3-Region Neural Circuit Required for Sleep Memory

Summary: A human intracranial recording study reveals that memory consolidation during sleep depends on precise, coordinated activity among three brain regions: the orbitofrontal cortex, the thalamus, and the hippocampus. The…

US Suicide Rates Undercounted Due to Overdose Misclassification

Summary: A commentary asserts that the United States is significantly undercounting suicide deaths, largely due to systemic misclassification of fatal drug overdoses as accidental or undetermined in intent. The commentary…

Seals’ amphibious hearing developed a long, long time ago

Seals, sea lions and walruses — collectively known as pinnipeds — are the only mammals with excellent hearing both above and below the water. The evolution of this unique ability…

How vaccine skeptics use storytelling effectively to create powerful but medically inaccurate messaging

As long as there have been vaccines, there have been people who doubted their science and safety. Back in 19th-century England, people rioted against a mandatory smallpox vaccine, claiming that…

What makes muscles contract? A physiologist explains how muscles move

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. What makes the cells of…

Spines of saber-toothed cats tell a tale of the doomed species

Clues to saber-toothed cats’ demise are emerging from fossils entombed in California’s sticky La Brea Tar Pits. Fossils of the extinct predators preserved in tar reveal a diversity of spinal…

Archaeologists map buried sacred precinct of the Aztec capital

Archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have completed the first comprehensive altimetric survey of the area once occupied by the sacred precinct of the Aztec capital,…

What happened to space horror movies?

We all know the cliché: any horror franchise that goes on long enough inevitably goes to space. Critters, Hellraiser, Friday the 13th, Dracula… they’ve all taken a trip to the…

Gold regalia and imperial ring recovered from Byzantine shipwreck in the Adriatic

Archaeologists excavating a Byzantine shipwreck off the Croatian island of Mljet have uncovered a remarkable collection of gold artefacts, including ceremonial belt fittings, imperial coins and a rare gold signet…

Alzheimer Genetic Risk Scores Do Not Explain SuperAging

Summary: A new study reveals that exceptional memory in older adults is not driven simply by low inherited Alzheimer’s disease risk. The multi-center study evaluated 142 SuperAgers (adults in their…