Study in mice shows motivation can be restored with targeted treatments The fatigue and lack of motivation that many cancer patients experience near the end of life have been seen as the unavoidable consequences of their declining physical health and extreme weight loss. But new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis challenges that long-held assumption, showing instead that these behavioral changes stem from specific inflammation-sensing neurons in the brain. In a study published April 11 in…

A study reveals emotional empathy and depression as key factors in intergenerational childhood maltreatment, offering pathways for intervention Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a complex issue that is often passed on through generations. Studies have shown that parents who were abused as children may perpetuate a similar pattern of mistreating their children, creating a vicious cycle of abuse. A key factor in perpetuating this cycle is impaired empathy in parents who grew up in abusive environments. Simply put, parental empathy, the…

A team of researchers led by Nathan Clark of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in partnership with the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS), has unveiled a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at strengthening Europe’s resilience to disasters. Their published findings emphasize the importance of grounding disaster preparedness in both scientific research and practical application. The authors warn in their article “Strengthening all-of-society approaches for disaster resilient societies through competency building: A European research agenda” that societies face an increasingly complex and…

Analysis of over 300 million hospitalizations records in eight countries finds a boost of 26% of all diseases requiring hospitalization WORLD’S LARGEST STUDY REVEALS THE LONG-TERM HEALTH IMPACTS OF FLOODING The world’s largest and most comprehensive study of the long-term health impacts of flooding – via analysis of over 300 million hospitalizations records in eight countries prone to flooding events – has found an increased risk of 26 per cent of all diseases serious enough to require hospitalization. This impact…

The John Dewey Professor at Columbia University has authored landmark publications on multiple topics ranging from the philosophy of biology and the origins of ethics to the role of science in democratic societies. The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Humanities category has gone in this seventeenth edition to the Anglo-American philosopher Philip Kitcher, described by the committee as a “humanistic intellectual” whose trailblazing work addresses a broad spectrum of the core questions of our time. The John Dewey…

Research findings could lead to treatments for frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer’s Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine have discovered a new way that neurons act in neurodegeneration by using human neural organoids – also known as “mini-brain” models – from patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Understanding this new pathway could help researchers find better treatments for FTLD and Alzheimer’s, the two most common forms of dementia that lead to cognitive decline….

Published in Scientific Reports, Haikubox community science study finds significant bird song decline only where more than 99% solar obscuration occurred A new study published today in Scientific Reports reveals how birds responded to the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America. The study finds bird vocalizations significantly declined only where more than 99% solar obscuration occurred. Researchers from Loggerhead Instruments, Inc. and the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology analyzed…

Research highlights the potential utility of predictable movement stimuli as a behavioral marker for early autism spectrum disorder screening Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience social communication impairments and engage in restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs). Early identification of these symptoms is critical for timely intervention, but detecting RRBs, in particular, remains a challenge. Previous studies using eye-tracking methods have revealed that children with ASD tend to favor non-social stimuli over social ones, a preference that aligns with…

The DAM-Decision and Memory group studies the cognitive and neural computations that guide decision-making and long-term memory, as well as the mnemonic processes of social behaviour The DAM-Decision and Memory group at Universitat Jaume I in Castelló, led by Raphael Kaplan and composed of researchers from Spain, Italy and the United States, has recently published the results of two studies that provide new insights into human brain behaviour in everyday activities such as decision-making and social interaction. In a new line…

Chromatin remodeling plays a vital role in gene regulation, affecting how DNA is accessed. Disruptions in this process can also lead to cancer and other diseases. To better understand how chromatin remodeling works, scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to obtain fine structural details of a human chromatin remodeler in action. The researchers captured 13 structures that together offer a comprehensive view of how the remodeling enzyme SNF2H works, offering insights that are likely shared…

Examining group effects on motivation in English as second language classes Project-based learning (PBL), which improves skills through various challenges, is a technique utilized in foreign language and general education classes. Though group work in PBL is actively carried out, the impact of the environment and team size on the motivation to learn has not been fully examined. Further, individual factors, such as language ability, can affect motivation, but it is not clear what effect group work has on these…

An enzyme cloned from an insect found by Brazilian researchers – and genetically modified – makes it possible to monitor intracellular acidity and could be used to study diseases and drugs. The gene encoding an enzyme from a firefly, discovered at the Sorocaba campus of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, has given rise to a biosensor capable of detecting pH changes in mammalian cells – which could be useful, for example, in studying diseases and assessing…

Months after withdrawal, brain activity during decision-making remained impaired in rats For the first time researchers demonstrate in an animal how heavy alcohol use leads to long-term behavioral issues by damaging brain circuits critical for decision-making. Rats exposed to high amounts of alcohol exhibited poor decision-making during a complex task even after a monthslong withdrawal period. Key areas of their brains had undergone dramatic functional changes compared to healthy rats. The findings, published today in Science Advances, provide a new…

Open sea trips from Denmark to Norway may have been possible – even if hugging the coast was likely safer People living in Bronze Age-era Denmark may have been able to travel to Norway directly over the open sea, according to a study published April 2, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Boel Bengtsson from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues. To complete this study, the research team developed a new computer modeling tool that could help…

Under the right conditions, duckweed essentially farms itself. Wastewater, ponds, puddles, swamps—you name it. If there’s enough sunlight and carbon dioxide, the aquatic plant can grow freely. But that’s not all that makes it intriguing. Packed inside duckweed’s tiny fronds is enormous potential as a soil enricher, a fuel source, protein-rich foods, and more. New findings at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) could help bring all that potential to life. CSHL Professor and HHMI Investigator Rob Martienssen and Computational Analyst Evan Ernst…

About 100 cells divide every second in our body. A key protein in cell division is a protein kinase termed Plk1, because it activates other proteins involved in this process. Plk1 is also overexpressed in many types of cancer. This makes it a promising target for cancer therapies. However, drugs that inhibit Plk1 have often proven ineffective. New findings by researchers led by Peter Lenart and Monica Gobran may help to improve therapeutic approaches. They discovered a previously unknown function…