New research suggests the human mind is surprisingly flexible when it comes to moral judgments. An international team led by UCLA anthropology professor Daniel Fessler examined moral judgments in seven culturally diverse societies, from rural Papua New Guinea to urban California. The study found a consistent pattern: people generally judge actions such as lying, theft … Read more

Summary: Researchers at the University of Queensland have identified an anti-aging role for a mitochondrial protein called ATFS-1. This protein helps cells balance the competing needs of producing new mitochondria and repairing damaged mitochondrial DNA, a balance that affects cellular health and functional aging. In laboratory studies using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworms), enhancing … Read more

Summary: A new study finds that women can, often without conscious awareness, use scent to assess potential friendship compatibility during first meetings. Researchers discovered that a person’s everyday odor—captured on a worn T-shirt—helped predict how much they were liked after brief, face-to-face conversations. This research highlights scent as a subtle but meaningful cue in social … Read more

Summary: New research strengthens earlier findings that mutations affecting mitochondrial function may play a crucial role in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Source: Arizona State University. On Nov. 25, 1901, a 51-year-old woman was admitted to a Frankfurt hospital with strikingly unusual symptoms: erratic behavior, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, disorientation and severe memory loss. … Read more

Summary: New research explains how motor memory is consolidated during sleep. Source: UCSF When a player like Steph Curry takes a free throw, the smooth, automatic motion relies on motor memory. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) now describe how the brain consolidates motor memory during sleep, turning practiced actions into subconscious … Read more

Summary: New research suggests that dementia risk may be linked less to single foods and more to combinations of foods people habitually eat together. Diets dominated by highly processed meats, starchy side dishes, and sugary snacks were associated with a higher likelihood of a later dementia diagnosis compared with diets that included a wider variety … Read more

Babies’ Early Vocabulary: Six-Month-Olds Recognize When Words Are Related Summary: An eye-tracking study shows that infants as young as six months can distinguish relationships between the meanings of some words. Source: Duke University New parents often struggle to decode cries, squeals and coos. Yet even before babies can speak, their brains are actively learning about … Read more

Robots with tactile sensors can identify materials by touch, advancing the development of more useful prostheses. Until recently, robots had very limited ability to sense touch. With advances in tactile sensors, actuators and decision-making software, robots can now distinguish a wide range of materials by feel. This ability to “feel” textures opens new possibilities for … Read more

Summary: Glutamate is released in two distinct phases at hippocampal synapses: first near AMPA-type receptors to transmit the immediate signal, and then near NMDA-type receptors to trigger the molecular switch that enables synaptic plasticity. Source: Marine Biological Laboratory Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, central to neuronal communication, learning, and memory through … Read more

Study Finds Psychiatric Diagnostic Labels Poor Tools for Identifying Discrete Mental Disorders Summary: Researchers conclude many psychiatric diagnoses are scientifically weak as tools for identifying distinct mental health disorders and may obscure important causes of distress such as trauma. Source: University of Liverpool Background and Purpose A new study published in Psychiatry Research and led … Read more