Summary: Researchers introduce “apical hypercontextualisation”—a bottom-up neurobiological mechanism explaining how psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT, mescaline) transform perception and cognition. Moving beyond macro-scale whole-brain neuroimaging, the framework focuses on the cellular…
Category: Humans
Early Stress Heightens Adult Anxiety
Summary: Researchers uncovered a fundamental epigenetic mechanism explaining how early-life adversity permanently alters the brain’s stress response networks. The study identified that childhood trauma increases levels of the enzyme SETD7…
How Overconfidence and Loss Aversion Co-Evolved
Summary: Researchers propose an evolutionary resolution to why human overconfidence persists despite causing costly decision-making errors. The study argues that overconfidence functions analogously to a peacock’s tail: a costly evolutionary…
The typical gig worker is changing – and struggling more than ever to make ends meet
The next time you call an Uber ride or order food delivery with an app, there’s a good chance that the gig worker you meet is getting government benefits. In…
DIY peptide injections are risky, and people may make serious mistakes when administering them
DIY peptide injections, which promise to boost everything from weight loss and muscle-building to longevity and sexual health, are a high-risk wellness fad that keeps on growing. Health experts have…
Rare sculptures of Asklepios and Telesphoros unearthed in Turkey
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Aspendos in southern Turkey have uncovered an 1,800-year-old marble statue group depicting Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine, alongside his son Telesphoros, offering new…
Depression Triggers Volume Loss in Memory Brain Areas
Summary: Researchers identified a specific structural brain change associated with depression in older adults. Examining high-resolution MRI scans from 2,009 cognitively unimpaired adults aged 50 to 90, the team discovered…
ChatGPT Predicts Human Personality Test Results
Summary: A new study demonstrated a novel method using ChatGPT (GPT-4) to construct, validate, and predict population-level responses for personality assessment questionnaires derived from any source text. The team tested…
First mRNA flu shot approved by FDA bodes well for improving drugs of the future – though a few hurdles remain before mRNA can move beyond vaccines
Vaccines have been reliably and affordably protecting people from diseases worldwide for centuries. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, however, vaccine development was still a long and idiosyncratic process. Traditionally, researchers had…
Taxi drivers rarely die of Alzheimer’s – how complex mental maps and spatial reasoning protect your brain
Taxi and ambulance drivers are less likely than workers in almost any other job to die of Alzheimer’s disease. That was the surprising result of a 2024 study examining the…
