Summary: Researchers have identified two specific proteins, gliomedin and CNTNAP4, that act as a “handshake” mechanism allowing inhibitory chandelier cells to connect precisely with excitatory pyramidal neurons. This connection is…
Category: Life
Queen bumblebees are poor foragers thanks to sparse tongue hair
The density of fine hairs on bumblebees’ tongues determines how much nectar they can collect — and workers put queen bees to shame.
In a new kind of plant trickery, this yam fools birds with fake berries
Deception and intrigue are not limited to people or even animals. Plants, too, have evolved ways to fool their pollinators, their enemies and even the organisms that disperse their seeds.…
Among chimpanzees, thrill-seeking peaks in toddlerhood
Toddlers are the daredevils of the chimp world. Chimps ages 2 to 5 are more likely than older chimps to free-fall from tree limbs in the forest canopies or leap…
Supreme Court may consider blocking further suits targeting the weedkiller glyphosate, which global regulatory agencies have found safe
The Supreme Court is poised to decide whether to take up a case involving weedkillers and cancer that could effectively curtail one of the largest waves of tort litigation in…
An all-female wasp is rapidly spreading across North America’s elms
She’s less than a centimeter long, produces only daughters and is conquering the continent without a single male. Meet the elm zigzag sawfly, named for the delicate zigzag patterns it…
‘Goes against decades of evidence’: RFK, Jr.’s new food pyramid draws backlash from heart health and nutrition groups
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced new dietary guidelines for Americans focused on promoting whole foods, proteins and healthy fats. At a press conference on [January 7, 2026],…
Hidden tree bark microbes munch on important climate gases
Trees are known for capturing carbon dioxide as they grow. But they also soak up other gases implicated in climate change through microbes in their bark. The tree bark microbes…
In a Quebec park, a science game brings predator-prey dynamics to life
The predator was closing in, and the prey had to make a potentially life-altering choice: find food or flee? That prey was ecologist David Bolduc. And he was one of…
Cassandras map the ‘inevitable’ AI doomsday
Right in the heart of Berkeley is the home of a group of modern-day Cassandras who rummage under the hood of cutting-edge AI models and predict what calamities may be…
