Aaryn Mustoe
@aarynmustoe.bsky.social
Staff Scientist | Texas Biomedical Research Institute | SNPRC | Adjunct at Texas A&M San Antonio | behavioral endocrinology, oxytocin, brains and guts, and primates (esp. marmosets) | big fan of specific aims, running, and pick up soccer | Be kind
Awwww -- happy Friday y'all!
Bee positive: A demonstrator’s positive attitude toward the potential for a reward is picked up by an observer in 🐝 #neuroskyence
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Positive affective contagion in bumble bees
Affective contagion, a core component of empathy, has been widely characterized in social vertebrates but its existence in any invertebrate is unknown. Using a cognitive bias paradigm we demonstrate p...
www.science.org
October 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Awwww -- happy Friday y'all!
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
October 16, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
I somehow missed this really cool oxytocin paper that came out last month! Nice work!
You can also check out a wonderful write up about the paper from @wmkenkel.bsky.social as well! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
You can also check out a wonderful write up about the paper from @wmkenkel.bsky.social as well! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Oxytocin receptors mediate social selectivity in prairie vole peer relationships
Friendships, or selective peer relationships, are a vital component of healthy social functioning in humans, and deficits in these relationships are a…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I somehow missed this really cool oxytocin paper that came out last month! Nice work!
You can also check out a wonderful write up about the paper from @wmkenkel.bsky.social as well! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
You can also check out a wonderful write up about the paper from @wmkenkel.bsky.social as well! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
So many of us opened her books and found not only chimpanzees but an invitation to see with compassion & believe in a bridge between humans and the wild. Her legacy flows through rivers, forests, children planting trees, and every act of love for animals and one another.
www.bbc.com/news/live/c9...
www.bbc.com/news/live/c9...
Jane Goodall, chimpanzee expert and animal rights campaigner, dies age 91 - follow live
The campaigner, a
www.bbc.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:42 PM
So many of us opened her books and found not only chimpanzees but an invitation to see with compassion & believe in a bridge between humans and the wild. Her legacy flows through rivers, forests, children planting trees, and every act of love for animals and one another.
www.bbc.com/news/live/c9...
www.bbc.com/news/live/c9...
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
1
To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!
🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!
🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
July 27, 2025 at 5:26 PM
1
To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!
🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!
🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
Excellent new article by @erictopol.bsky.social on the Gut-Brain axis!
✅Neural paths via Vagus Nerve and ANS
✅Hormones like GLP-1, GIP, Gherlin and others
✅Microbiome neurotransmitters, SFCAs
✅Immune system: inflamed T cells in Gut➡️ Brain inflammation
#medsky #GIsky #Neurosky #Alzheimers 🛟🧪
✅Neural paths via Vagus Nerve and ANS
✅Hormones like GLP-1, GIP, Gherlin and others
✅Microbiome neurotransmitters, SFCAs
✅Immune system: inflamed T cells in Gut➡️ Brain inflammation
#medsky #GIsky #Neurosky #Alzheimers 🛟🧪
Spotlight on the gut-brain axis
A rapid expansion of new discoveries and knowledge lays the foundation for a new era in medicine
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-gut-br...
A rapid expansion of new discoveries and knowledge lays the foundation for a new era in medicine
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-gut-br...
The Gut-Brain Axis Takes Center Stage
A rapid expansion of new discoveries and knowledge lays the foundation for a new era in medicine
erictopol.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Excellent new article by @erictopol.bsky.social on the Gut-Brain axis!
✅Neural paths via Vagus Nerve and ANS
✅Hormones like GLP-1, GIP, Gherlin and others
✅Microbiome neurotransmitters, SFCAs
✅Immune system: inflamed T cells in Gut➡️ Brain inflammation
#medsky #GIsky #Neurosky #Alzheimers 🛟🧪
✅Neural paths via Vagus Nerve and ANS
✅Hormones like GLP-1, GIP, Gherlin and others
✅Microbiome neurotransmitters, SFCAs
✅Immune system: inflamed T cells in Gut➡️ Brain inflammation
#medsky #GIsky #Neurosky #Alzheimers 🛟🧪
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
Meantime, if your grant proposal has any mention of mRNA, better change it to Transcript that the Ribosome Uses to Make Proteins (TRUMP) because otherwise it's not getting approved.
June 10, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Meantime, if your grant proposal has any mention of mRNA, better change it to Transcript that the Ribosome Uses to Make Proteins (TRUMP) because otherwise it's not getting approved.
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
The NIH move to restrict animal research is a bad one and not just about health - it's about national security.
More here:
medium.com/@eblissmorea...
More here:
medium.com/@eblissmorea...
This will kill us: restricting animal research
Tuesday, as my lab gathered to celebrate the completion of one of our big studies, the National Institutes of Health announced that they…
medium.com
May 4, 2025 at 11:46 PM
The NIH move to restrict animal research is a bad one and not just about health - it's about national security.
More here:
medium.com/@eblissmorea...
More here:
medium.com/@eblissmorea...
Summary statement from one "not discussed" grant and the score of another grant (not discussed) given to me on the same day. Happy Friday y'all!
May 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Summary statement from one "not discussed" grant and the score of another grant (not discussed) given to me on the same day. Happy Friday y'all!
This book in general is going to be a wonderful resource!
Very happy to have contributed a chapter on the evolution of oxytocin receptor signalling for a new book on evolutionary and comparative neuroendocrinology. Great work from @aisartorius.bsky.social and @constantinatheo.bsky.social! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
April 14, 2025 at 4:17 PM
This book in general is going to be a wonderful resource!
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
My new post mapping out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information.
Do read and share. Full 🧵 tomorrow hopefully!
christinapagel.substack.com/p/a-republic...
Do read and share. Full 🧵 tomorrow hopefully!
christinapagel.substack.com/p/a-republic...
“A republic, if you can keep it” - but can the US keep it? How Trump is dismantling democracy
Mapping out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information
christinapagel.substack.com
April 13, 2025 at 10:07 PM
My new post mapping out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information.
Do read and share. Full 🧵 tomorrow hopefully!
christinapagel.substack.com/p/a-republic...
Do read and share. Full 🧵 tomorrow hopefully!
christinapagel.substack.com/p/a-republic...
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
Congratulations to Emma Hammond! Excellent paper on negative effects of oxytocin on wound healing…..but it depends on social context
Excited to share that I just published my first ever first-author paper in Psychoneuroendocrinology in the Marler Lab. We found that oxytocin may impair wound healing when animals are isolated.
@cmarler.bsky.social
@patrickmonari.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@cmarler.bsky.social
@patrickmonari.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Oxytocin impairs wound-healing during social isolation but not social living
Social isolation hampers immune system function, and the biological mechanisms driving this effect remain understudied. We hypothesized that oxytocin …
www.sciencedirect.com
April 2, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Congratulations to Emma Hammond! Excellent paper on negative effects of oxytocin on wound healing…..but it depends on social context
Really cool!
Nanopore technology might be able to sequence proteins soon! Read about the road ahead in this exciting Perspective rdcu.be/edWPi in @naturebiotech.bsky.social
Toward single-molecule protein sequencing using nanopores
Nature Biotechnology - Maglia and colleagues discuss advances in nanopore technology en route to single-molecule protein sequencing
rdcu.be
March 24, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Really cool!
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
The loss of a legend- Kanzi, the language-competent bonobo, has died age 44.
Kanzi was exceptional in so many ways and offered us profound insights into the linguistic & cognitive capacities of great apes. He has taught us so much and will be hugely missed.
www.apeinitiative.org/remembering-...
Kanzi was exceptional in so many ways and offered us profound insights into the linguistic & cognitive capacities of great apes. He has taught us so much and will be hugely missed.
www.apeinitiative.org/remembering-...
March 20, 2025 at 10:02 AM
The loss of a legend- Kanzi, the language-competent bonobo, has died age 44.
Kanzi was exceptional in so many ways and offered us profound insights into the linguistic & cognitive capacities of great apes. He has taught us so much and will be hugely missed.
www.apeinitiative.org/remembering-...
Kanzi was exceptional in so many ways and offered us profound insights into the linguistic & cognitive capacities of great apes. He has taught us so much and will be hugely missed.
www.apeinitiative.org/remembering-...
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
Two dueling sets of hypothalamic neurons—one that responds to isolation and one to reunion—help maintain a mouse's social homeostasis, a new study reveals.
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/social-behav...
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/social-behav...
Soft touch quells loneliness in mice
Touch modulates one of two dueling types of hypothalamic neurons that, thermostat-like, balance an animal’s drive for social interaction.
www.thetransmitter.org
February 26, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Two dueling sets of hypothalamic neurons—one that responds to isolation and one to reunion—help maintain a mouse's social homeostasis, a new study reveals.
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/social-behav...
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/social-behav...
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
El Capitan displays a massive American flag upside down—the traditional signal of distress or extreme emergency.
February 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
El Capitan displays a massive American flag upside down—the traditional signal of distress or extreme emergency.
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
@sbn-bsky.bsky.social has released a statement on current events. SBN DEI comm, of which I'm chair, wrote this statement to be people-first focused on the human impacts. I want to thank Peg McCarthy & the Exec Comm in quickly approving the document w/ few edits. This is why SBN is my "home" society.
A Statement from the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology on Current Events | Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (SBN)
The Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (SBN) is an interdisciplinary scientific organization dedicated to the study of hormonal processes and neuroendocrine systems that regulate behavior.
sbn.org
February 14, 2025 at 6:18 PM
@sbn-bsky.bsky.social has released a statement on current events. SBN DEI comm, of which I'm chair, wrote this statement to be people-first focused on the human impacts. I want to thank Peg McCarthy & the Exec Comm in quickly approving the document w/ few edits. This is why SBN is my "home" society.
This is science. Preaching to the choir here but yeah. That’s what we collectively do.
This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen.
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic - National | Globalnews.ca
In 1984, Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist from the University of Toronto, discovered a hormone that helped pave the way for popular diabetes drugs such as Ozempic.
globalnews.ca
February 10, 2025 at 3:22 AM
This is science. Preaching to the choir here but yeah. That’s what we collectively do.
OMG: "So long, and thanks for all the fish" is actually about to happen, isn't it?
‘Super pod’ of more than 1,500 dolphins spotted off California coast
‘Super pod’ of more than 1,500 dolphins spotted off California coast
Whale watchers capture rare footage of miles-long cluster of dolphins ‘just having a great time’
buff.ly
February 6, 2025 at 7:20 PM
OMG: "So long, and thanks for all the fish" is actually about to happen, isn't it?
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
If you think the NSF is a waste of government money, you should stop using any technology created using NSF-funded research.
Like cell phones. Or the Internet
Like cell phones. Or the Internet
February 4, 2025 at 10:32 PM
If you think the NSF is a waste of government money, you should stop using any technology created using NSF-funded research.
Like cell phones. Or the Internet
Like cell phones. Or the Internet
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
The number of people surprised by the long list of words NSF is targeting makes me think many of you all have not seen this: www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
February 4, 2025 at 2:26 AM
The number of people surprised by the long list of words NSF is targeting makes me think many of you all have not seen this: www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
My thoughts are with those who have anxiety over the moon right now. 🙃
For the uninitiated, Feb 5 at 5pm is the deadline for new major grant submissions to the NIH. eRA commons is the submission portal. It is currently unavailable.
eRA commons access via login dot gov is down again. Different error page this time.
February 3, 2025 at 9:28 PM
My thoughts are with those who have anxiety over the moon right now. 🙃
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
Hei hei Bluesky! 👋 Just switching from „formerly known as Twitter“ to the other side. Here to showcase our research and my exquisite gif game! 😁
See our latest review for more insights! 🤓 🧠
#womenshealth
#sexdifferences
#sexhormones
#mentalhealth
#brainhealth
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
See our latest review for more insights! 🤓 🧠
#womenshealth
#sexdifferences
#sexhormones
#mentalhealth
#brainhealth
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Sex steroids and the female brain across the lifespan: insights into risk of depression and Alzheimer's disease
Despite widespread sex differences in prevalence and presentation of numerous illnesses
affecting the human brain, there has been little focus on the effect of endocrine
ageing. Most preclinical studi...
www.thelancet.com
January 15, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Hei hei Bluesky! 👋 Just switching from „formerly known as Twitter“ to the other side. Here to showcase our research and my exquisite gif game! 😁
See our latest review for more insights! 🤓 🧠
#womenshealth
#sexdifferences
#sexhormones
#mentalhealth
#brainhealth
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
See our latest review for more insights! 🤓 🧠
#womenshealth
#sexdifferences
#sexhormones
#mentalhealth
#brainhealth
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Aaryn Mustoe
I'm looking for guest speakers (paid, awaiting funding) for my Primate Behavior class. I'm hoping to find a couple people who work with primates in different settings (zoo, lab, field). Preference for in-country (field), historically excluded, & student/early career primatologists. Please reach out!
January 3, 2025 at 2:50 AM
I'm looking for guest speakers (paid, awaiting funding) for my Primate Behavior class. I'm hoping to find a couple people who work with primates in different settings (zoo, lab, field). Preference for in-country (field), historically excluded, & student/early career primatologists. Please reach out!