Charles Darwin’s Descent of Man is full of unexpected delights — such as the trio of hard drinking, chain-smoking koalas that appear within its first few pages to illustrate our…
Category: Life
Peptide Improves Cognition in Schizophrenia
Summary: Researchers developed a novel peptide, KS-133, to target cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. By using a brain-targeting peptide, KS-487, they successfully transported KS-133 across the blood-brain barrier. Their nanoparticle-based drug…
AI Increases Lie Accusations, Changing How We Trust and Detect Deception
Summary: New research shows people are more likely to accuse others of lying when AI makes the accusation first. This insight highlights the potential social impact of AI in lie…
The last woolly mammoths offer new clues to why the species went extinct
Four thousand years ago, on an island off the coast of what is now Siberia, the world’s last woolly mammoth took its final breath. Living on that island, isolated from…
how standing dead biomass affects litter decomposition of herbs – Functional Ecologists
In this Behind the Paper blog post, Šárka Angst – a research assistant at the Czech Academy of Sciences – discusses her paper “The effect of dead standing (marcescent) biomass…
What are the prospects of developing a COVID vaccine against all strains and future pandemics?
The arrival of the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. In order to be prepared for it, we will need government-funded basic science in universities and the…
Depression Linked to Amygdala Activity
Summary: A new study reveals how depression affects brain activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) of rats. Using a microelectrode array, researchers found increased theta frequency activity in the BLA…
Brain Control of Escape Behavior May Unlock Anxiety Treatments
Summary: Researchers discovered how the brain controls sensitivity to threats, influencing escape behavior in mice. The study found that inhibitory neurons in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) regulate both the initiation…
Kelsey Byers – Functional Ecologists
Happy Pride Month! Join the British Ecological Society in this annual, global celebration as we share stories from STEM researchers who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. This post is by…
