Neuroscie

Rethinking Vibration as an Emotional Language

Summary: A new study challenges the traditional view of mobile device vibration as a simple “alert.” The research introduces a shift toward “tactons”, structured vibration patterns designed to convey complex…

Freeze-Dried Platelets Combat TBI Brain Swelling and Bleeding

Summary: Researchers have identified a potential breakthrough for traumatic brain injuries (TBI) using a freeze-dried blood product called “Thrombosomes.” Originally designed for battlefield hemorrhage, this product has demonstrated a unique…

Emotional Touch Leaves a Permanent Mark on the Mind

Summary: Why does the memory of a comforting hug last a lifetime while the sensation of a handshake vanishes instantly? A new paper introduces the first comprehensive neurobiological model of…

Early Imaginative Play Predicts Better Mental Health

Summary: Toddlers who excel at pretend play are significantly less likely to experience emotional and behavioral difficulties by the time they reach primary school. A major longitudinal study tracked over…

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…