Summary: Researchers have pinpointed specific brain cells that control how animals react to social defeat, offering new insight into the biology of dominance and submission. In male mice, neurons in…
Category: Life
What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology
The longest woolly rhino horn ever found is providing new insights into the lives of these now extinct animals. The horn — found preserved in Siberian permafrost — stretched over…
Do You Get Déjà Vu? Memory Glitches Make Time Feel Repeated
Summary: Déjà vu—the eerie feeling that a new moment has happened before—has puzzled scientists and philosophers for centuries. Neuroscientists now believe it’s a normal brain glitch tied to how memory…
Misophonia Might Be a Brain Regulation Disorder
Summary: A new study shows that misophonia, strong negative reactions to certain sounds, is closely linked to cognitive and emotional inflexibility. Participants with high misophonia severity struggled to shift between…
How Growing Up Changes the Way We Hear, and Feel, Music
Summary: Our music preferences evolve across life — from youthful exploration to nostalgic reflection. A large-scale analysis of 40,000 users’ streaming data over 15 years revealed that young listeners engage…
Sugar Chains in the Brain: New Pathway Behind Depression Found
Summary: Scientists have discovered that depression can be driven by abnormal sugar modifications on proteins in the brain, offering a new molecular pathway for understanding the disorder. Chronic stress was…
Motherhood Flips Brain Switch That Triggers Aggression
Summary: Researchers discovered that female mice gain access to aggression after giving birth through a brain circuit usually dormant in non-pregnant females. The same neurons drive aggression in males but…
When Mom Struggles to Bond, Babies Sleep Worse
Summary: A large Finnish study has found that mothers who struggle to bond with their infants are more likely to have children with sleep problems that persist into toddlerhood. Difficulties…
To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)
In parts of Eurasia, the key to a tangy yogurt treat scurries along the forest floor. Red wood ants and their microbes acidify and thicken milk, helping ferment the liquid…
