Neuroscie
Early Intervention Helps Most Autistic Children Acquire Spoken Language
Summary: New research reports that approximately two-thirds of initially non-speaking children with autism develop spoken language following evidence-based early intervention. The study identifies key factors, such as intervention duration and…
Brain Conductors Find Precise Connection to Target Cells via Protein Handshake
Summary: Researchers have identified two specific proteins, gliomedin and CNTNAP4, that act as a “handshake” mechanism allowing inhibitory chandelier cells to connect precisely with excitatory pyramidal neurons. This connection is…
Multilingualism Calculator Reveals True Language Strengths
Summary: A new study introduces a multilingualism calculator that quantifies how multilingual a person truly is, offering a clearer alternative to vague labels like “bilingual.” By combining age of acquisition…
Brain Blends Fast and Slow Signals to Shape Human Thought
Summary: Researchers mapped the brain connectivity of 960 individuals to uncover how fast and slow neural processes unite to support complex behavior. They found that intrinsic neural timescales—each region’s characteristic…
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…
