Suzana Alcantara – Functional Ecologists

In this week’s blog post, Dr. Suzana Alcantara – a researcher at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil – discusses the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 12. Suzana…

Bumblebees can solve problems on their own

Bumblebees faced with a challenge know how to play ball. Buff-tailed bumblebees can figure out on their own how to use a ball as a ladder to nab sugar from…

Cannabis & Tobacco Co-Use Lower Cognitive Scores in Teens

Summary: A new study filled a critical diagnostic gap regarding substance use during the early warning phases of mental illness. Investigating adolescents and young adults at clinical high risk for…

Upama Aich | Salty ups and downs: fluctuating salinity affects egg and ejaculate investments – Functional Ecologists

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Upama Aich – a Forrest Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia – discusses her paper “Developmental environment and age shape macronutrient allocation to…

Brain’s Internal Disappointment Meter Forces Behavioral Change

Summary: A precision developmental neurobiology and behavioral study has identified a dedicated group of brain cells that function as a physical “disappointment meter.” The research isolates a distinct type of…

Are Long-Term Antidepressant Benefits Overstated?

Summary: A clinical overview challenged the scientific consensus supporting long-term antidepressant use. The review unmasked a fundamental flaw in existing clinical trial designs. Investigators revealed that the widely cited benefits…

A secret to making a queen bee may lie in the wax around it

A queen bee may be shaped by more than its famous royal diet. The wax of the peanut-shaped chamber where the queen develops has distinct physical and chemical properties that…

Stroop Test Exposes Inherent LLM Flaw

Summary: A new cognitive evaluation of artificial intelligence has unmasked a fundamental, systemic flaw running through large language model (LLM) attention mechanisms. By administering the classic psychological “Stroop task” to…

Semantic Knowledge Is Key to Human Innovation

Summary: A new study has isolated the foundational cognitive engine driving human creativity and technological advancement. The research demonstrates that our “semantic knowledge”, the internal cognitive map of how concepts…

DBS Remodels White Matter Paths to Reverse Depression

Summary: A new study uncovered the first direct evidence that deep brain stimulation (DBS) physically remodels white matter pathways and rewires large-scale neural networks. The study addresses a historic diagnostic…