Rethinking Neuroscience

Too often, studies that aim to develop new treatments for patients fail to adequately cite and build upon research that preceded them.

Gut microbiome–based solutions hold promise for addressing obesity, but are they overhyped?

Putting on a mask to protect oneself and others against disease is nothing new, nor is resistance to mask-wearing, but mask designs have changed considerably from their first iterations.

Makio Murayama, a Japanese-American biochemist who was turned away from the Manhattan Project due to his heritage, rose to prominence for his work uncovering the link between the structure of hemoglobin and the mechanisms of sickle cell disease.

A peptide found in bull ant venom closely resembles a hormone of its primary predator, triggering hypersensitivity and making subsequent bites even more painful than the ones that came before.

A team of scientists has found that in mice, a cellular housekeeping pathway protects against a major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Before their own central clocks develop, the brains of fetal rats detect their mother’s metabolic cycle to help regulate the expression of certain genes.

The gut microbiomes of city-dwelling animals, including coyotes, lizards, and birds, show similarities to those found in humans who also live in urban environments.

The muscle transmembrane protein Vangl2 helps organize the development and maintenance of connections between muscles and motor neurons, a study concludes.

Genetic studies have made it clear that eukaryotic horizontal gene transfer can and does happen. Exactly how, though, remains speculative.

Maligned peptides such as the Alzheimer’s-associated amyloid precursor protein may have critical roles in the healthy brain.

A new genetic sensor called PRISM makes use of a host cell’s DNA replication machinery to trigger fluorescence in neurons with damaged DNA.

Researchers have discovered that the small structure is involved in language, emotion, and many other high-order brain processes.

With ever-advancing genetic technologies, researchers continue to document the genetic code of the human species.

Genetic knockout experiments reveal a role for the protein in forming and maintaining synapses between motor neurons and muscle fibers in mice.

Neurologically important noncoding RNAs come in many shapes and sizes.

Human beings are susceptible to the latest nutritional trends, regardless of their actual biological value.

Research shows that humans aren’t the only animals whose imaginations run wild while they sleep.

Some researchers have decided to provide their products without financial compensation or expectations of authorship on resulting papers, prompting a flurry of new work.

Despite increasingly strict journal policies requiring the release of computational code files along with research papers, many scientists remain reluctant to share—underscoring the need for better solutions.

Female fruit flies assess the physical symmetry of male suitors through the songs they sing, a study claims.

Researchers shed light on why microbes make the chemicals responsible for petrichor, the earthy smell of recent rain.

A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.

Meet the team trying to restore mollusk populations with the help of underwater speakers.

At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the cancer biologist is combining research into the tumor microenvironment with the principles of neuroscience to tease apart how cancers grow—and how to stop them.

The Middlebury College neuroscientist explores enzymes that affect brain cell development and neurodegeneration.

A new tool called PRISM draws on virus-host interactions and a DNA repair pathway to help researchers visualize how cellular stress may contribute to neurodegenerative disease.

As humanity peers ever further into the cosmos, the similarities and differences between our universe and our inner workings emerge.

Taking stock of the CDC's COVID-19 response, the importance of forest science, the evolutionary importance of chewing, and more