Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
@nmbaran.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Biology at Davidson College | Evolution & development of songbird social behavior, neuroendocrinology, & comparative genomics | STEMinist | Mostly here for the reading recommendations. (she/her) 🐦🧠🧬🌎🔬🌿🎺
Pinned
I believe that it is important that my students learn about the dynamic, complex process by which sexual differentiation occurs because it is the truth, writes @nmbaran.bsky.social.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex/what-bir...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex/what-bir...
What birds can teach us about the ‘biological truth’ of sex
Part of our job as educators is to give students a deeper understanding of the true diversity of sex and gender in the natural world.
www.thetransmitter.org
Excited to have this out in the world and to share my thoughts! Birds 🐣 have so much to teach us about sexual differentiation and diversity, which is so desperately needed in this moment. #neuroendocrinology
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
Yeah this is it. Today in “neither our media nor our political system is designed to deal with a far right authoritarian party.”
I scribbled down all my shutdown-related intrusive thoughts and put them in a blog post.
open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
The Shutdown Surrender
I just... I mean... Whatever.
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Yeah this is it. Today in “neither our media nor our political system is designed to deal with a far right authoritarian party.”
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
I just want everyone to have the experience of living in dignity with access to sufficient food, safe housing, needed medical care, high quality education, and time to engage with what sparks their curiosity and spirit
this should not be controversial 🫠
this should not be controversial 🫠
November 10, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I just want everyone to have the experience of living in dignity with access to sufficient food, safe housing, needed medical care, high quality education, and time to engage with what sparks their curiosity and spirit
this should not be controversial 🫠
this should not be controversial 🫠
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
Any “deal” that ends with Dems just getting a pinky promise in return is a mistake.
The American people are suffering because Republicans refuse to stop healthcare costs from skyrocketing. An agreement that doesn’t fix that reality falls massively short.
The American people are suffering because Republicans refuse to stop healthcare costs from skyrocketing. An agreement that doesn’t fix that reality falls massively short.
November 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Any “deal” that ends with Dems just getting a pinky promise in return is a mistake.
The American people are suffering because Republicans refuse to stop healthcare costs from skyrocketing. An agreement that doesn’t fix that reality falls massively short.
The American people are suffering because Republicans refuse to stop healthcare costs from skyrocketing. An agreement that doesn’t fix that reality falls massively short.
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
As Ta-Nehisi Coates said last month:
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
Breaking News: Cornell University reached an agreement with the Trump administration that would restore hundreds of millions in funding to the university. It's expected to pay a $30 million fine to the government and to invest $30 million in agriculture and farming programs.
Cornell Reaches Deal with Trump Administration to Restore Research Funds
The Ivy League university had warned of layoffs after the Trump administration stripped it of funds this year. The cuts were among the deepest in higher education.
nyti.ms
November 7, 2025 at 5:30 PM
As Ta-Nehisi Coates said last month:
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:25 PM
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
DNA scientist James Watson has a remarkably long history of sexist, racist public comments
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
www.vox.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
The Cornell AAUP chapter has consistently stated that any deal with the Trump administration would be strategically unwise and a betrayal of Cornell’s principles. This remains the case. At best, we can say that this deal could have been worse.
Read our full statement here:
Read our full statement here:
Statement on Cornell’s agreement with federal government
The Cornell AAUP chapter has consistently stated that any deal with the Trump administration would be strategically unwise and a betrayal of Cornell’s principles. This remains the case. We ar…
aaup-cornell.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:24 PM
The Cornell AAUP chapter has consistently stated that any deal with the Trump administration would be strategically unwise and a betrayal of Cornell’s principles. This remains the case. At best, we can say that this deal could have been worse.
Read our full statement here:
Read our full statement here:
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
For @msnbc.com I wrote about how Tuesday's election gives Democrats the blueprint for overcoming Republican anti-trans attacks and how thus should settle all the talk about throwing trans people under the bus.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | Democrats’ election wins showed they don't need to hide their support for trans rights
Republicans repeated Trump's anti-trans strategy from 2024 and lost big. This should be instructive for Democrats.
www.msnbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:41 AM
For @msnbc.com I wrote about how Tuesday's election gives Democrats the blueprint for overcoming Republican anti-trans attacks and how thus should settle all the talk about throwing trans people under the bus.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
For years, but especially for the past year, Democrats have been in thrall to the idea that they need to chase an imagined median voter, and adopt that voter’s positions. Mamdani’s victory shows another way: hold principles, and persuade people to share them.
I wrote about Zohran’s victory. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Mamdani’s victory is a rebuke to the failed strategies of the Democratic party | Moira Donegan
The Democratic party appears listless and unprincipled, unwilling to fight because they do not believe in anything. Zohran Mamdani is the opposite of this
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:13 AM
For years, but especially for the past year, Democrats have been in thrall to the idea that they need to chase an imagined median voter, and adopt that voter’s positions. Mamdani’s victory shows another way: hold principles, and persuade people to share them.
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
a kermit the frog is holding a sign that says vote .
Alt: a kermit the frog is holding a sign that says vote .
media.tenor.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
It doesn’t matter what I think. Also, none of this would ever happen. But if I had a zillion dollars:
1. Run a “we do hard things” campaign across southern and rust belt states. Invest heavily in local, state and regional social infrastructure. Sponser later hours at a library, build a skate park…
1. Run a “we do hard things” campaign across southern and rust belt states. Invest heavily in local, state and regional social infrastructure. Sponser later hours at a library, build a skate park…
If I were to sum up my advice to the Democratic party leadership about how to defeat Trumpism, it would be to set aside policy for now and focus instead on articulating a vision of what American society should look like and what role the US should play in a rapidly changing world today.
November 3, 2025 at 12:46 AM
It doesn’t matter what I think. Also, none of this would ever happen. But if I had a zillion dollars:
1. Run a “we do hard things” campaign across southern and rust belt states. Invest heavily in local, state and regional social infrastructure. Sponser later hours at a library, build a skate park…
1. Run a “we do hard things” campaign across southern and rust belt states. Invest heavily in local, state and regional social infrastructure. Sponser later hours at a library, build a skate park…
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
Been reading "What is Innateness?" by Paul Griffiths (2002) philpapers.org/rec/EGRWII in which he offers this very sound advice:
November 2, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Been reading "What is Innateness?" by Paul Griffiths (2002) philpapers.org/rec/EGRWII in which he offers this very sound advice:
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
Another 🧪 we are losing to the hubris and hatred of American xenophobia
After 13 years in the US, I’ve made the difficult decision to leave. Having packed up everything and rethought about priorities, rather painstakingly, while I’m sad to leave the life I’ve made here, I’m also relieved that I won’t have to plan my life around immigration policies anymore.
October 31, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Another 🧪 we are losing to the hubris and hatred of American xenophobia
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
NEW: Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power.
Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well beyond the borders of his state.
By @dougbockclark.bsky.social
Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well beyond the borders of his state.
By @dougbockclark.bsky.social
“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America
Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...
www.propublica.org
October 30, 2025 at 11:32 AM
NEW: Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power.
Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well beyond the borders of his state.
By @dougbockclark.bsky.social
Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well beyond the borders of his state.
By @dougbockclark.bsky.social
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
A Nazi Tattoo Exposes Democrats’ Greatest Weakness www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
@tressiemcphd.bsky.social is unmatched. Read her latest piece—and everything else she writes.
@tressiemcphd.bsky.social is unmatched. Read her latest piece—and everything else she writes.
October 29, 2025 at 10:22 AM
A Nazi Tattoo Exposes Democrats’ Greatest Weakness www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
@tressiemcphd.bsky.social is unmatched. Read her latest piece—and everything else she writes.
@tressiemcphd.bsky.social is unmatched. Read her latest piece—and everything else she writes.
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
October 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
In his only interview before next month’s Cop30 climate summit, UN secretary-general António Guterres acknowledged it is now “inevitable” that humanity will overshoot the target in the Paris climate agreement, with “devastating consequences” for the world.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Change course now’: humanity has missed 1.5C climate target, says UN head
Exclusive: ‘Devastating consequences’ now inevitable but emissions cuts still vital, says António Guterres in sole interview before Cop30
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:55 AM
In his only interview before next month’s Cop30 climate summit, UN secretary-general António Guterres acknowledged it is now “inevitable” that humanity will overshoot the target in the Paris climate agreement, with “devastating consequences” for the world.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
NEW: The entire staff supporting ACIP was laid off, and most working groups haven't met in months.
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Threat to US vaccines as CDC staff supporting key advisory panel laid off
Critics say scientists ‘held hostage’ by RFK Jr as changes mean vaccine development and guidance in peril
www.theguardian.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM
NEW: The entire staff supporting ACIP was laid off, and most working groups haven't met in months.
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
Guess what?
.
.
.
Wren butt
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.
.
Wren butt
October 26, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Guess what?
.
.
.
Wren butt
.
.
.
Wren butt
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
NOAA hurricane hunters flying aboard a P-3 Orion aircraft ("Kermit") are monitoring Hurricane Melissa as most aircraft steer clear. The storm poses a catastrophic threat to Jamaica and Haiti.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
October 26, 2025 at 11:47 PM
NOAA hurricane hunters flying aboard a P-3 Orion aircraft ("Kermit") are monitoring Hurricane Melissa as most aircraft steer clear. The storm poses a catastrophic threat to Jamaica and Haiti.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
this is something that individual members of Congress could do tomorrow. The government is shut down so they could use their district offices. I suggested in January that they turn those offices into full on community centers where people could find each other re: mutual aid etc...
If I were running the DNC, there would be Democratic Party sponsored food relief banks across the country right now that specifically welcomed anyone regardless of party affiliation.
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
October 27, 2025 at 12:01 AM
this is something that individual members of Congress could do tomorrow. The government is shut down so they could use their district offices. I suggested in January that they turn those offices into full on community centers where people could find each other re: mutual aid etc...
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
I don’t need to explain why it’s wildly unacceptable for the military to be illegally privately financed by the president’s wealthy allies, right?
New: The Pentagon confirms to CNN it will funnel $130M from an anonymous Trump “friend” toward military pay.
Asked about the donor’s identity and any foreign or domestic entanglements, the WH referred questions to DoD. DoD then referred questions back to the WH
www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/p...
Asked about the donor’s identity and any foreign or domestic entanglements, the WH referred questions to DoD. DoD then referred questions back to the WH
www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/p...
Pentagon to use $130 million donation from anonymous Trump ‘friend’ to pay military members | CNN Politics
The Trump administration plans to funnel a $130 million donation from an anonymous ally of President Donald Trump toward paying military service members during the government shutdown, the Defense Dep...
www.cnn.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I don’t need to explain why it’s wildly unacceptable for the military to be illegally privately financed by the president’s wealthy allies, right?
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, a sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas, was unveiled today on Davidson College's campus.
Memorial Brings the Unacknowledged into Davidson College’s Story
Davidson College will dedicate, With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, Oct. 23. Renowned artist Hank Willis Thomas designed the bronze sculpture in collaboration with architectura...
www.davidson.edu
October 23, 2025 at 6:55 PM
With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, a sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas, was unveiled today on Davidson College's campus.
Reposted by Nicole M. Baran, Ph.D.
It is an absolute scandal. An embarrassment. A tribute to the long history of state terrorism that codifies power. Shame, shame, shame.
Breaking News: North Carolina state senators approved a new congressional map that could give Republicans an extra seat. The state House is expected to pass it.
North Carolina State Senate Approves New Congressional Map in Effort to Add a Seat
The Trump administration has pushed Republican leaders to redraw House district maps before the midterm elections next year.
nyti.ms
October 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
It is an absolute scandal. An embarrassment. A tribute to the long history of state terrorism that codifies power. Shame, shame, shame.