In this ‘Postcards from the Field’ blog post, Dr Diana Tataru – based at Tulane University – discusses their work on monkeyflowers in the beautiful Yosemite National Park, California! Diana…
Category: Life
These are our favorite animal stories of 2024
From superpowered bees to theatrical snakes, these reports from the animal kingdom drove us wild in 2024. Mighty morphin’ beluga blobs You can learn a lot about a beluga (Delphinapterus…
Study Ties Visual Errors to Paranoid Beliefs
Summary: A new study suggests complex beliefs like paranoia may have roots in visual misperception. Participants prone to paranoia or teleological thinking were more likely to wrongly identify one moving…
‘People don’t always realize they are creating a human being and not a piece of furniture’: What’s the psychological health of the first generation of designer babies?
People who have children this way often place too much importance on genes while ignoring the environment. It’s like, “This is what our family is going to look like. We’re…
Targeted or Broadcast? How the Brain Processes Visual Information
Summary: Researchers have uncovered how visual information is processed across the brain’s complex and flexible networks. One study showed visual signals are selectively targeted or broadly broadcast, challenging the idea…
Teen Brain’s Blunted Reward Response Predicts Depression Onset
Summary: A new study reveals that a reduced neural response to rewards in teens predicts the first onset of depression, but not anxiety or suicidality. Researchers used EEG scans to…
Ketamine Reduces “Giving Up” by Targeting Brain Support Cells
Summary: Researchers have found that ketamine’s antidepressant effects target astroglia, a type of brain support cell, rather than neurons, challenging conventional views. Using zebrafish, scientists observed that ketamine suppressed the…
AI Tweaks Personality Tests to Appear More Likable
Summary: Large language models (LLMs) can identify when they are being given personality tests and adjust their responses to appear more socially desirable. Researchers found that LLMs, like GPT-4, showed…
Sheep earwax can record a dangerous diet
A bit of ear goop can reveal if sheep are eating dangerously poisonous plants. Earwax from sheep that have eaten death camas contains the plants’ toxins within a few days…
Being Watched Changes How Your Brain Processes Faces
Summary: A new study shows that knowing you’re under surveillance triggers a faster, automatic brain response to detect faces and gaze direction. Researchers found that participants monitored via CCTV became…
