Writing

Imagination is not just replaying what we see and hear

Human echolocation works step by step

‘Friction-maxxing’ in school: Students should read primary literature, not AI summaries

What color is this dot? New illusion demonstrates weird vision quirk

Simulations of your gut may predict which probiotics will stick

Babies brains’ can follow a beat as soon as they’re born

How Your Brain Creates ‘Aha’ Moments and Why They Stick

Why a Classic Psychology Theory about Vision Has Fallen Apart

The Potato’s Mysterious Family Tree Revealed—And It Includes Tomatoes

Heatstroke and Extreme Heat can Hurt Health in the Long-Term, Too

Archaeologists Stumble upon Tomb of Ancient Maya City’s First Ruler

Magma Pulses Are Tearing Africa Apart

Human Gut Bacteria Can Gather Up PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

Proof That Adult Brains Make New Neurons Settles Scientific Controversy

Scientists Used Prehistoric Tools to Build a Canoe, Then Paddled Across 140 Miles from Taiwan to Japan

What a Wandering Mind Learns

The problem with 'happiness'

Skip the dietary questionnaire, use stool to track what you eat

First map of human brain mitochondria is ‘groundbreaking’ achievement

Did Mount Vesuvius’ ash cloud really transform a brain into glass?

The International Space Station lacks microbial diversity. Is it too clean?

TikTok Scripts for the Museum of Science - Boston

Getting your baby to sleep can be a nightmare. Sleep experts know a better way.

Getting your baby to sleep can be a nightmare. Sleep experts know a better way.

Hope for Niemann-Pick type C in FDA’s dual drug approval

A squid-inspired medical device could reduce the need for needles

Brain waves synchronize when enjoying music, lessening depression

Brain waves synchronize when enjoying music, lessening depression.

How the common cold persisted throughout COVID-19 lockdowns

Rhinoviruses, the main cause of the common cold, are unique among respiratory viruses

Minor cannabinoid shows promise in reducing anxiety

Cannabigerol relieved anxiety and stress without the psychoactive effects of THC in a small clinical trial.

Your brain can perceive subtle odor changes in a single sniff

Odors separated by as little as 60 milliseconds were discernible

Two Neuroscience Laws Governing How We Sense the World Finally United After 67 Years

Neuroscientists at the Flatiron Institute and New York University developed a new theoretical framework that describes our ability to both absolutely and relatively gauge the properties of sensory inputs

Probiotics to alleviate depression

These windpipe cells trigger coughs to keep water out of the lungs

Finding nonantibiotic solutions to resistant UTI

Gene therapy for pain treatment

Human brains found at archaeological sites are surprisingly well-preserved

What Your Brain Is Doing When You’re Not Doing Anything

When your mind is wandering, your brain’s ‘default mode’ network is active. Its discovery 20 years ago inspired a raft of research into networks of brain regions and how they interact with each other

Octopuses Are Colorblind. Here’s How They See the World

Cephalopods have developed unique visual systems to deal with their underwater world

Young corn leaves can ‘smell’ danger

As they mature, these leaves lose their ability to detect threatening scents.

A Potential Therapy for “Chemobrain”

Hungry Planet

A brain network linked to attention is larger in people with depression

The difference is visible even in those who haven’t yet developed depression symptoms

Pregnancy transforms the brain—and some changes last forever

For the first time, scientists have observed the brain throughout the pregnancy timeline, from pre-conception to postpartum.

Clickbait, consciousness science, and responsible journalism

Humans Can Spot Tiny Numerical Differences

Stimulating spleens with ultrasound hints at a treatment for inflammation

One small molecule may transform osteoporosis treatment

The classic map of how the human brain manages movement gets an update

After Spinal Cord Injury, Kinesthetic Sense Helps Restore Movement, Model Suggests

This elephant peels bananas, but only slightly ripe ones

Scientists have now recorded brain waves from freely moving octopuses

Epigenome edits unmute MECP2 in Rett-like neurons

Soft Robots Take Steps toward Independence

How Octopus Arms Bypass the Brain

Research on Psychedelics and How Mushrooms Can Help Combat Depression

Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in mushrooms, can help depression and increase cognitive flexibility, but scientists say more research is still needed.

Common Brain Network for Psychiatric Illness Discovered

A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital investigated four pre-existing, publicly available neurological and psychiatric datasets, and pinpointed a network of brain areas underlying psychiatric illnesses.

Common and rare autism-linked variants share functional effects

Along 16p, the short arm of chromosome 16, a group of common variants and a rare deletion associated with autism seem to have overlapping effects on gene expression, a new study finds.

Lifelong Learners from UChicago’s Graham School Attend MBL Program

Auditory cortex may develop early in autism

Magnetoencephalography shows a premature onset of M100 responses in autistic children in new work from J. Christopher Edgar and colleagues.

Opening the Black Box of Late Neurodevelopment

Nearly every stage of C. elegans development + life has been studied in great detail, except the last 6 hours of embryogenesis. A new study emerging from a collab at MBL zeroes in on that critical time by using new imaging techniques + computational tools.

What Can Frogs Tell Us About Childhood Adversity?

Sally Seraphin is using red-eyed tree frogs as a model for studying adverse childhood experiences.

Cellular Collaboration: Whitman Fellow Shines Light on Unique Symbiosis

Live Fast, Die Young: Grass Fellow Explores Octopus's Death Spiral

Most octopuses die after the first time they reproduce, and Grass Fellow Z. Yan Wang wants to know why.

That’s Your Stomach Talking: Grass Fellow Studies Gut-Brain Link

Grass Fellow Maya Kaelberer wants to listen in on brain-gut communication.

The Evolution of Evo-Devo

Evo-devo scientists investigate how animal embryos develop, which allows them to make inferences about evolutionary change.

#WhyIScience: Naeem Nadaf

Meet a research associate with a passion for perfecting research methods.

Repeated UTIs may stem from a disrupted microbiome

Broad researchers discover that changes in immune responses and the gut microbial community could underlie repeated occurrences of these common infections.

Telling Time: Eel Pond’s Striped Bass Help MBL Scientists Characterize Biological Rhythms

Striped bass in MBL's Eel Pond are helping inaugural MBL Barbey Fellow Brian Prendergast study how circadian rhythms change in response to environmental shifts.

Study finds new patterns of antibiotic resistance spread in hospitals

Using a newly developed method, researchers have discovered more movement of key antibiotic resistance genes within hospitals than previously thought.

Population-based study reveals strong genetic links with multiple cardiometabolic diseases and traits

Broad scientists analyzed sequencing data from more than 200,000 people and found rare genetic variants associated with diseases like diabetes and heart failure.

Researchers identify new target for treatment of aggressive childhood brain tumors

An international team clarifies the role of the mutated PPM1D gene in diffuse midline gliomas and lays groundwork for future treatments.

Finding research inspiration in life experience

Bee Building blocks

Bob the Builder – meet Bee the Builder!

Time flies when you’re in lockdown

Novel brain research could feed misplaced sci-fi worries for the public

Organoids and chimeras do pose ethical concerns, but experts say wild-eyed popular commentaries are off-base.

The changing landscape of science filmmaking

How local surfers can help scientists with ocean restoration

Episode 127: Nic Koziolek discusses self-knowledge

The Loh Down on Science