News
- Animals
Male birds’ sexy songs may not advertise their brains after all
A biologist backs off an idea he studied for years that the mastery of birdsong is a sign of bird smarts.
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
Lack of sleep is tied to increases in two Alzheimer’s proteins
In people and mice deprived of sleep, researchers found an increase in tau, a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease, in the fluid bathing the brain.
- Neuroscience
Rocking puts adults to sleep faster and makes slumber deeper
People sleep better when their beds are gently rocked, a small study finds.
- Genetics
A CRISPR gene drive for mice is one step closer to reality
Researchers have made progress toward creating a gene drive for mice in the lab. Such genetic cut-and-paste machines have yet to be made for mammals.
- Tech
Ordinary cameras can now photograph out-of-sight objects
Thanks to a new photo-analyzing computer program, a photographer’s line of sight no longer has to be a straight shot.
- Neuroscience
The cerebellum may do a lot more than just coordinate movement
A study in mice finds that the cerebellum helps control social behavior, a result that has implications for autism and schizophrenia.
- Physics
Physicists aim to outdo the LHC with this wish list of particle colliders
Proposed new accelerators could solve mysteries of the Higgs boson.
- Physics
A new gravitational wave detector is almost ready to join the search
Buried deep underground, Japan’s KAGRA detector relies on components cooled to just 20 degrees above absolute zero.
- Planetary Science
The moon’s craters suggest Earth hasn’t erased lots of past impacts
A new look at moon craters suggests the Earth and moon suffered more impacts in the last 290 million years, and the Earth retains its biggest scars.
- Neuroscience
New ways to image and control nerve cells could unlock brain mysteries
Methods that target single nerve cells in mice and fruit fly brains are starting to tease apart the brain’s complexity.
- Health & Medicine
Overdose deaths tied to antianxiety drugs like Xanax continue to rise
Benzodiazepines, widely used but addictive drugs to treat anxiety and insomnia, are contributing to a growing number of overdose deaths.
- Animals
This rediscovered Bolivian frog species survived deadly chytrid fungus
Scientists recently rediscovered a frog species in Bolivia that hasn’t been seen in 10 years — and it could be used to better understand a frog-killing fungus.
By Jeremy Rehm