Researchers discover new cognitive blueprint for making and breaking habits

“Habits play a central role in our daily lives, from making that first cup of coffee in the morning, to the route we take to work, and the routine we follow to prepare for bed. Our research reveals why these automatic behaviours are so powerful — and how we can harness our brain’s mechanisms to Read more about Researchers discover new cognitive blueprint for making and breaking habits[…]

Formula 1 drivers ask FIA to treat them like adults after swearing punishments

Formula 1 drivers have urged the sport’s governing body to treat them like adults after Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were punished for swearing. The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) has also criticised FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for his “tone and language” when addressing the topic. An open letter from the GPDA said: “There Read more about Formula 1 drivers ask FIA to treat them like adults after swearing punishments[…]

Anyone Can Learn Echolocation in Just 10 Weeks—And It Remodels Your Brain

Human echolocation has at times allowed people to ride bikes or play basketball despite being completely blind from a very young age. These echolocators typically perceive their environment by clicking sharply with their tongues and listening to differences in the sounds reflected off objects. Brain-imaging studies reveal that expert echolocators display responses to sound in Read more about Anyone Can Learn Echolocation in Just 10 Weeks—And It Remodels Your Brain[…]

Big data, real world, multi-state study finds RSV vaccine highly effective in protecting older adults against severe disease, hospitalization and death

[…] RSV vaccination provided approximately 80 percent protection against severe disease and hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit admission and death due to a respiratory infection as well as similar protection against less severe disease in adults who visited an emergency department but did not require hospitalization, ages 60 and older. Of this population, those ages 75 Read more about Big data, real world, multi-state study finds RSV vaccine highly effective in protecting older adults against severe disease, hospitalization and death[…]

You Don’t Need Words to Think

Scholars have long contemplated the connection between language and thought—and to what degree the two are intertwined—by asking whether language is somehow an essential prerequisite for thinking. […] Evelina Fedorenko, a neuroscientist who studies language at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has spent many years trying to answer Read more about You Don’t Need Words to Think[…]

Research shows how corporate social responsibility messaging can backfire

It’s lately been considered good business for companies to show they are responsible corporate citizens. Google touts its solar-powered data centers. Apple talks about its use of recycled materials. Walmart describes its support for local communities. But these narratives, according to new research by Haas Associate Professor Tim McQuade, have some downsides. With Emanuele Colonnelli Read more about Research shows how corporate social responsibility messaging can backfire[…]

Study: Disappointment, not hatred probably driving polarization in the states

A new study is redefining how we understand affective polarization. The study proposes that disappointment, rather than hatred, may be the dominant emotion driving the growing divide between ideological groups. The findings are published in the journal Cognition and Emotion. The team was led by Ph.D. student Mabelle Kretchner from the Department of Psychology at Read more about Study: Disappointment, not hatred probably driving polarization in the states[…]

It could take over 40 years for PFAS to leave groundwater

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known commonly as PFAS, could take over 40 years to flush out of contaminated groundwater in North Carolina’s Cumberland and Bladen counties, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. The study used a novel combination of data on PFAS, groundwater age-dating tracers, and groundwater flux to forecast PFAS Read more about It could take over 40 years for PFAS to leave groundwater[…]

How personal care products affect indoor air quality

The personal care products we use on a daily basis significantly affect indoor air quality, according to new research by a team at EPFL. When used indoors, these products release a cocktail of more than 200 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, and when those VOCs come into contact with ozone, the chemical reactions Read more about How personal care products affect indoor air quality[…]

Scientists discover a secret to regulating our body clock, offering new approach to end jet lag, sleep quality

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the University of California, Santa Cruz, have discovered the secret to regulating our internal clock. They identified that this regulator sits right at the tail end of Casein Kinase 1 delta (CK1δ), a protein which acts as a pace setter for our internal biological clock or the natural 24-hour Read more about Scientists discover a secret to regulating our body clock, offering new approach to end jet lag, sleep quality[…]

The Untrustworthy Evidence in Dishonesty Research

František Bartoš University of Amsterdam DOI: https://doi.org/10.15626/MP.2023.3987 Replicable and reliable research is essential for cumulative science and its applications in practice. This article examines the quality of research on dishonesty using a sample of 286 hand-coded test statistics from 99 articles. Z-curve analysis indicates a low expected replication rate, a high proportion of missing studies, Read more about The Untrustworthy Evidence in Dishonesty Research[…]

Your brain ages at different paces according to social and physical environments – especially fast with greater inequality

Countries with greater inequalities — whether economic, pollution or disease-based — exhibited older brain ages, according to a study published in Nature Medicine, involving the University of Surrey. The pace at which the brain ages can vary significantly among individuals, leading to a gap between the estimated biological age of the brain and the chronological Read more about Your brain ages at different paces according to social and physical environments – especially fast with greater inequality[…]

Spike mutations make it even easier for SARS-CoV-2 infect the brain

Scientists have discovered a mutation in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that plays a key role in its ability to infect the central nervous system. The findings may help scientists understand its neurological symptoms and the mystery of “long COVID,” and they could one day even lead to specific treatments to protect and clear Read more about Spike mutations make it even easier for SARS-CoV-2 infect the brain[…]

Strength training activates cellular waste disposal

The elimination of damaged cell components is essential for the maintenance of the body’s tissues and organs. An international research team led by the University of Bonn has made significant findings on mechanisms for the clearing of cellular wastes, showing that strength training activates such mechanisms. The findings could form the basis for new therapies Read more about Strength training activates cellular waste disposal[…]

Good sleep habits important for overweight adults, different effects for men and women

New research from Oregon Health & Science University reveals negative health consequences for people who are overweight and ignore their body’s signals to sleep at night, with specific differences between men and women. The study published this week in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. “This study builds support for the importance of good Read more about Good sleep habits important for overweight adults, different effects for men and women[…]

World-first lung mRNA cancer vaccine trials launched across seven countries

Doctors have begun trialling the world’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine in patients, as experts hailed its “groundbreaking” potential to save thousands of lives. Lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer death, accounting for about 1.8m deaths every year. Survival rates in those with advanced forms of the disease, where tumours have spread, Read more about World-first lung mRNA cancer vaccine trials launched across seven countries[…]

Microplastics are infiltrating brain tissue, studies show

[…] The paper also found the quantity of microplastics in brain samples from 2024 was about 50% higher from the total in samples that date to 2016, suggesting the concentration of microplastics found in human brains is rising at a similar rate to that found in the environment. Most of the organs came from the Read more about Microplastics are infiltrating brain tissue, studies show[…]

Study of 18 million people finds increased mental illnesses incidence following severe COVID-19, especially in unvaccinated people

A new study that examined health data on 18 million people reveals higher incidence of mental illnesses for up to a year following severe COVID-19 in unvaccinated people. Vaccination appeared to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on mental illnesses. The University of Bristol-led study, published in JAMA Psychiatry today [21 August], investigated associations of Read more about Study of 18 million people finds increased mental illnesses incidence following severe COVID-19, especially in unvaccinated people[…]

Study explains why laws are written in an incomprehensible style

Legal documents are notoriously difficult to understand, even for lawyers. This raises the question: Why are these documents written in a style that makes them so impenetrable? MIT cognitive scientists believe they have uncovered the answer to that question. Just as “magic spells” use special rhymes and archaic terms to signal their power, the convoluted Read more about Study explains why laws are written in an incomprehensible style[…]

Scientists find humans age dramatically in two bursts – at 44, then 60

[…] The study, which tracked thousands of different molecules in people aged 25 to 75, detected two major waves of age-related changes at around ages 44 and again at 60. The findings could explain why spikes in certain health issues including musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease occur at certain ages. “We’re not just changing gradually Read more about Scientists find humans age dramatically in two bursts – at 44, then 60[…]

Singing from memory shows most people can actually sing pitch perfect or very very close

Psychologists from UC Santa Cruz wanted to study “earworms,” the types of songs that get stuck in your head and play automatically on a loop. So they asked people to sing out any earworms they were experiencing and record them on their phones when prompted at random times throughout the day. When researchers analyzed the Read more about Singing from memory shows most people can actually sing pitch perfect or very very close[…]

New study confirms forever chemicals (PFAS) are also absorbed through human skin

A study of 17 commonly used synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ has shown that these toxic substances can readily be absorbed through human skin. New research, published today in Environment International proves for the first time that a wide range of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) — chemicals which do not break down in nature — can permeate the Read more about New study confirms forever chemicals (PFAS) are also absorbed through human skin[…]

The world’s first tooth-regrowing drug has been approved for human trials

[…] medicine quite literally regrows teeth and was developed by a team of Japanese researchers, as reported by New Atlas. The research has been led by Katsu Takahashi, head of dentistry and oral surgery at Kitano Hospital. The intravenous drug deactivates the uterine sensitization-associated gene-1 (USAG-1) protein that suppresses tooth growth. Blocking USAG-1 from interacting Read more about The world’s first tooth-regrowing drug has been approved for human trials[…]

Stanford: Biomarkers predict weight loss on either low carb or low fat diet (one of these will work best for you) – suggest personalized diets

Strictly following a diet – either healthy low-carb or healthy low-fat – was what mattered for short-term weight loss during the first six months. But people who maintained long-term weight loss for a year ate the same number of calories as those who regained weight or who did not lose weight during the second six Read more about Stanford: Biomarkers predict weight loss on either low carb or low fat diet (one of these will work best for you) – suggest personalized diets[…]

Our Brains Are in Trouble: Nearly Half the World Living with Neurological Illness

[…]According to the authors of this new paper, published this month in The Lancet Neurology, there hasn’t yet been a full accounting of all the illnesses tied to our brain and nervous system, such as neurodevelopmental disorders. For this study, scientists looked at 37 unique conditions in total, including migraines, seizures, various forms of dementia, Read more about Our Brains Are in Trouble: Nearly Half the World Living with Neurological Illness[…]