Among the more than 500 species of bacteria that thrive in the human mouth, one seems to play by its own rules. Rather than reproducing by splitting itself in two, like most bacteria do, Corynebacterium matruchotii divides into as many as 14 cells simultaneously, researchers report in the Sept. 10 Proceedings of the National Academy … Read more
When the virus that causes mpox jumped onto the international stage in 2022, countries around the world, including the United States, turned to vaccines targeting the closely related smallpox virus to curb its spread. Yet it wasn’t until 2024 that Africa, the continent where the virus emerged and first began spreading among people, received its … Read more
TV stars and terrorists may appear to have little in common. But after watching YouTube videos by members of a violent terrorist organization, Yotam Ophir realized the two groups deploy similar tactics to connect with remote audiences. The terrorists dressed casually, stared straight at the camera when talking and narrated their pasts in gripping, plot-driven … Read more
One of the most remarkable things about the human brain is that it changes. A lot. This ability to reinvent itself, to morph, to strengthen some connections and let others fall away, captivates Andrea Gomez. A molecular and cell biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, Gomez spends her time trying to figure out how … Read more
After a devastating spinal cord injury, mice’s nerve cells balloon up in size. Some of these neurons stay swollen longer than expected and begin to die, a study published September 25 in Science Translational Medicine shows. A drug that brought this swelling down improved the mice’s recovery, though it’s not yet known if the approach … Read more
Symptoms of depression fluctuate over time, but many brain imaging studies of the condition only study one point in time. That’s made it hard to connect networks of brain activity to various symptoms and mood changes. Now, a new study using long-term brain imaging data shows one brain network involved in guiding attention is nearly … Read more
Neanderthals traveled at least two evolutionary paths on their way to extinction around 40,000 years ago, a new study suggests. If it is classified as a separate species or a variant of Homo sapiensNeanderthals have usually been seen as a genetically stable population. But the partial skeleton of an adult male discovered in France contains … Read more
citations J. O’Conner et al. Effect of ashwagandha on stress, sleep quality, and food cravings in college students: quantitative analysis of a double-blind randomized control trial. Journal of Medicinal Food. Vol. December 25, 2022, p. 1086. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2022.0040. C. Baker et al. Perceived impact of ashwagandha on stress, sleep quality, energy, and mental clarity in … Read more
African rock art depicting a mythical tufted creature may reflect the appearance of fossilized real-life relatives of ancient mammals called dicynodonts. Abundant fossils exposed in South Africa’s Karoo Basin include dicynodont skulls with tusks that bend down and back, like those of the long-bodied animal depicted in roughly 200-year-old rock art by the region’s San … Read more
Heat deaths in the United States are on the rise. But how bad will it be 20, 30 or 40 years from now? Scientists now have a clue. Currently, about 8,000 more deaths in the United States each year are associated with extreme temperatures, hot and cold. Within the next few decades, that number could … Read more