Overview
Recognition systems; animal communication; evolution of social behavior; cooperation; comparative methods; genetic basis of animal signals; population and comparative genomics; sensory systems; rodents; paper wasps.
Publications
- Michael J. Sheehan, Matthew N. Zipple (2026). Individual identity signatures: roles of negative frequency-dependent selection and cognition in shaping and maintaining individuality and trait diversity. The Royal Society Publishing, 381(1952). pdf
- Matthew N. Zipple, Daniel Chang Kuo, XinMiao Meng, Tess M. Reichard, Kwynn Guess, Caleb C. Vogt, Andrew H. Moeller, Michael J. Sheehan (2025). Competitive social feedback amplifies the role of early life contingency in male mice. Science, 387(6729), 81-85. pdf
- Michael J. Sheehan, Sara E. Miller (2025). Linking individual fitness to the evolution of cognition. The Royal Society Publishing, 380(1929): 20240122. pdf
- Matthew N. Zipple, Bryson Loflin, Daniel Chang Kuo, Erin Tan, Michael J. Sheehan (2025). Transfer to a naturalistic setting restructures fear responses in laboratory mice. Current Biology, 35(24), PR1175-R1176. pdf
- Christopher M. Jernigan, Lorenz C.C. Mammen, Ronald D. Brown, Michael J. Sheehan (2024). Paper wasps: A model clade for social cognition. Science Direct, 89(102928). pdf
- James P. Tumulty, Sara E. Miller, Steven M. Van Belleghem, Floria M.K. Uy, Alexander Walton, Michael J. Sheehan (2023). Evidence for a selective link between cooperation and individual recognition. Current Biology, 33(24), P5478-5487.E5. pdf
In the news
- Scientists Released Caged Mice Into the Wild, And an Incredible Thing Happened
- In lab mice rehomed to fields, anxiety is reversed
- Evolution is not just survival of the fittest. It’s also survival of the luckiest — and this science proves it
- Cartoons in the Curriculum: Teaching Science through Animation
- When placed outdoors, female lab mice behave very differently
- Wasps that recognize faces cooperate more, and may be smarter
- ‘Smartphone face’: why do some people look more modern than others?
- Klarman Fellow studies vocal learning in parrots
- Imaging captures social dynamics of 'pee-shy' mice
- Klarman Fellow tracks impact of social bonds on animal health
- Woody Harrelson Writes 'Wholesome' Poem for 'Adorable' Baby Doppelganger
- Looking for love, finding TNT
- Arts and Sciences welcomes eight new Klarman Fellows
- Scientists tackle breeding challenges of land mine-finding rats