Summary: Researchers have mapped a specific neural pathway that controls how the body responds to dietary protein changes. The study focuses on the liver-derived hormone FGF21 and identifies a hindbrain circuit that directs food choice, appetite and energy expenditure during protein restriction. This research overturns the long-standing assumption that metabolic adaptations are driven mainly by … Read more

Summary: Roughly 30% of older adults whose brains show Alzheimer’s-related pathology never develop noticeable dementia. This surprising degree of cognitive resilience is the focus of a new study that examines how the aged human brain retains young, immature neurons and how those cells behave differently in resilient versus symptomatic individuals. Researchers using tissue from the … Read more

Summary: A recent doctoral study reframes mobile device vibration from a basic alert into a rich channel for expression. The research introduces the concept of “tactons”—structured vibrotactile patterns intentionally designed to convey emotion, provide social support, and represent personal memories—demonstrating how haptic feedback can communicate complex, meaningful content beyond simple on/off notifications. By treating vibration … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a molecular “switch” that drives chronic inflammation and synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease. The study pinpoints a chemical modification called S-nitrosylation (SNO) that overactivates the immune protein STING, and shows that preventing this change protects neuronal connections in preclinical models. By stopping S-nitrosylation at a single amino acid—cysteine 148—scientists were able … Read more

Summary: About 30% of older adults whose brains show Alzheimer’s pathology never develop dementia symptoms. This study examines that phenomenon — called cognitive resilience — and explores how immature neurons in the aged human hippocampus may help preserve memory and cognition despite disease-related changes. Researchers used donated brain tissue from the Netherlands Brain Bank to … Read more

Summary: For the first time, researchers used naturally shed baby teeth as biological time capsules to locate the precise weeks when exposure to environmental metals most affects brain development. Following children from the PROGRESS cohort in Mexico City for more than a decade, the study linked early-life metal exposure to changes in brain connectivity and … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a molecular “switch” that fuels chronic inflammation and synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease. The study pinpoints a specific chemical modification—S-nitrosylation (SNO)—that abnormally activates the immune protein STING, and shows that preventing this modification protects neural connections in preclinical models. By blocking S-nitrosylation at a single amino acid, cysteine 148, scientists were … Read more

Summary: Latency is usually viewed as a performance problem in technology. A provocative new study, however, suggests that faster responses from AI can sometimes reduce users’ perceived thoughtfulness and usefulness of those systems. Researchers tested 240 participants with chatbot responses intentionally delayed between 2 and 20 seconds. Even when the content was identical, participants consistently … Read more

Summary: For the first time, researchers used naturally shed baby teeth as biological time capsules to identify the precise weeks when exposure to common environmental metals most affects the developing brain. The longitudinal study followed children in the PROGRESS birth cohort in Mexico City for more than a decade. By reading the growth layers in … Read more

Summary: Developing strong adaptive skills in early childhood—skills such as communication, self-care, and social interaction—can help protect a child’s developing brain from the long-term effects of prenatal stress. Researchers used Superstorm Sandy as a natural experiment to follow mothers who were pregnant during the disaster and their children over several years. The study reports that … Read more