A politically engaged electorate is key to any thriving democracy, but not everyone participates in elections and other political activities. New research found that people who are narcissistic may also be more politically active. In a series of studies performed in the United States and Denmark, researchers found that people with higher levels of narcissism […]

For decades artificial intelligence (AI) researchers have turned to the brain for inspiration but the mechanisms by which neurons create or suppress connections, such as those responsible for memory, imagination and planning, and how these influence learning, cognition and creative behavior remains elusive. USC Viterbi Professor Paul Bogdan and his Cyber Physical Systems Group, and University […]

When the brain forms a memory of a new experience, neurons called engram cells encode the details of the memory and are later reactivated whenever we recall it. A new MIT study reveals that this process is controlled by large-scale remodeling of cells’ chromatin. This remodeling, which allows specific genes involved in storing memories to […]

Imagine that one day you’re riding the train and decide to hop the turnstile to avoid paying the fare. It probably won’t have a big impact on the financial well-being of your local transportation system. But now ask yourself, “What if everyone did that?” The outcome is much different — the system would likely go […]

Under a microscope, the first few hours of every multicellular organism’s life seem incongruously chaotic. After fertilization, a once tranquil single-celled egg divides again and again, quickly becoming a visually tumultuous mosh pit of cells jockeying for position inside the rapidly growing embryo. Yet, amid this apparent pandemonium, cells begin to self-organize. Soon, spatial patterns […]

An asteroid impact 66 million years ago may have released trillions of pounds of partially burned fossil carbon into Earth’s upper atmosphere as a cloud of black soot, significantly contributing to the ensuing global darkness, cooling and mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, according to an international team of scientists. “Following the impact, a […]

If you suffer from migraines, you may find you are living in a constant state of dread as you wait for that recurring, debilitating pain to come back. You may also be fed up with unsolicited advice—“Drink more water!” or “Get more sleep!”—from well-meaning family and friends. About 12% of Americans suffer from migraines. Globally, […]

Although scientists have not yet fully identified the transmission mechanisms of the COVID-19 virus, current research indicates that people without symptoms could infect others through tiny droplets created when they speak, sing or laugh. Stone and co-lead researcher Manouk Abkarian, of the University of Montpellier in France, wanted to learn how widely and quickly exhaled material from […]

Anti-vaccination discourse on Facebook increased in volume over the last decade, with opposition to vaccines coalescing around the argument that refusing to vaccinate is a civil right, according to a new study published today in the American Journal of Public Health. As companies and governments scramble to finalize COVID-19 vaccines and develop rollout policies, the findings suggest […]

Electronics made from carbon rather than silicon could lead to a new generation of medical devices, sensors and perhaps even robots, according to Professor Andreas Hirsch, chair of organic chemistry at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. Materials such as graphene could soon be appearing in electronic devices and could lead to entirely new forms of ‘chemical’ […]