Cortisol Kill-Switch: Exercise Rewires Stress Biology

Summary: We’ve long known that a run can clear your head, but a landmark one-year randomized clinical trial has finally mapped the long-term biological “why.” The study is the first…

AI Restores Voices Through Microscopic Neck Movements

Summary: Imagine speaking in total silence and having a machine recreate your exact voice in real-time. Researchers have developed a wearable “Multiaxial Strain Mapping Sensor” that reads microscopic movements in…

An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change

A tiny mouse on the brink of extinction in coastal California may be able to adapt to a hotter world — though it might need a little help.  Genetic analyses of critically…

Music Corrects the Brain’s “Glitched” Predictions

Summary: In a creative shift for psychiatric research, a study suggests that songwriting and group music-making can help people with psychosis re-connect with reality. The research explores the concept of…

Decoding the Shame Associated with Ozempic Weight Loss

Summary: As GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy skyrocket in popularity, a new study reveals a growing social backlash. New research found that women who use these drugs for weight…

Sandra Varga – Functional Ecologists

In this blog post, we hear from our newest Senior Editor, Sandra Varga! Sandra – an Associate Professor at the University of Lincoln, UK – is an evolutionary ecologist interested…

Stressed Out? Diverse Gut Bacteria Might Be to Blame

Summary: Does the community of bacteria in your gut determine how you handle a high-pressure situation? A new study provides fresh evidence that the human gut microbiome is intrinsically linked…

Treetop toilets may act as communication hubs across mammal species

When a human has a sudden need to take a number two, they might seek out a public bathroom. When mammals in the cloud forests of Costa Rica need to…

Shallow Brain Hypothesis: Subcortical Shortcuts Could Revolutionize AI

Summary: Current AI models mimic the brain’s cortex, the “high-level” outer layer, but they almost entirely ignore the ancient, deep structures beneath it. A research team has proposed a new…

what elevation reveals about herbivory and plant stress  – Functional Ecologists

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Soumen Mallick – a Postdoctoral researcher at Field Station Fabrikschleichach, University of Würzburg – discusses the paper “Elevation reverses the effects of forest…