Exploring the relationship between different measures of functional redundancy – Functional Ecologists

In this blog post, Daniel G. Dick, a public education and geoscience communication postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University, Canada, discusses his study “Measuring functional redundancy using generalized Hill numbers”, which…

Psychology of Stock Choices: High Risk or Steady Gains?

Summary: Researchers conducted a study exploring why investors are drawn to high-risk IPO shares despite their generally low returns, comparing this allure to the steady yet modest returns of investments…

Emotion vs. Reason: Rethinking Decision-Making

Summary: Researchers challenge the notion that rational thinking is the only path to good decision-making. Highlighting the limited role of rationality in our choices, the researchers emphasize the profound influence…

CaMKII Can Be Regulated to Mitigate Alzheimer’s

Summary: The CaMKII protein, critical in brain and heart function, can be regulated to mitigate Alzheimer’s and heart conditions using three types of drug inhibitors. Their findings reveal that these…

Harmony in Chaos: How BPD Influences Music Tastes

Summary: Recent research reveals that individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) exhibit distinct music preferences, favoring reflective and complex genres such as classical and jazz over intense, rebellious ones. The…

2023 Haldane Prize Podcast – Functional Ecologists

Podcast out now! Ximena Cibils chats to us about her research paper, Silicon and Epichloë-endophyte defences in a model temperate grass diminish feeding efficiency and immunity of an insect, which has…

Dogs know words for their favorite toys

Dogs may know more than they let on. Pet dogs’ brains displayed neural signs of surprise when their owners showed them an unexpected toy. The findings, published March 22 in…

Canine Cognition: Dogs Match Words with Objects

Summary: A new study reveals dogs’ ability to understand words as representations of objects, indicating a deeper level of cognitive processing than previously thought. Researchers used non-invasive EEG to measure…

Did you hear the story about the GMO that nearly destroyed the world?

Fear Distorts Reward Decisions Differently for Women and Men

Summary: Fear can significantly influence women’s preference for immediate financial rewards over larger, delayed ones, a decision-making bias known as “delay discounting,” while men’s choices remain unaffected by their emotional…