Bovine Neuropathology (HEADBUTTING) with Dr. Nicole Ackermans
Image description: Dr. Nicole Ackermans looks into camera and holds up a ram’s skull.
Slamming heads together to impress someone: why does this happen? Let’s ask Dr. Nicole Ackermans, whose current job involves receiving sheep heads and painstakingly counting damaged neurons from headbutting concussions. The Neuropathology episode last week gives all the concussion basics, but this one turns the microscope away from accidents and points it right at intentional behaviors in nature, from bighorn sheep to musk oxen, goats, woodpeckers, and some other animals that will freak you out. Also: questionable helmet ideas and horny hogs.
Listen via Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.
Get all the background on head trauma, including my recent brainwhack concussion
Check Dr. Nicole Ackerman's website & Twitter
Her paper: “Unconventional animal models for traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy”
Her podcast: Stories Your Granny Never Told
Her Twitter thread on cleaning bones
A donation was made to Society for Women's Health Research
“Cephalo-traumatic secretion transfer in a hermaphrodite sea slug”
Giant forest hogs butting heads
Transcripts and bleeped episodes
Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, masks, totes!
Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram
Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram
Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media
Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn