Summary: Unlearning a fear response—a process known as fear extinction—is essential for moving past a traumatic or threatening experience. A groundbreaking study reveals a specific “on/off switch” in the brain…
Category: Life
Climate change could threaten monarch mass migration
Climate change may threaten North America’s iconic mass monarch butterfly migration. Every fall, millions of monarchs (Danaus plexippus) travel thousands of kilometers over North America as they leave their breeding…
Keeping a beat wins caterpillars friends in low places
Some caterpillars speak ant by rocking to a beat. By jiggling like a cellphone receiving a call while on vibrate, the caterpillars cozy up to ants, reaping benefits for them both.…
Gut-Brain-Heart Axis: How Microbes Control Your Blood Pressure
Sumary: High blood pressure and heart failure might be managed through the gut. New research has identified a direct communication line between gut bacteria, the brain, and the heart. The…
An African monkey ate a rope squirrel and came down with mpox
A monkey making a meal of a squirrel may have sparked an outbreak. In early 2023, mpox broke out among a group of a few dozen sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) living…
Intricate silk helps net-casting spiders ensnare prey in webs
Rufus net-casting spiders can tune the stiffness and elasticity of their webs thanks to loops of silk, scanning electron microscope images reveal.
Chatbots Can Worsen Delusions and Mania
Summary: For many, AI chatbots are a helpful tool for productivity, but for those with severe mental illness, they may be a dangerous “echo chamber.” A new study warns that…
Moving Beyond Dopamine to Treat Schizophrenia
Summary: Schizophrenia treatment has been dominated by dopamine-targeting drugs for decades, but these often fail to address the debilitating cognitive and negative symptoms of the disorder. A comprehensive review synthesizes…
‘We were lied to’: Will Trump’s order to increase the domestic supply of the weedkiller glyphosate split MAHA?
[T]he executive order Mr. Trump issued February 17 to increase domestic production of glyphosate — a widely used weedkiller and possible carcinogen that has been the target of thousands of lawsuits, including…
Prenatal Lead Exposure Affects the Aging Brain
Summary: The consequences of lead exposure may take six decades to fully manifest. A remarkable study has linked lead exposure during the second trimester of pregnancy to lower cognitive performance…
