Best Postdoctoral Podcasts (2025)

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What U.S. science stands to lose without international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers 7:21

Play Pause

17d ago7:21

7:21

Neuroscience in other countries will strengthen—at the United States’ expense—as rising visa restrictions and rejections block many international students from enrolling at U.S. institutions and dissuade others from applying.

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The spectrum goes multidimensional in search of autism subtypes 9:29

2h ago9:29

9:29

Grouping people with autism based on shared features, genetics and co-occurring conditions may improve clinical trial outcomes, researchers say.

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Exclusive: Harvard University lays off fly database team 5:11

19h ago5:11

5:11

The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.

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This paper changed my life: Abigail Person on birdsong, feed-forward circuits and convergent computations 6:02

1d ago6:02

6:02

By isolating specific neuron types involved in zebra finch birdsong, this 2002 Nature paper from Michael Fee and colleagues revealed elegant neural mechanisms controlling the timing of natural learned behavior.

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The challenge of defining a neural population 8:55

2d ago8:55

8:55

Our current approach is largely arbitrary. We need new methods for grouping cells, ideally by their dynamics.

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Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships 8:13

5d ago8:13

8:13

The "love hormone" drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.

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Contested paper on vaccines, autism in rats retracted by journal 5:07

6d ago5:07

5:07

The editor-in-chief cited "inconsistencies in the number of subjects" as the reason for the retraction.

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Body state, sensory signals commingle in mouse whisker cortex 5:52

7d ago5:52

5:52

The new study challenges a long-held view that the barrel cortex exclusively encodes sensory signals from the whiskers.

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Neural population-based approaches have opened new windows into neural computations and behavior 8:28

9d ago8:28

8:28

Neural manifold properties can help us understand how animal brains deal with complex information, execute flexible behaviors and reuse common computations.

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Poor image quality introduces systematic bias into large neuroimaging datasets 6:44

14d ago6:44

6:44

Analyses that include low-quality MRI data underestimate cortical thickness and overestimate cortical surface area, according to new findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

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Eye puffs prompt separable sensory, affective brain responses in mice, people 8:16

16d ago8:16

8:16

Post-puff brain state might not be an emotion, some researchers caution, but the protocol provides a cross-species approach to study emotions.

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New dopamine sensor powers three-color imaging in live animals 4:55

20d ago4:55

4:55

The tool leverages a previously unused segment of the color spectrum to track the neurotransmitter and can be used with two additional sensors to monitor other neurochemicals at different wavelengths.

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Cell 'antennae' link autism, congenital heart disease 4:24

21d ago4:24

4:24

Variants in genes tied to both conditions derail the formation of cilia, the tiny hair-like structure found on almost every cell in the body, a new study finds.

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How to build a truly global computational neuroscience community 8:47

22d ago8:47

8:47

Computational sciences offer an opportunity to increase global access to, and participation in, neuroscience. Neuromatch’s inclusive, scalable model for community building shows how to realize this promise.

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This paper changed my life: Victoria Abraira on a tasty link between circuits and behavior 4:52

23d ago4:52

4:52

The findings from Charles Zuker’s lab put the taste system on the map, revealing that some fundamental principles of behavior are hardwired.

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Breaking the jar: Why NeuroAI needs embodiment 11:09

24d ago11:09

11:09

Brain function is inexorably shaped by the body. Embracing this fact will benefit computational models of real brain function, as well as the design of artificial neural networks.

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Four autism subtypes map onto distinct genes, traits 5:57

28d ago5:57

5:57

An analysis of more than 5,000 autistic children and their siblings underscores the idea that autism can be understood as multiple conditions with distinct trajectories.

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Systems and circuit neuroscience need an evolutionary perspective 7:12

29d ago7:12

7:12

To identify fundamental neuroscientific principles that generalize across species, neuroscientists must frame their research through an evolutionary lens.

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NIH proposal sows concerns over future of animal research, unnecessary costs 6:15

30d ago6:15

6:15

The new NIH policy calls for greater incorporation of new approach methodologies in all future Notices of Funding Opportunities related to animal model systems.

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Fear and loathing on study section: Reviewing grant proposals while the system is burning 8:57

1M ago8:57

8:57

As grants are canceled, delayed and subject to general uncertainty, participating in study sections can feel futile. But it’s more important than ever.

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Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants 6:50

1M ago6:50

6:50

The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.

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Nature retracts paper on novel brain cell type against authors' wishes 4:23

1M ago4:23

4:23

A 2022 paper was retracted after an independent team of researchers reanalyzed the data and questioned its validity.

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Drosophila, like vertebrates, filter sensory information during sleep 5:06

1M ago5:06

5:06

Predictive sensory processing in sleeping Drosophila echoes vertebrate research, establishing an evolutionarily conserved neural signature of sleep.

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Neuroscience's open-data revolution is just getting started 7:48

1M ago7:48

7:48

Data reuse represents an opportunity to accelerate the pace of science, reduce costs and increase the value of our collective research investments. New tools that make open data easier to use—and new pressures, including funding cuts—may increase uptake.

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Machine learning spots neural progenitors in adult human brains 6:31

1M ago6:31

6:31

But the finding has not settled the long-standing debate over the existence and extent of neurogenesis during adulthood, says Yale University neuroscientist Juan Arellano.

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Astrocytes sense neuromodulators to orchestrate neuronal activity and shape behavior 9:29

2M ago9:29

9:29

Astrocytes serve as crucial mediators of neuromodulatory processes previously attributed to direct communication between neurons, four new studies show.

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Spatial learning circuitry fluctuates in step with estrous cycle in mice 5:41

2M ago5:41

5:41

Cyclic shifts in estradiol levels coincide with changes in dendritic spine density and the activity of place cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, a new study shows.

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Expanded view of hippocampal function comes into focus 11:14

2M ago11:14

11:14

After decades of debate, the region’s role is being rewritten. Rather than using sensory input to simply log key points in time and space, the hippocampus may serve to contextualize our experiences and memories—and ultimately make predictions about the future.

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Many students want to learn to use artificial intelligence responsibly. But their professors are struggling to meet that need. 8:23

2M ago8:23

8:23

Effectively teaching students how to employ AI in their writing assignments requires clear guidelines—and detailed, case-specific examples.

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The big idea with Diego Bohórquez 13:42

2M ago13:42

13:42

His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.

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Genetic background steers PTEN syndrome traits 5:21

2M ago5:21

5:21

People with the syndrome, caused by variants in the gene PTEN, often have autism or cancer, or both, but it depends on the genetic diversity encoded in the components of distinct cell signaling pathways, according to a new study.

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Star-responsive neurons steer moths' long-distance migration 5:15

2M ago5:15

5:15

Cells in the bogong moth brain respond to astral landmarks to orient the insects in the direction they need to go.

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This paper changed my life: Bradley Dickerson on how a 1940s fly neuroanatomy paper influences his research to this day 5:25

2M ago5:25

5:25

This classic paper by zoologist John Pringle describes the haltere—a small structure in flies that plays a crucial role in flight control. It taught me to think about circuits and behavior as greater than the sum of their parts.

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Gazing at a location from afar activates place cells in chickadees 5:53

2M ago5:53

5:53

The results help explain how the hippocampus can recall information about a place without an animal physically revisiting it.

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Some dopamine neurons signal default behaviors to reinforce habits 4:54

2M ago4:54

4:54

Movement-sensing neurons that target the striatum influence a mouse’s choice of action by favoring routine.

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On the importance of reading (just not too much) 8:43

2M ago8:43

8:43

The real fun of being a neuroscientist, and maybe the key to asking and answering new questions, is to think big and take intellectual risks.

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How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate 6:52

2M ago6:52

6:52

Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.

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'Understudied secret' in brain dampens nicotine drive in mice 4:31

2M ago4:31

4:31

The interpeduncular nucleus produces an aversion to nicotine, even at low doses, and helps moderate how rewarding mice find the drug.

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Rethinking how neural activity sculpts critical periods 6:20

2M ago6:20

6:20

New findings on the role of neural activity in developing circuits are challenging our prior notions about the rules that govern critical periods.

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To understand the brain as a network organ, we must image cortical layers 6:38

2M ago6:38

6:38

Human neuroscience research has largely overlooked this spatial scale—which bridges cells and brain areas. But new advances in functional MRI technology are changing that.

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Medical Director in Industry with Keely Gilroy, PhD 28:59

3M ago28:59

28:59

Dr. Keely Solomon Gilroy, PhD, shares her path from Medical Science Liaison to Science Communication to now a Medical Director in Industry.By Vanderbilt University

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Amina Abubakar translates autism research and care for Kenya 8:04

3M ago8:04

8:04

First an educator and now an internationally recognized researcher, the Kenyan psychologist is changing autism science and services in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Learning in living mice defies classic synaptic plasticity rule 5:42

3M ago5:42

5:42

Donald Hebb’s theory—memorably summarized as “cells that fire together, wire together”—does not explain the shifting hippocampal connections in mice learning to navigate a virtual environment, according to a new study.

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Cephalopods, vision's next frontier 14:23

3M ago14:23

14:23

For decades, scientists have been teased by the strange but inaccessible cephalopod visual system. Now, thanks to a technological breakthrough from a lab in Oregon, data are finally coming straight from the octopus brain.

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Escaping groupthink: What animals' behavioral quirks reveal about the brain 10:05

3M ago10:05

10:05

Neuroscientists have long ignored the variability in animals’ behavioral responses in favor of studying differences across groups. But work on the brain differences that underlie that variability is beginning to pay off.

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Medical Writing with Emily Turner, PhD 18:03

3M ago18:03

18:03

Dr. Emily Turner shares her career projection on the road to medical writing.By Vanderbilt University

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Immune cells block pain in female mice only 5:30

3M ago5:30

5:30

Regulatory T cells in the spinal meninges release endogenous opioids in a sex-specific manner, new work shows.

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The BabyLM Challenge: In search of more efficient learning algorithms, researchers look to infants 8:31

3M ago8:31

8:31

A competition that trains language models on relatively small datasets of words, closer in size to what a child hears up to age 13, seeks solutions to some of the major challenges of today’s large language models.

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Scientific Publishing with Tony Chen, PhD 57:33

3M ago57:33

57:33

We kick off Season 8 with Vanderbilt alumnus Dr. Tony Chen, PhD, who will share about his role in publishing at Springer Nature.By Vanderbilt University

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Grad Chat Transitions 29:40

3M ago29:40

29:40

This week’s show is hosted by Suyin the DJ Bear. Suyin the DJ Bear interviews CJ the DJ, Colette Steer, and KM on the FM, Katie-Marie McNeill, about Grad Chat’s history and future. As you may have heard, CJ the DJ is retiring from her role at Queen’s University, and she has passed hosting duties of Grad Chat to her colleague KM on the FM. For upcom…