Summary: “Hyperarousal” is a cornerstone of many mental health conditions, from insomnia and ADHD to depression and PTSD. However, the term has historically been used as a “catch-all,” leading to…
Category: Life
Why do birds cheat? – Functional Ecologists
In this week’s blog post, we find out how relationship woes are abundant in the bird community! Through her paper: “Avian extra-pair paternity in the last European primeval forest”, author Joanna Sudyka provides an explanation for the question: “why do birds…
Immune Cells in the Brain Discovered to Control Puberty and Reproduction
Summary: In a surprising shift in our understanding of reproductive biology, researchers have discovered that fertility is not controlled by neurons alone. The study reveals that microglia—the brain’s primary immune…
Teens with ADHD Face Higher Risks of Anxiety and Depression
Summary: Young people with ADHD are significantly more likely to experience “internalizing” problems like anxiety and low mood, but until now, the exact links between these conditions remained unclear. A…
Why African striped mice can be the best of dads — or the worst
The difference between a doting dad and a deadbeat one may come down to a molecular switch in the brain — at least in African striped mice. Boosting activity of…
Functional Ecology’s Award for Early Career Researchers – Functional Ecologists
The Haldane Prize is awarded annually by the British Ecological Society for the best paper in Functional Ecology by an early career author. We are pleased to present the shortlisted papers for the 2025 award (published…
AI Autocomplete Covertly Shifts Human Opinions
Summary: AI-powered writing tools do more than just speed up your typing—they may be subtly rewriting your worldviews. A large-scale study reveals that biased autocomplete suggestions can shift a user’s…
The Amazon molly — a sex-skipping fish — hacks evolution
The Amazon molly is an evolutionary enigma: an all-female fish that reproduces by cloning itself. Because it doesn’t mix its DNA with a mate’s, Darwinian logic holds that harmful mutations…
