For The Better

Increased salinity usually spells trouble for freshwater insects like mayflies. A new study finds that the lack of metabolic responses to salinity may explain why some freshwater insects often struggle in higher salinity, while other freshwater inverte…

Men who have been on parental leave have a significantly reduced risk of being hospitalized due to alcohol consumption, according to a new study from Sweden.

Astronomers have gotten very good at spotting the signs of planet formation around stars. But for a complete understanding of planet formation, we also need to study examples where planet formation has not yet started. Looking for something and not fin…

A new study has found that people may experience long-term symptoms — or ‘long colds’ — after acute respiratory infections that test negative for COVID-19.

Ocean currents determine the structure of the deep-sea ocean floor and the transport of sediments, organic carbon, nutrients and pollutants. In flume-tank experiments, researchers have simulated how currents shape the seafloor and control sediment depo…

Structural patterns can be created due to the chasing interactions between two bacterial species. In a new model, scientists describe how interactions on the individual level can result in a global self-organization of species. Their findings provide i…

Palaeontologists discover molecular evidence of phaeomelanin, the pigment that produces ginger coloration. Phaeomelanin is now toxic to animals – this discovery may be first step in understand its evolution. 

The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible answer is that dark matter consists of particles known as axions. A team of astrophysicists has now shown that if dark matter consists of axions, it may revea…

A team of computer scientists has created a neural network that can explain how it reaches its predictions. The work reveals what accounts for the functionality of neural networks–the engines that drive artificial intelligence and machine learning–th…

It is generally believed that the adaptability of the adult brain mainly takes place in the cortex. However, a new study shows that the thalamus, a relay station for incoming motor and sensory information, plays an unexpectedly important role in this p…

Researchers have discovered the master regulator responsible for balancing the expression of X chromosome genes between males and females in the malaria mosquito. This discovery helps scientists better understand the evolution of the epigenetic mechani…

A team of neuroscientists has now identified a class of neurons–what it calls ‘prediction-error neurons’–that are not responsive to sounds in general, but only respond when sounds violate expectations, thereby sending a message that a mistake has bee…