Felix Baier
@felixbaier.bsky.social
Natural behavior, brain evolution, & ecological change, with a focus on wild 🐭 and 🦎. Currently a Postdoc @mpibrain.bsky.social; PhD from @harvardmcb.bsky.social. he/him
felixbaier.github.io
felixbaier.github.io
Pinned
Felix Baier
@felixbaier.bsky.social
· Jul 23
🚨Very happy that my PhD work is now out in @nature.com!
We discovered that evolution, by acting in the midbrain, shifted the threshold to escape in Peromyscus mice, to fine-tune defensive strategies in different environments
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This was a truly collaborative effort! 🧵⬇️
We discovered that evolution, by acting in the midbrain, shifted the threshold to escape in Peromyscus mice, to fine-tune defensive strategies in different environments
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This was a truly collaborative effort! 🧵⬇️
Reposted by Felix Baier
How does life evolve to adapt to modern cities?
Out now in Science, my PhD work with @lindymcbr.bsky.social uncovers the ancient origin of the “London Underground mosquito” – one of the most iconic examples of urban adaptation.
🧵(1/n)
@science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady4515
Out now in Science, my PhD work with @lindymcbr.bsky.social uncovers the ancient origin of the “London Underground mosquito” – one of the most iconic examples of urban adaptation.
🧵(1/n)
@science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady4515
Ancient origin of an urban underground mosquito
Understanding how life is adapting to urban environments represents an important challenge in evolutionary biology. In this work, we investigate a widely cited example of urban adaptation, Culex pipie...
www.science.org
October 25, 2025 at 4:46 AM
How does life evolve to adapt to modern cities?
Out now in Science, my PhD work with @lindymcbr.bsky.social uncovers the ancient origin of the “London Underground mosquito” – one of the most iconic examples of urban adaptation.
🧵(1/n)
@science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady4515
Out now in Science, my PhD work with @lindymcbr.bsky.social uncovers the ancient origin of the “London Underground mosquito” – one of the most iconic examples of urban adaptation.
🧵(1/n)
@science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady4515
Reposted by Felix Baier
🧠🌟🐭 Excited to share some of my postdoc work on the evolution of dexterity!
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
October 22, 2025 at 8:41 PM
🧠🌟🐭 Excited to share some of my postdoc work on the evolution of dexterity!
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
Reposted by Felix Baier
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
October 16, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
Reposted by Felix Baier
Our new study modeling selection for (behavioral) variability has been covered in a lovely @genetics-gsa.bsky.social podcast featuring first author Shraddha Lall and @ecoevogal.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...
academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...
Family-based selection: an efficient method for increasing phenotypic variability
This article introduces a model comparing various selection regimes for increasing phenotypic variability. Individuals with the same genotype, reared in id
academic.oup.com
October 8, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Our new study modeling selection for (behavioral) variability has been covered in a lovely @genetics-gsa.bsky.social podcast featuring first author Shraddha Lall and @ecoevogal.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...
academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...
Reposted by Felix Baier
🚨Hiring Alert! Join Gregor Schuhknechts’s
new group Brain Algorithms and Circuits @mpibrain.bsky.social !
🧠 Fully funded PhD & Postdoc
🐟 Larval #zebrafish model
🔬 Imaging, electrophysiology, EM
💻 #SystemsNeuroscience
👉 brain.mpg.de/schuhknecht
new group Brain Algorithms and Circuits @mpibrain.bsky.social !
🧠 Fully funded PhD & Postdoc
🐟 Larval #zebrafish model
🔬 Imaging, electrophysiology, EM
💻 #SystemsNeuroscience
👉 brain.mpg.de/schuhknecht
August 1, 2025 at 1:50 PM
🚨Hiring Alert! Join Gregor Schuhknechts’s
new group Brain Algorithms and Circuits @mpibrain.bsky.social !
🧠 Fully funded PhD & Postdoc
🐟 Larval #zebrafish model
🔬 Imaging, electrophysiology, EM
💻 #SystemsNeuroscience
👉 brain.mpg.de/schuhknecht
new group Brain Algorithms and Circuits @mpibrain.bsky.social !
🧠 Fully funded PhD & Postdoc
🐟 Larval #zebrafish model
🔬 Imaging, electrophysiology, EM
💻 #SystemsNeuroscience
👉 brain.mpg.de/schuhknecht
Reposted by Felix Baier
We are looking for a Postdoc (up to 5 years) who wants to study neural mechanisms of spatial memory in honeybees.
This includes tetrode recordings in behaving honeybees.
Application Deadline is 1st of October 2025.
More details:
www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/services/...
This includes tetrode recordings in behaving honeybees.
Application Deadline is 1st of October 2025.
More details:
www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/services/...
Postdoctoral Position (f/m/d) at the Chair of Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology
Biocenter of the University of Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg
www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de
August 1, 2025 at 8:44 AM
We are looking for a Postdoc (up to 5 years) who wants to study neural mechanisms of spatial memory in honeybees.
This includes tetrode recordings in behaving honeybees.
Application Deadline is 1st of October 2025.
More details:
www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/services/...
This includes tetrode recordings in behaving honeybees.
Application Deadline is 1st of October 2025.
More details:
www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/services/...
Reposted by Felix Baier
How do animals decide if they should forage for food or stay home to take care of newborn offspring? Whose needs come first? For my PhD work now out in Nature, we examined how hunger and parenting neurons interact and are reshaped postpartum in mice 🧵⬇️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A hypothalamic circuit that modulates feeding and parenting behaviours - Nature
Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of mouse hypothalamus and behavioural experiments show that specific hypothalamic networks regulate conflicting feeding versus parenting behaviours of female mice.
www.nature.com
July 30, 2025 at 4:35 PM
How do animals decide if they should forage for food or stay home to take care of newborn offspring? Whose needs come first? For my PhD work now out in Nature, we examined how hunger and parenting neurons interact and are reshaped postpartum in mice 🧵⬇️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Felix Baier
New preprint!
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Computational Urban Ecology of New York City Rats
Urban rats are highly adaptable, thriving in the dynamic and often inhospitable conditions of modern cities. Despite substantial mitigation efforts, they remain an enduring presence in urban environme...
www.biorxiv.org
July 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM
New preprint!
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🚨Very happy that my PhD work is now out in @nature.com!
We discovered that evolution, by acting in the midbrain, shifted the threshold to escape in Peromyscus mice, to fine-tune defensive strategies in different environments
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This was a truly collaborative effort! 🧵⬇️
We discovered that evolution, by acting in the midbrain, shifted the threshold to escape in Peromyscus mice, to fine-tune defensive strategies in different environments
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This was a truly collaborative effort! 🧵⬇️
July 23, 2025 at 3:06 PM
🚨Very happy that my PhD work is now out in @nature.com!
We discovered that evolution, by acting in the midbrain, shifted the threshold to escape in Peromyscus mice, to fine-tune defensive strategies in different environments
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This was a truly collaborative effort! 🧵⬇️
We discovered that evolution, by acting in the midbrain, shifted the threshold to escape in Peromyscus mice, to fine-tune defensive strategies in different environments
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This was a truly collaborative effort! 🧵⬇️
Reposted by Felix Baier
Very happy to share the latest from my postdoc!
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
June 18, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Very happy to share the latest from my postdoc!
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
Reposted by Felix Baier
🧬 New study out: we report a chromosome-level assembly of the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus! A launching pad for chemosensory-evolution research. Read more 👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The Functional and Genetic Architecture of Olfaction in Deer Mice
Mammals have well-developed olfactory systems, but the molecular logic driving the extraction of biological information, how this logic evolves and contributes to differences in behavior remain unclea...
www.biorxiv.org
May 13, 2025 at 10:47 AM
🧬 New study out: we report a chromosome-level assembly of the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus! A launching pad for chemosensory-evolution research. Read more 👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Felix Baier
A nice, layperson writeup of my latest work, which is now out on eLife!
TLDR: Using snRNA-seq, we find cell type abundance differences and sex-biased gene expression differences that may explain innate differences in mating + parenting behavior
elifesciences.org/digests/1031...
TLDR: Using snRNA-seq, we find cell type abundance differences and sex-biased gene expression differences that may explain innate differences in mating + parenting behavior
elifesciences.org/digests/1031...
The parenting styles of deer mice
Single-nuclei RNA-sequencing sheds new light on how two closely related species of deer behave differently when mating and caring for young.
elifesciences.org
April 10, 2025 at 2:54 PM
A nice, layperson writeup of my latest work, which is now out on eLife!
TLDR: Using snRNA-seq, we find cell type abundance differences and sex-biased gene expression differences that may explain innate differences in mating + parenting behavior
elifesciences.org/digests/1031...
TLDR: Using snRNA-seq, we find cell type abundance differences and sex-biased gene expression differences that may explain innate differences in mating + parenting behavior
elifesciences.org/digests/1031...
Reposted by Felix Baier
🎉 so excited to share my first first-author paper is out in @Nature.com, from my PhD work in the Gallio Lab! we uncover the neurobiological mechanisms that drive the evolution of temperature preference behavior in flies of the genus Drosophila 👇
go.nature.com/4i1VQn9
go.nature.com/4i1VQn9
Evolution of temperature preference in flies of the genus Drosophila - Nature
A study using flies of the genus Drosophila adapted to life in diverse thermal environments shows how evolution has shaped temperature preference by acting on both molecular heat receptors and th...
go.nature.com
March 6, 2025 at 2:51 PM
🎉 so excited to share my first first-author paper is out in @Nature.com, from my PhD work in the Gallio Lab! we uncover the neurobiological mechanisms that drive the evolution of temperature preference behavior in flies of the genus Drosophila 👇
go.nature.com/4i1VQn9
go.nature.com/4i1VQn9
This is a few weeks old, but LIZARDS NEVER GET OLD 🦎😇 Find out what makes them so interesting in our Creature Column @naturemethods.bsky.social
The bearded dragon 🦎 has become a model system to study sleep and the evolution of the brain. A short review by Lorenz Fenk, Felix Baier & Gilles Laurent.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The bearded dragon Pogona vitticeps - Nature Methods
The Australian bearded dragon is so called for its distinctive ‘beard’ of spiky scales that can darken and expand during social and defensive displays. This lizard has become a reptilian model system ...
www.nature.com
February 12, 2025 at 2:41 PM
This is a few weeks old, but LIZARDS NEVER GET OLD 🦎😇 Find out what makes them so interesting in our Creature Column @naturemethods.bsky.social
Having flashbacks to my time in the US during Trump‘s first term. Lots of sympathy and hugs to everyone on the ground. Hang in there ❤️
February 5, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Having flashbacks to my time in the US during Trump‘s first term. Lots of sympathy and hugs to everyone on the ground. Hang in there ❤️
Congrats Saikat, amazing work!!
How does the brain work in natural scenarios, in multi-animal societies of wild animals? 🧠 🧪 🦇
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
(1/n)
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
(1/n)
February 3, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Congrats Saikat, amazing work!!
Reposted by Felix Baier
SfN is thrilled to launch a new webinar series in collaboration with the @kavlifoundation.bsky.social exploring how different species’ nervous systems acclimate to environmental changes!
#NeuroSky
#NeuroSky
January 23, 2025 at 2:59 PM
SfN is thrilled to launch a new webinar series in collaboration with the @kavlifoundation.bsky.social exploring how different species’ nervous systems acclimate to environmental changes!
#NeuroSky
#NeuroSky
Reposted by Felix Baier
Congratulations to @mpibrain.bsky.social director Gilles Laurent for being awarded the 2025 Louis-Jeantet prize for Medicine! The @louisjeantetfdn.bsky.social recognizes Laurent's pioneering work on the operations of #neurons and dynamics of neuronal networks. More infos 👉 bit.ly/4hqk6ie
Gilles Laurent is awarded the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine in 2025
The 2025 Louis-Jeantet Prizes are awarded to Gilles Laurent, director at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt and to Veit Hornung, professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of ...
brain.mpg.de
January 21, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Congratulations to @mpibrain.bsky.social director Gilles Laurent for being awarded the 2025 Louis-Jeantet prize for Medicine! The @louisjeantetfdn.bsky.social recognizes Laurent's pioneering work on the operations of #neurons and dynamics of neuronal networks. More infos 👉 bit.ly/4hqk6ie
Reposted by Felix Baier
📢 The Louis-Jeantet Foundation is happy to announce the 2025 #LouisJeantetPrizes, awarded to VEIT HORNUNG @v-hornung.bsky.social @genecenter-lmu.bsky.social and to GILLES LAURENT @ maxplanck.de
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
👉 jeantet.ch/en
👇 follow thread
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
👉 jeantet.ch/en
👇 follow thread
January 21, 2025 at 10:18 AM
📢 The Louis-Jeantet Foundation is happy to announce the 2025 #LouisJeantetPrizes, awarded to VEIT HORNUNG @v-hornung.bsky.social @genecenter-lmu.bsky.social and to GILLES LAURENT @ maxplanck.de
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
👉 jeantet.ch/en
👇 follow thread
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
👉 jeantet.ch/en
👇 follow thread
Reposted by Felix Baier
We just re-locate our twitter/X-history with the help of @blueark.app and then our moving will be final. Please help us to build a new #neuroethology community here by asking colleagues to follow us and by using hashtags or linking @neuroethology.org so that we can share your content 🧪🧠🦋🪲🐝🦑🐟🦐🐜🐦🐸🐢🦈🪼
Dear #ISN members, neuroethologists & followers, the ISN council decided to agree that we delete our X account 👋 We will continue to update you here on #Bluesky & we look forward to creating a new #neuroethology community to discuss neurothology topics & research 🧠🧪
Please share in your networks 🙏
Please share in your networks 🙏
January 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
We just re-locate our twitter/X-history with the help of @blueark.app and then our moving will be final. Please help us to build a new #neuroethology community here by asking colleagues to follow us and by using hashtags or linking @neuroethology.org so that we can share your content 🧪🧠🦋🪲🐝🦑🐟🦐🐜🐦🐸🐢🦈🪼
Reposted by Felix Baier
Humans and other animals take turns during conversations. In our new paper we study the aggressive visual conversations of betta fish. We discover how fish know when is their turn and how the telencephalon is not needed! 🧪
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
More details in 🧵 ⬇️
bsky.app/profile/bend...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
More details in 🧵 ⬇️
bsky.app/profile/bend...
January 15, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Humans and other animals take turns during conversations. In our new paper we study the aggressive visual conversations of betta fish. We discover how fish know when is their turn and how the telencephalon is not needed! 🧪
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
More details in 🧵 ⬇️
bsky.app/profile/bend...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
More details in 🧵 ⬇️
bsky.app/profile/bend...
Reposted by Felix Baier
I'm thrilled to be opening my own lab this Fall at the @maxplanck.de MPI for Brain Research in Frankfurt. The lab is going to investigate the neuronal and genetic underpinnings of behavioral evolution. We are hiring on all levels. Don't hesitate to share widely and reach out if interested.
January 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I'm thrilled to be opening my own lab this Fall at the @maxplanck.de MPI for Brain Research in Frankfurt. The lab is going to investigate the neuronal and genetic underpinnings of behavioral evolution. We are hiring on all levels. Don't hesitate to share widely and reach out if interested.