Neuroscie
Brain Switch for Recent Memory Retrieval Identified
Summary: A new study has identified the world’s first “neural switch” responsible for selectively retrieving recent memories over past ones. The researchers discovered a specific neural circuit connecting the medial…
Combining Cannabis and Tobacco Triples Psychosis Risk
Summary: A multi-site study reveals that combining cannabis and tobacco, a trend known as “co-use”, significantly increases the long-term risk of developing full psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. The study tracked…
Why Young Teens Are Vulnerable to Conversational AI
Summary: A national, peer-reviewed study reveals that nearly half of American teenagers using Conversational AI (CAI) chatbots have been exposed to significant digital, emotional, or behavioral harm. The study surveyed…
Novel Antibody Repairs Acute Spinal Cord Lesions
Summary: A multinational clinical trial demonstrated that a novel antibody, NG101, successfully preserves existing nerve tissue and accelerates the regression of spinal cord lesions following acute injury. The antibody operates…
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…
