As easily as the mind can drift off course, it also has the remarkable ability to refocus. Researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have uncovered how that process may work. In a new animal study, they found that synchronized neural activity, appearing as a rotating wave across the brain, helps guide thought…
A collaboration between Brazilian and German researchers has led to a sunflower-based meat substitute that’s high in protein and minerals. The new ingredient, made from refined sunflower flour, delivers excellent nutritional value and a mild flavor. Tests showed strong texture and healthy fat content, suggesting great potential for use in the growing plant-based food sector….
Imagine a frog inside a box with an opening partway up one side. Whether it can escape depends on how much energy it has: if it can jump high enough, it could, in theory, reach the opening. But success requires more than just a high jump — it also needs to pass through that opening….
Far beneath the ocean’s surface, researchers have found bacteria that can digest plastic, using specialized enzymes that evolved alongside humanity’s synthetic debris. A large-scale global study by scientists at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) revealed that these marine microbes are widespread and genetically prepared to consume polyethylene terephthalate (PET) — the tough…
Scientists have discovered that the human brain has its own built-in pain map, activating different regions when easing pain in the face, arms, or legs. Placebo pain relief only works in the exact area where the brain expects it to happen. Understanding this system could lead to safer, more precise treatments that target pain exactly…
A supermassive black hole in the process of shredding an enormous star Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC) Astronomers have spotted the brightest flare we have ever seen coming from a supermassive black hole. The flare was so powerful it can only have come from a huge star being ripped apart at the centre of a distant galaxy…
A research team at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), led by Juan Lerma, has uncovered how a distinct group of neurons in the amygdala — a region of the brain involved in processing emotions — contributes to anxiety, depression, and changes in social behavior. The discovery, published in iScience, shows that restoring the balance of…
Pallab GhoshScience Correspondent David Braun They look like simple stones, but they were state of the art tools millions of years ago, made with great skill and precison The very first humans millions of years ago may have been inventors, according to a discovery in northwest Kenya. Researchers have found that the primitive humans who…
When some marine fish eventually adapted to life in fresh water, many also acquired a more elaborate way to hear, including middle ear bones that resemble those in humans. Two-thirds of freshwater species today rely on a specialized middle ear known as the Weberian apparatus. This group spans more than 10,000 species, from catfish to…
Researchers from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, the Centre for New Technologies at the University of Warsaw, and Emory University (Atlanta, USA) have explored how atoms influence one another when interacting with light. Their study, published in Physical Review Letters, expands on existing models of this effect. By demonstrating that direct…
