Neuroscie

Targeting Liver X Receptor Beta for Depression Treatment

Summary: A recent review highlights the potential of liver X receptor beta (LXRβ) as a target for treating depression and anxiety. Known for regulating cholesterol, LXRβ is emerging as a…

Dual-Targeting Drug Halts Tau Accumulation in Alzheimer’s

Summary: Scientists have developed a drug that targets both major aggregation-promoting sites of the Tau protein, a key player in Alzheimer’s disease. This peptide inhibitor, RI-AG03, effectively prevents Tau buildup…

Psychedelics Reduce Anxiety Without Hallucinations

Summary: New research has pinpointed the specific brain region and neuron type responsible for reducing anxiety using the psychedelic drug DOI, without triggering hallucinations. The study revealed that DOI targets…

Dolphins’ “Smile” Reveals Playful Intentions

Summary: Bottlenose dolphins use an “open mouth” expression, similar to a smile, during playful interactions with other dolphins. This expression is a signal of fun and playfulness, preventing misunderstandings as…

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

The sun unleashes its strongest flare this cycle

Image of the October 3, 2024 X9 flare seen in extreme ultraviolet light. Credit: NASA/SDO Yesterday the sun released a huge solar flare, and it’s heading toward Earth. It’s nothing…

Traces of antimatter in cosmic rays reopen the search for ‘WIMPs’ as dark matter

The image shows the predicted flux of antihelium-3 produced from dark matter (WIMPs) that annihilate producing these antinuclei. Each color represents the prediction for a different mass of dark matter,…

South America treated to rare ‘ring of fire’ eclipse

The eclipse starts off looking like a ‘bite’ has been taken out of the Sun. Skygazers on the tip of South America were treated Wednesday to a spectacular “ring of…

New super-Neptune exoplanet discovered

TESS Simple Aperture Photometry of TOI-5005. Credit: Castro-González et al., 2024. An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new super-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star. The newly…