News

A cell in worms that transforms itself into a completely different type of cell when males mature has recently been discovered. In the cell switch, a glial cell becomes a sensory neuron, which enables the worms to improve their mating technique.

A novel method to sample earwax could be a cheap and effective way to measure the hormone cortisol, enabling new ways of monitoring depression and stress-linked conditions.

Alzheimer's disease research has increasingly focused on soluble forms of amyloid beta that can be taken up into neurons and are highly neurotoxic. A new study pinpoints a segment of the amyloid beta protein that is recognized by receptors involved in neuronal uptake of this toxic peptide.

The attentional control that organisms need to succeed in their goals comes from two abilities: the focus to ignore distractions and the discipline to curb impulses. A new study shows that these abilities are independent, but that the activity of norepinephrine-producing neurons in a single brain region, the locus coeruleus, controls both by targeting two distinct areas of the prefrontal cortex.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition showed that mothers' vitamin D levels during pregnancy were associated with their children's IQ, suggesting that higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy may lead to greater childhood IQ scores. The study also identified significantly lower levels of vitamin D levels among Black pregnant women.

Bats calculate where their prey is headed by building on-the-fly predictive models of target motion from echoes, Johns Hopkins University researchers have found.

Two scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology developed a method in the fruit fly that marks receptor proteins in selected cells. In this way, they gained new insights into the neuronal mechanisms of motion vision. In addition, the research community receives an innovative tool to label proteins of all kinds.

When you are faced with a choice say, whether to have ice cream or chocolate cake for dessert, a specific set of neurons above your eyes fires. Now, a study has shown how the activity of these neurons encodes the value of the options and determines the final decision.

A new study finds that pancreatic cancer cells avoid starvation by signaling to nerves, which grow into dense tumors and secrete nutrients.

Haunted houses, horror movies, and ghost stories can be chilling delights, provided the fear they evoke remains in a 'Goldilocks zone' that is neither too terrifying nor too tame.