All Stories by Nora Bradford
- Neuroscience
Your brain can perceive subtle odor changes in a single sniff
The speed at which our brain can tell smells apart is on par with color perception, a new sniff device shows.
- Psychology
A brain network linked to attention is larger in people with depression
Brain scans revealed that teenagers with larger attention-driving networks were more likely to develop depression.
- Neuroscience
These windpipe cells trigger coughs to keep water out of the lungs
Neuroendocrine cells can sense substances on the way to the lungs and prompt reactions such as coughing and swallowing, experiments in mice show.
- Archaeology
Human brains found at archaeological sites are surprisingly well-preserved
Analyzing a new archive of 4,400 human brains cited in the archaeological record reveals the organ’s unique chemistry might prevent decay.
- Health & Medicine
Stimulating spleens with ultrasound hints at a treatment for inflammation
Using an intense kind of ultrasound stimulation against inflammation holds promise but so far has been tested only in rodents and human blood samples.
- Animals
This elephant peels bananas, but only slightly ripe ones
Pang Pha, an Asian elephant at Zoo Berlin, probably picked up the skill by observing her zookeeper.
- Neuroscience
The classic map of how the human brain manages movement gets an update
Functional MRI scans provide a new version of the motor homunculus, the mapping of how the primary motor cortex controls parts of the body.
- Animals
Scientists have now recorded brain waves from freely moving octopuses
The data reveal some unexpected patterns, though it’s too early to know how octopus brains control the animals’ behavior, a new study finds.
