Summary: Personality tests like Myers-Briggs promise insight and self-discovery but often fall short of scientific reliability. Their appeal lies in fulfilling our psychological drive for identity and belonging, but many…
Category: Life
Music After Learning Boosts Memory, But Only at the Right Emotion Level
Summary: A new study reveals that listening to music immediately after an experience can enhance memory—if the emotional response is just right. Researchers found that volunteers who experienced moderate arousal…
New Drug Aims to Block Pain Without Addiction Risks
Summary: Chronic pain affects millions, but opioid medications bring high risks of dependence and side effects. Researchers have now pinpointed specific neurons in the amygdala that make pain feel unpleasant,…
The phoenix isn’t the only critter to survive the flames
At the end of its life, the phoenix goes out in style. With a loud cry, the crimson bird bursts into flames. Then from a pile of ash, a baby…
Brain Study Reveals Circuit Controlling Depression and Anxiety
Summary: A new study identifies brain area 46 in the marmoset dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as a key regulator of mood-related behavior. When this region was inactivated, the animals showed less…
Disease is the greatest threat to bee health. Can genetically engineered probiotics help protect them?
If you cannot engineer the organism, engineer its microbiome. Since scientists began exploring how to solve problems using synthetic biology, by focusing on microbial symbionts, a whole universe of possibilities…
How Stress Types Differently Impact Brain and Behavior
Summary: Stress is a universal experience, but not all stress affects the brain in the same way. A new study in rats reveals that acute stress provokes anxiety-like behaviors, especially…
Education Gap Is Speeding Up Aging in Millions of People
Summary: A new study reveals that Americans with less education are aging faster than those with more schooling, and the divide has widened over the past three decades. Biological age—measuring…
Frilly bug feet inspire a water-striding robot
Ripple bugs’ nimble movements on the surface of water inspired a robot with automatically unfurling fans on its feet.
Around the world, birds sing longer in light-polluted areas
Light pollution makes birds work overtime. A behavioral analysis of nearly 600 bird species suggests that light pollution from human development can lengthen the time birds spend singing by nearly…
