Some 115 million years ago, a veritable fleet of giant predators prowled the waters near Australia. There were long-necked plesiosaurs, snaggletoothed pliosaurs with massive heads, dolphinlike ichthyosaurs, and now —…
Category: Life
Nicotine Withdrawal Makes Smokers More Sensitive to Pain
Summary: A new study shows that abstinent smokers experience heightened pain sensitivity linked to altered activity in specific brain regions. Compared to nonsmokers, abstinent smokers required more postoperative pain relief—especially…
Blocking a Key Protein Greatly Reduces Alzheimer’s Damage
Summary: New findings show that removing Centaurin-α1, a protein elevated in Alzheimer’s disease, significantly reduces inflammation, plaque buildup, and cognitive deficits in a well-established mouse model. Eliminating this protein normalized…
Warmth and Hugging Strengthen the Feeling of Being You
Summary: Changes in skin temperature play a key role in how strongly we experience our bodies as our own. Thermoception influences emotion, identity, and mental health by acting as a…
How male seahorses tap into their mothering side
If there were to be a “best dad” award in the animal kingdom, seahorses would be a shoe-in. That’s because males, not females, of these peculiar fish carry their young…
Bonsaiing mangroves to uncover how traits shape – and flip – ant competition – Functional Ecologists
In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Mark Wong, a Forrest Fellow at the University of Western Australia, discusses his new article ‘Functional trait dissimilarity drives arboreal ant community…
Roundup litigation reprieve? U.S. government backs Bayer’s claim that its glyphosate is safe-as-used finding preempts random, conflicting state-by-state ‘failure-to-warn’ claims
U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed a brief on Monday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review Monsanto’s federal preemption arguments in the sprawling litigation over its Roundup pesticide.…
Growing Fear of Nature: Study Reveals Causes of Rising Biophobia
Summary: An increasing number of people experience fear, discomfort, or disgust toward nature—a phenomenon known as biophobia. The findings reveal that negative emotions form through both external factors such as…
Viewpoint: ‘Gold standard science’ farce: RFK Jr.’s pledge dangerously mocks U.S. healthcare and endangers medicine globally
The message is hammered over and over, in news conferences, hearings and executive orders: President Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., say they want the government to follow “gold standard”…
Mental Illness Can Also Bring Strengths
Summary: Mental illness is typically defined by its challenges, but growing evidence shows it is also linked to surprising strengths. Certain psychological conditions are associated with enhanced creativity, social sensitivity,…
