Summary: A new study has mapped a brain circuit responsible for detecting threats and forming fear memories. The hippocampus, known for spatial navigation, also plays a role in recognizing dangers,…
Category: Life
Psychosis Cognitive Impairment Linked to Brain Network
Summary: New research reveals that cognitive impairments in psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are connected to brain network organization. This connection is evident even before the first psychotic…
Can plants have their cake and eat it too? – Functional Ecologists
In this new post Kaz Uyehara, postdoc researcher at UC Davies, presents his work ‘Neighbour-detection causes shifts in allocation across multiple organs to prepare plants for light competition’. He explains…
High-Dose Psilocybin Shows Potential as an Antidepressant Treatment
Summary: A meta-analysis suggests that high doses of psilocybin may alleviate depressive symptoms similarly to the SSRI drug escitalopram. While the effect size was small, psilocybin outperformed placebo in clinical…
Childhood Inflammation Linked to Later Mental Health Risks
Summary: Children with persistent inflammation are at a higher risk of developing mental health disorders like psychosis and depression in early adulthood. A study found that elevated inflammation markers, particularly…
Neuroticism Alters How Personality Affects Self-Control
Summary: Personality traits like conscientiousness and extraversion are linked to higher self-control, while neuroticism can weaken this effect, especially in specific types of self-control like resisting temptation or initiating proactive…
Molecule Discovery Could Revolutionize Chronic Pain Treatment
Summary: Researchers have identified a natural molecule, phosphatidic acid, that reduces the sensitivity of touch-sensing ion channels, providing a promising new avenue for managing chronic pain. By increasing levels of…
This spider makes its home in the burrows of extinct giant ground sloths
Deep in the unyielding darkness of a Brazilian cave, a pale, blind, spiny beast carefully feels its way across rust-colored rocks. Meet Paleotoca diminas, a spider new to science. The…
The Human Genome Project: Inside the ‘most important biomedical research undertaking of the 20th Century’
The Big Picture The Human Genome Project was a landmark global scientific effort whose signature goal was to generate the first sequence of the human genome. In 2003, the Human…
This spider uses trapped fireflies to lure in more prey
Sometimes fireflies shouldn’t follow the light. A single flash from a female usually helps male Abscondita terminalis fireflies find her among tall grasses at dusk. Males are showier, giving…
