Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas Center for Vital Longevity (CVL) have discovered that brain correlates of age-related memory decline are more complicated than previously believed, a finding that could affect efforts to preserve cognitive health in older people. Dr. Michael Rugg, CVL director and professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is the senior author of a study, published online Nov. 30 and in the Jan. 24 print edition of The Journal of Neuroscience, that found that age-related neural dedifferentiat ..read more

When scientists and policymakers make tough calls on which areas to prioritize for conservation, biodiversity is often their top consideration. Environments with more diversity support a greater number of species and provide more ecosystem services, making them the obvious choice. There’s just one problem. There are several ways to measure diversity, and each reveals a slightly different, and sometimes conflicting, view of how life interacts in a forest or other ecosystem. Take Our Poll Unveil the cosmos in style! Our “Science is a Way of Thinking” T-shirt, inspired by the legendary Carl Sa ..read more

A new analysis led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimates that 68 percent of Chicago children under age six live in households with tap water containing detectable levels of lead.  For their analysis, the researchers used machine learning, an artificial intelligence technique, to gauge likely levels of lead in tap water in households across Chicago, based on an existing dataset that includes results from 38,385 tap water tests taken from 2016 to 2023. The tests were from households that had registered for a free self-administered testing service fo ..read more

In mammals, the liver detects the body’s energy demand at any given moment and mobilizes nutrient reserves to meet it. It is a vital function that is subdivided into multiple tasks: from releasing glucose into the blood when the hormone insulin alerts about a need for energy, to synthesizing essential fats or proteins. These tasks fall to the hepatic cells, the hepatocytes, which take care of one or the other depending on their spatial position in the liver.  Until now, it was not clear how hepatocytes were assigned tasks related to their localization. Researchers at the Spanish National ..read more

Middle-aged adults in the U.S. tend to report significantly higher levels of loneliness than their European counterparts, possibly due in part to weaker family ties and greater income inequality, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.  “Loneliness is gaining attention globally as a public health issue because elevated loneliness increases one’s risk for depression, compromised immunity, chronic illness and mortality,” said lead author Frank Infurna, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University. “Our research illustrates that peo ..read more

One of the largest studies on wildlife activity—involving more than 220 researchers, 163 mammal species and 5,000 camera traps worldwide—reveals that wild animals react differently to humans depending on where the animals live and what they eat. Bigger herbivores—plant-eating animals like deer or moose—tend to become more active when humans are around, while meat-eaters like wolves or wolverines tend to be less active, preferring to avoid risky encounters. Take Our Poll Unveil the cosmos in style! Our “Science is a Way of Thinking” T-shirt, inspired by the legendary Carl Sagan, is a must-ha ..read more

A novel mixed light field technique that utilizes a mix of ray-controlled ambient lighting with projection mapping (PM) to obtain PM in bright surroundings has been developed by scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology. This innovative technology utilizes a novel kaleidoscope array to achieve ray-controlled lighting and a binary search algorithm for removing ambient lighting from PM targets. It provides an immersive augmented reality experience with applications in various fields. Projection mapping (PM) is a fascinating technology that provides an immersive visual experience by projecting ..read more

The use of antipsychotics during pregnancy isn’t linked to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders or learning difficulties, UNSW Sydney-led study shows – giving assurance to those concerned about continuing their medications during pregnancy.  Antipsychotics – a branch of medication designed to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – are important tools for mental health care management. They work by blocking the effect of dopamine, which can help reduce psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions.  Take Our Poll Unveil the cosmos in style! Our “Science is a Way of T ..read more

Astronomers have charted the largest-ever volume of the universe with a new map of active supermassive black holes living at the centers of galaxies. Called quasars, the gas-gobbling black holes are, ironically, some of the universe’s brightest objects. The new map logs the location of about 1.3 million quasars in space and time, the furthest of which shone bright when the universe was only 1.5 billion years old. (For comparison, the universe is now 13.7 billion years old.) Take Our Poll Unveil the cosmos in style! Our “Science is a Way of Thinking” T-shirt, inspired by the legendary Carl S ..read more

NOAA REPORTS FOURTH GLOBAL CORAL BLEACHING CRISIS BEGINS. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch has announced the onset of the fourth global coral bleaching event, signaling a dire phase for the world’s corals and the communities dependent on them. Triggered by a consecutive ten-month streak of record-breaking global air temperatures in 2024, ocean temperatures have soared, causing corals to expel essential algae and turn white—a process known as bleaching. This phenomenon increases corals’ susceptibility to starvation, disease, and death, although it ca ..read more