Michael Sheehan
@sheehanmj.bsky.social
Associate Prof at Cornell Neurobiology and Behavior. Social behavior, evolution, neuroscience. Paper wasps and mice.
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
![Comic. Panels up to the 10-year point are grayed out. New panels since the Ten Years comic, which chronicles the first ten years of PERSON 1's journey with cancer: (1) [two people in bed] PERSON 1 (woman): One more chapter? PERSON 2 (man): Don’t we both have to get up early? PERSON 1: Nnnnnggggh PERSON 2: Sure, good point. (2) [many people wearing masks, walking while looking at graphs on their phones] (3) [birds landing on people] PERSON 2 in beanie and scarf: Hah! They like *my* seeds best. PERSON 1 in scarf holding phone with a bird sitting on it: Wait, how do I take a picture of this one? (4) [two people rowing boats with tree landscape] (5) [Person 1 carries overflowing stack of things to Person 2 in bed] PERSON 1: I brought you honey lemon tea, more pillows, a cinnamon roll, Tylenol, another blanket, a– PERSON 2: It was just Appendicitis, I’m really– PERSON 1: *It is my turn to take care of you and I am going to do it right!* (6) [Two people in car] (7) [still in car) PERSON 1: Oh my god. PERSON 2: Oh my god. (8) [car driving] PERSON 1: Pull over! PERSON 2: I am! (9) [both people get out of car] (10) [Large colored panel of aurora borealis over water with both people looking on] (11) [Person 1 sits against tree while Person 2 lies on the ground] PERSON 1: Fifteen years. No sign of the cancer. (12) I *am* having some weird symptoms. Joint pain. Fatigue. I think I’m losing my close-up vision. PERSON 2: Yeah. Me too. (13) PERSON 2: I think we’re getting old. (14) PERSON 1: I guess that’s okay. PERSON 2: It’s all I wanted.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreihwhjblp5lyiwp63ouar7ocfea7evmckytoeo7rkfuoo4gw5rnrra@jpeg)
November 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Netsuke of a Rat Grasping a Soybean Pod, 19th century Japan
November 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Netsuke of a Rat Grasping a Soybean Pod, 19th century Japan
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Our study of time processing in bumblebees 🐝 covered by @cnn.com here edition.cnn.com/2025/11/12/s... . Our summary is here youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk and the original paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.... @royalsocietypublishing.org
Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects | CNN
Bumblebees can process the duration of flashes of light and use the information to decide where to look for food, a new study has found.
edition.cnn.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Our study of time processing in bumblebees 🐝 covered by @cnn.com here edition.cnn.com/2025/11/12/s... . Our summary is here youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk and the original paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.... @royalsocietypublishing.org
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
The cover art is finished for my new book and I LOVE IT!
This safari tour of the life in soil and what is means to us, is now available for pre-order as ebook, soft and hardcover in the UK and Commonwealth. Published in August next year (US date soon), I hope it'll entice everyone to love soil! 🧪🪱
This safari tour of the life in soil and what is means to us, is now available for pre-order as ebook, soft and hardcover in the UK and Commonwealth. Published in August next year (US date soon), I hope it'll entice everyone to love soil! 🧪🪱
November 20, 2025 at 6:46 PM
The cover art is finished for my new book and I LOVE IT!
This safari tour of the life in soil and what is means to us, is now available for pre-order as ebook, soft and hardcover in the UK and Commonwealth. Published in August next year (US date soon), I hope it'll entice everyone to love soil! 🧪🪱
This safari tour of the life in soil and what is means to us, is now available for pre-order as ebook, soft and hardcover in the UK and Commonwealth. Published in August next year (US date soon), I hope it'll entice everyone to love soil! 🧪🪱
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
November 20, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
squirrel: *points gun*
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
November 19, 2025 at 1:41 PM
squirrel: *points gun*
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
New preprint on the Sikkim mouse, a related species in the same genus as house mice.
House mice are THE biomedical model organism, yet we know little about their comparative biology relative to other mice. Lots to discover and learn!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
House mice are THE biomedical model organism, yet we know little about their comparative biology relative to other mice. Lots to discover and learn!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
November 17, 2025 at 3:02 PM
New preprint on the Sikkim mouse, a related species in the same genus as house mice.
House mice are THE biomedical model organism, yet we know little about their comparative biology relative to other mice. Lots to discover and learn!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
House mice are THE biomedical model organism, yet we know little about their comparative biology relative to other mice. Lots to discover and learn!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
'Dr Michelle Taylor, a University of Essex scientist who led the voyage, said: "If anything brushes up against them, they're doomed, unfortunately. Then to be absorbed slowly over time is a grim way of going."
Carnivorous 'death-ball' sponge share.google/pcKssFW9bX1E...
Carnivorous 'death-ball' sponge share.google/pcKssFW9bX1E...
Carnivorous 'death-ball' sponge is team's oddest deep-sea find
The unusual creature lurks more than two miles (3.2km) deep in a trench in the Southern Ocean.
share.google
November 16, 2025 at 3:19 AM
'Dr Michelle Taylor, a University of Essex scientist who led the voyage, said: "If anything brushes up against them, they're doomed, unfortunately. Then to be absorbed slowly over time is a grim way of going."
Carnivorous 'death-ball' sponge share.google/pcKssFW9bX1E...
Carnivorous 'death-ball' sponge share.google/pcKssFW9bX1E...
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Yes! Totally agree - we need more comparative studies in mus species to understand variation in social behavior. This is a good start.
The Sikkim mouse (Mus pahari) exhibits distinct spatial, circadian, and social behaviors compared to laboratory mice
While the laboratory mouse is one of the most studied organisms on the planet, comparative research on the spatial and social structures of closely related Mus species remains limited. Here, we charac...
www.biorxiv.org
November 16, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Yes! Totally agree - we need more comparative studies in mus species to understand variation in social behavior. This is a good start.
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Dang, hard disagree. The best papers to write and read are works of art, not merely a list of data and statements.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
I honestly think we would all be a lot more productive if papers were bullet points with plots.
November 14, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Dang, hard disagree. The best papers to write and read are works of art, not merely a list of data and statements.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
NEW pub in @science.org 🥳
Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life?
For over 15 years, #phylogenomic studies have been divided.
We provide new evidence suggesting that...
🔗: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life?
For over 15 years, #phylogenomic studies have been divided.
We provide new evidence suggesting that...
🔗: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
November 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
NEW pub in @science.org 🥳
Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life?
For over 15 years, #phylogenomic studies have been divided.
We provide new evidence suggesting that...
🔗: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life?
For over 15 years, #phylogenomic studies have been divided.
We provide new evidence suggesting that...
🔗: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Lots of folks captioning aurora photos like "for a few minutes we didn't think about politics"
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
November 13, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Lots of folks captioning aurora photos like "for a few minutes we didn't think about politics"
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ecology and spread of the North American H5N1 epizootic - Nature
The panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 since 2021 was driven by around nine introductions into the Atlantic and Pacific flyways, followed by rapid dissemination through wild migratory birds, primaril...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Let me show you the difference between a $40 hoodie and a ~$100 hoodie. 🧵
November 12, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Let me show you the difference between a $40 hoodie and a ~$100 hoodie. 🧵
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
“This one’s dedicated to a special brain-infiltrating eukaryotic parasite - you know who you are.”
November 7, 2025 at 6:10 PM
“This one’s dedicated to a special brain-infiltrating eukaryotic parasite - you know who you are.”
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
What an amazing paper from the Bonasio lab! Domesticated retroviral proteins and RNA-modifying enzymes that regulate RNA loading into and transportation via extracellular vesicles (1/2). www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Pseudouridine selects RNAs for extracellular transport
RNAs move through the extracellular space to transmit information between cells, including mammalian neurons, yet how specific RNAs are channeled into these extracellular routes is unknown. Using geno...
www.biorxiv.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:20 PM
What an amazing paper from the Bonasio lab! Domesticated retroviral proteins and RNA-modifying enzymes that regulate RNA loading into and transportation via extracellular vesicles (1/2). www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
The different colors of the cells indicate pollen from different species of plants, packed away to be used as food for hungry honey bee larvae.
November 4, 2025 at 11:45 PM
The different colors of the cells indicate pollen from different species of plants, packed away to be used as food for hungry honey bee larvae.
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Ancestral photoreceptor diversity as the basis of visual behaviour youtu.be/gzfiUZ2_5pc?... - really interesting hypothesis in this talk by Tom Baden, that different opsins evolved for different tasks and color vision was an exaptation
Ancestral photoreceptor diversity as the basis of visual behaviour
YouTube video by BadenLab
youtu.be
October 30, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Ancestral photoreceptor diversity as the basis of visual behaviour youtu.be/gzfiUZ2_5pc?... - really interesting hypothesis in this talk by Tom Baden, that different opsins evolved for different tasks and color vision was an exaptation
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
Why are some species smaller than a paperclip while others grow longer than a school bus? How is body size evolution governed in animals? Out now in @pnas.org we tackle these longstanding questions through a genetic lens using my favorite group of fishes as our model!! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Parallel shifts in differential gene expression reveal convergent miniaturization in fishes | PNAS
Body size variation in vertebrates is a complex polygenic trait, tightly correlated
with numerous aspects of a species’ biology, ecology, and physi...
www.pnas.org
October 22, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Why are some species smaller than a paperclip while others grow longer than a school bus? How is body size evolution governed in animals? Out now in @pnas.org we tackle these longstanding questions through a genetic lens using my favorite group of fishes as our model!! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
The networks took the much smaller Tea Party movement so seriously they broadcast a Tea Party rebuttal to Obama’s 2011 SOTU on top of the normal GOP one.
Reminder: We spent YEARS reading thousands and thousands of articles on the Tea Party and how it was a true expression of the American people's will, and it never mounted anything nearly as big as Saturday's No Kings rallies. [1/3]
October 20, 2025 at 1:37 AM
The networks took the much smaller Tea Party movement so seriously they broadcast a Tea Party rebuttal to Obama’s 2011 SOTU on top of the normal GOP one.
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
This morning my ChatGPT quota was inexplicably exhausted.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
October 18, 2025 at 9:04 AM
This morning my ChatGPT quota was inexplicably exhausted.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
Reposted by Michael Sheehan
