever the government at the time wants it to mean.

The FBI used to infiltrate vegan potlucks, y'all.

Don't panic. Don't stop organizing. Just be careful and take care of each other.

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 14d

wtf @npr.org ??? The science is ABSOLUTELY CLEAR! Tylenol doesn’t cause autism and untreated fever during pregnancy can cause irreparable harm to mother & baby.

Smh. disappointed.

NPR @npr.org · 14d

The science on Tylenol and autism isn't clear, despite President Trump's claims. Here's what parents need to know to make their own decisions about acetaminophen.

When it comes to Tylenol, what are parents to do?

The science on Tylenol and autism isn't clear, despite President Trump's claims. Here's what parents need to know to make their own decisions about acetaminophen.

n.pr

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 15d

This is a very good outline of the scientific issues. And the risks posed by yesterday's clown show.

Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 15d

This is worth reading too

Trump’s Tylenol Directive Could Actually Increase Autism Rates, Researchers Warn

Experts fear that Donald Trump’s anti-painkiller tirade could lead to an increase in risk factors for autism, and don’t trust the administration to assess data as it continues to search for a cause.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 15d

A spray-painted bronze statue titled “Best Friends Forever” showing President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands was placed on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol early Tuesday.
https://wapo.st/42Dy5vU

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 17d

This makes me want to scream and throw up and punch something

Sasha Costanza-Chock @schock.cc · 19d

Ok my cis friends, we are going to need a lot of you to step the fuck up and fight hard for us

www.them.us/story/trump-...

FBI to Categorize Trans People As "Nihilistic Violent Extremist" Threat Group, Report Says

The choice is being championed by the Heritage Foundation, which is behind Project 2025.

www.them.us

Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 18d

when I hear FCC I think “the FCC won’t let me be or let me be me so let me see, they tried to shut me down on MTV But it feels so empty without me”

And honestly, yes. screw censorship it’s an absolute violation of first amendment.

Science and Freedom Alliance - SAFA @safa-science.bsky.social · 18d

100%. Most people when they hear “FCC” think “Fairness Doctrine!” if they think of anything at all.

And that’s a content-based regulatory mechanism. How many people know about the scarcity rationale and broadcast licensing?
If elites don’t say “THIS VIOLATES THE FIRST AMENDMENT” most won’t know.

Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Jeremy Ghost Shipp @jeremycshipp.bsky.social · 19d

Since many of us are cancelling streaming services, now might also be a good time to support writers and artists. Times are extremely tough for creatives, so why not buy a book, commission an art piece, sign up for a Patreon, tip your favorite creators. Everything helps.

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 18d

My latest coverage of the psychedelic community in Michigan ft. Harm reduction, state reps who microdose, and celebration of community leaders!

www.lucid.news/michigan-psy...

Michigan Psychedelic Community Presents the Entheo Cup

www.lucid.news

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 18d

Love dropout!!

Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 21d

From Milton Mayer's "They Thought They Were Free"

I first read it in November and I'm rereading it now. It crushing feeling the exact same things as this academic did. It's the same process.

A series of four images with black text on a white background, containing a long reflective passage about how authoritarianism and oppression gradually take hold unnoticed.

First image: The text explains how small, seemingly inconsequential steps—each justified or regretted—prevent people from recognizing the larger process until it’s too late, comparing it to a farmer not noticing corn growing until it towers overhead.

Second image: A colleague explains how each act is only slightly worse than the last, leading people to wait for a shocking turning point that never comes. Fear, uncertainty, and the desire not to stand alone stop people from resisting. Outsiders seem content, and those who sense danger are dismissed as alarmists.

Third image: The text describes how, eventually, a small personal incident shatters self-deception, revealing that everything has changed—society, spirit, and morality. People accept things once unthinkable. Life feels normal on the surface, but principles have eroded. When realization comes, it’s too late—people are compromised by inaction.

Fourth image: The writer notes how friends drift away, meetings shrink, and isolation grows, weakening resistance further. The long-awaited great occasion for mass opposition never arrives. Instead, oppression progresses step by step, each act numbing people to the next. The example is given of Nazi Germany, where atrocities escalated gradually, making it harder to resist at each stage.

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Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD

Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 22d

Today, the UN officially designated Israel’s assault on Gaza as a genocide.

As a party to the Genocide Convention, the U.S. has a legal obligation to obey our own laws, stop weapons sales to Israel, and demand a permanent ceasefire.

End the genocide. Ceasefire now.

257. The Commission recommends that all Member States:
(a) Employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent the commission of genocide in the Gaza Strip;
(b) Cease the transfer of arms and other equipment or items, including jet fuel, to the State of Israel or third States where there is reason to suspect their use in military operations that have involved or could involve the commission of genocide;
(c) Ensure individuals and corporations in their territories and within their jurisdiction are not involved in the commission of genocide, aiding and assisting the commission of genocide or incitement to commit genocide and investigate and prosecute those who may be implicated in these crimes under international law;
(d) Facilitate the investigations and domestic proceedings and take action (including imposing sanctions) against the State of Israel and against individuals or corporations that are involved in or facilitating the commission of genocide or incitement to commit genocide;
(e) Cooperate with the investigation of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
258. The Commission recommends that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court:
(a) Examine, within its continuing investigation in the Situation in the State of Palestine, the crime of genocide for amendment to existing arrest warrants and addition to future application for arrest warrants;
(b) Examine the involvement of officials mentioned in this report for inclusion as those most responsible for international crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory.

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Alaina Jaster, PhD @jasteralaina.bsky.social · 22d

Obviously, some people have a great postdoc experience but for the majority that’s not the case.

Read the recent findings on postdoc mental health:

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Postdoc depression and anxiety rates are rising, finds survey of 872 researchers

The Max Planck Society is good at attracting international postdocs but struggles to retain them, survey finds.