Summary: New findings highlight the positive role of friendships in strengthening adults’ resilience. Friendships Boost Resilience in Adulthood, New Study Shows Recent research from the University of Brighton demonstrates that friendships—especially close, best-friend relationships—play a significant role in helping adults cope with and recover from major life challenges. The study offers one of the first … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified new genetic clues to the biology of bipolar disorder (BD) by examining mosaic variants—mutations that arise during development and are present in only a subset of cells. Their analysis reveals an enrichment of deleterious mosaic changes in genes linked to neurodevelopmental disorders and autism spectrum disorder, along with notable heteroplasmic mutations … Read more

Summary: Male individuals with isolated GnRH deficiency (IGD), a rare hormonal disorder that causes diminished sex-hormone exposure beginning in the second trimester, report higher levels of childhood gender non-conformity than males without IGD. Females with IGD did not show this difference. Source: Penn State Researchers investigated whether early prenatal sex-hormone exposure contributes directly to sex-typed … Read more

Summary: People shape their recollection of past events at three processing levels, and these influences usually operate unconsciously and automatically. Source: RUB People remember past experiences through the episodic memory system, which does not produce photographic reproductions but reconstructs scenes. In a theoretical paper, Dr. Roy Dings and Professor Albert Newen from the Institute of … Read more

Summary: A new head-worn device enables people with movement disorders and paralysis to operate mobile manipulators more effectively, increasing independence, safety, and quality of life. Source: Carnegie Mellon University More than five million people in the United States live with some form of paralysis and often face barriers when performing routine activities such as reaching … Read more

Summary: New research shows women aged 50 to 70 are more likely than younger women to drink above low-risk alcohol guidelines. Many in this age group regard their drinking as normal and acceptable so long as they appear controlled and respectable. Source: Edith Cowan University Women aged 50–70 more likely to exceed low-risk alcohol guidelines … Read more

Simplifying Cyborg Circuitry Using Human Blood Could components made from human blood lead to more seamless interfaces between living tissue and electronics? Researchers are exploring an unconventional approach to bridging biology and electronics: using human blood to form electronic components. A team in India reports that blood can exhibit memristor behavior, a property long theorized … Read more

Research from the University of Warwick suggests that people living with chronic pain can gain meaningful benefits from therapies that improve sleep. Researchers at Warwick found that cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) produced moderate to strong improvements in insomnia symptoms among patients with long-term pain. Improvements in sleep were also associated with broader gains: reductions in … Read more

Summary: New research indicates that people with synaesthesia and those on the autism spectrum share heightened sensory sensitivity as a core feature. Source: University of Sussex. Researchers identify concrete sensory links between autism and synaesthesia Psychologists at the University of Sussex, working with colleagues at the University of Cambridge, have identified clear sensory connections between … Read more

Summary: People who are more empathetic and who score higher on extraversion, agreeableness, and openness are more likely to focus on faces in images. In contrast, individuals with higher levels of depression, social anxiety, or alexithymia tend to look at faces less often. Source: PLOS A recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE … Read more