Summary: Individuals who experience high levels of distress and functional impairment from excessive social media use are significantly more likely to believe fake news and interact with it. Researchers found that problematic users were more inclined to click, like, comment on, and share false news stories, regardless of their accuracy.The...
AI Learns to Decode Neuron Types From Brain Signs With 95 % Precision
Summary: Scientists have developed an AI algorithm that can identify different types of neurons from brain activity recordings with 95% accuracy, without needing genetic tools. By tagging neurons with light-sensitive markers and recording their unique electrical signatures, researchers created a training library that allowed the AI to distinguish neuron types...
Your Mental Maps Actions Like It Maps Space
Summary: A new study shows that the human brain organizes action-outcome associations in cognitive maps, much like how it maps physical space for navigation. These action maps are formed in the hippocampus and communicate with the motor system to support goal-directed behaviors and flexible decision-making.Using virtual reality tasks and fMRI,...
AI Tool Gets Eyes to Predict Health, Aging, and Cancer Benefits
Summary: Researchers have developed an AI tool called FaceAge that uses facial photos to estimate biological age and predict survival outcomes in cancer patients. In a study involving over 6,000 patients, those with cancer had FaceAges about five years older than their chronological age, and higher FaceAges were linked to...
From Calling to Communication: A New Glance at Language Origins
Summary: A new study reveals that wild chimpanzees combine vocal calls in structured ways to create new or more specific meanings, echoing key features of human language. Researchers documented over 12,000 calls from chimpanzees in Côte d’Ivoire and found that they formed at least 16 different two-call combinations.These combinations follow...
Moral Outrage Goes Viral, But Does n’t Drive Action Online
Summary: A new study analyzing over a million posts linked to online petitions found that while moral outrage boosts a post’s virality, it doesn’t significantly increase petition signatures. Emotional and morally charged content spreads widely on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), but fails to translate into real-world collective actions.In contrast,...
Exercise Raises Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s
Summary: Exercise enhances the effectiveness of stem cell-derived neuron transplants in a Parkinson’s disease (PD) rat model. Transplanted neurons alone improved basic motor functions, but when combined with voluntary exercise, the rats displayed significantly better agility and paw control.The researchers found that exercise helped transplanted neurons mature and form stronger...
Eye Movements Fixed the Speed Limit for What You Can See
Summary: The speed of your eye movements, called saccades, determines how fast an object can move before it becomes invisible to you. Objects that mimic the speed and trajectory of saccades can essentially “vanish” from perception, showing that our own movements shape what we can and can’t see.People with faster...
The test of the glioblastoma vaccine moves ahead
Summary: The phase 2B SURVIVE trial testing SurVaxM, a cancer vaccine for glioblastoma, will continue as planned following an interim analysis showing sufficient promise to proceed. SurVaxM, combined with standard treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, aims to extend survival and improve quality of life for patients with this aggressive...
How Memories Develop at the Synapse Stage
Summary: A groundbreaking new technique called EPSILON allows researchers to map the proteins involved in memory formation with unprecedented detail, providing a window into the molecular architecture of learning. This approach focuses on tracking AMPARs—key receptors that regulate synaptic strength—over time, illuminating how the brain encodes, strengthens, and stores memories.Using...
