Summary: A U.S. study combining pollen and suicide data from over a decade shows that high pollen days are linked to a measurable rise in suicide risk. The risk increased…
Category: Life
What’s the genetic secret to living past 110?
There’s no escaping the unrelenting passage of time, but supercentenarians who live to see their 110th birthday have a peculiar ability to postpone the inevitable. A thorough health evaluation of…
Every Heartbeat Shapes Thoughts and Emotions
Summary: Researchers emphasize that the heart and brain are deeply interconnected, with every heartbeat influencing cognition and emotion within milliseconds. This link helps explain why cardiovascular diseases like hypertension often…
Skin-to-Skin Contact Boosts Brain Development
Summary: Very preterm infants who received more skin-to-skin contact during their hospital stay showed stronger development in brain regions tied to stress and emotional regulation. Brain scans revealed that longer…
Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird
There was something strange about the turquoise-colored songbird flying around San Antonio in 2023. With its black-and-white tail bands and its jeering honk, it somewhat resembled and sounded like a…
What is ‘genetic nurture’ and how does it impact educational achievement?
The phrase “Look down your nose” comes from a time when aristocrats were taller than commoners due to their superior nutrition. European elites would literally look down on their inferiors.…
Prozac May Rewire the Brain by Loosening Rigid Neural Circuits
Summary: A new study shows that fluoxetine, better known as Prozac, does more than increase serotonin—it changes how brain cells handle energy and rebuild connections. After two weeks of treatment,…
Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends
Prey animals can use their colors to hide from predators or dissuade them from attacking. But local conditions determine which option works best. A global study comparing defensive coloration in…
Postpartum Depression and Psychosis Risks Surge After Childbirth
Summary: A large Swedish study of 1.8 million pregnancies found that mental ill health around pregnancy has risen in recent years, with risks spiking after childbirth. While depression and psychosis…
The spatial scaling of multiple dimensions of functional diversity in habitat islands – Functional Ecologists
In this blog post, author Rafael Dias delves into the world of avian abundance and richness, with a ‘Behind the Paper’ look at his research article “The spatial scaling of…
