Summary: New research refines the timeline of interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals, showing it began about 50,500 years ago and lasted roughly 7,000 years. This gene flow left non-African populations with 1-2% Neanderthal ancestry, contributing beneficial traits like immune resilience and skin pigmentation.The study also identified Neanderthal deserts—regions in...

Summary: New research reveals that brain structure varies with reading ability, particularly in the left hemisphere. Better readers have distinct traits, including a larger anterior temporal lobe for integrating word meaning and a thicker left Heschl’s gyrus for phonological processing.The study highlights the brain’s adaptability, showing that reading can influence...

Summary: Researchers have created mini-brains to study how mitochondrial failure impacts brain cells, opening new possibilities for treating severe conditions like epilepsy. These brain organoids mimic real disease processes, allowing scientists to observe mitochondrial dysfunction and test potential treatments.Beyond epilepsy, the research could improve understanding of conditions like Alzheimer’s and...

Summary: New research shows that mothers take on 71% of household mental load tasks, including planning, scheduling, and organizing, while fathers manage just 45%. This imbalance often leads to stress, burnout, and strain on women’s careers and relationships.Fathers tend to focus on episodic tasks like finances and home repairs but...

Summary: New research shows that intermittent fasting, while beneficial for metabolic health, may slow hair regrowth by impairing hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). In mice, fasting caused HFSCs to undergo apoptosis during extended fasting periods due to oxidative stress and free fatty acid buildup.A small clinical trial suggested a milder...

Summary: AI systems, including large language models (LLMs), exhibit “social identity bias,” favoring ingroups and disparaging outgroups similarly to humans. Using prompts like “We are” and “They are,” researchers found that LLMs generated significantly more positive sentences for ingroups and negative ones for outgroups.Fine-tuning training data, such as filtering out...

Summary: A new review explores the genetic factors influencing reproductive health, fertility, and life expectancy. Researchers identified 37 key genes linked to traits such as age at first childbirth, menopause timing, and hormone levels, highlighting genetic connections to broader health outcomes.Notable findings include the FSHB gene’s role in regulating menstruation...

Summary: Researchers have identified a genetic mechanism that regulates behavioral adaptations to emotional experiences by forming R-loops, unique RNA:DNA structures that activate target genes. The study focused on NPAS4, a gene implicated in stress and drug addiction, showing how blocking R-loops prevents maladaptive behaviors like cocaine seeking and stress-induced anhedonia...

Summary: Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, syncs its internal clock to the host’s circadian rhythms, leveraging daily hormone cycles for growth. Blocking these signals slowed tumor progression in mice and revealed that the timing of treatments like dexamethasone (DEX) critically influences outcomes.Administering DEX in the morning promoted tumor growth, while...

Summary: Serotonin in the gut epithelium plays a critical role in modulating mood and may provide a safer target for treating depression and anxiety. In animal studies, increasing gut serotonin improved mood symptoms without causing digestive issues, unlike systemic antidepressant treatments.Human data also showed that prenatal exposure to antidepressants raised...