Neuroscie
Looksmaxxing Trend Poses Health Risks for Young Men
Summary: A clinical commentary published in the Journal of Adolescent Health warns that the viral online trend known as “looksmaxxing” exposes adolescent boys and young men to severe psychological and…
How “Pink Noise” in Conversation Makes Chats Enjoyable
Summary: A cognitive science investigation led by Kathryn O’Nell and colleagues reveals that the most enjoyable and engaging human conversations follow a distinct statistical rhythm known as “pink noise.” Rather…
Estrogen Exposure Shields the Aging Brain
Summary: A longitudinal neuroimaging investigation published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, demonstrates that longer lifetime estrogen exposure and hormonal therapy use are strongly tied…
Omega-3 DHA Eases Autism Behaviors by Calming Inflammation
Summary: A preclinical study from Chongqing Medical University and Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center demonstrates that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a crucial omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, alleviates autism-like behavioral deficits…
Life
Nature
Newfound bat skeletons are the oldest on record
Two fossilized bat skeletons unearthed in western Wyoming represent a new species and are the oldest set of bat bones yet discovered, researchers say. The incredibly complete fossils of Icaronycteris…
Astronomy
Asteroid 2024 YR4 was Earth’s first real-life defense test
Artist’s depiction of an asteroid floating in space. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb), Martin Kornmesser (ESA), Serge Brunier (ESO), Nick Risinger (Photopic Sky Survey) At this point in…
How do you fire someone into the sun?
Firing our villain straight at the Sun results in a big miss. Credit: Michael Brown, CC BY To point a rocket directly at the sun and hit would require great…
Cosmic ray puzzle resolved as scientists link ‘knee’ formation to black holes
LHAASO experiment. Credit: LHAASO Collaboration Milestone results released by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) on November 16 have solved a decades-old mystery about the cosmic ray energy…
If the supernova standard candle is wrong, it could solve the Hubble tension
An illustration showing how Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAOs) expand with the universe. Credit: Gabriela Secara, Perimeter Institute CC-BY-4.0 Last time I wrote about new data that overturns the standard cosmological…
