Image of a man sleeping in bed.
| 2 min read
Learning a motor task alters brain activity during a nap, which promotes neural plasticity and can predict how much a person’s ability will improve.

learning and memory

Novelty Activates a Long Noncoding RNA for Spatial Learning in Mice

(Left) The optic lobes are thought to be involved in visual processing. In this study, researchers found that guppies with larger optic lobes more quickly learned a visual discrimination task—identifying which color well contained food. (Right) The fish telencephalon is thought to be involved in spatial learning, memory, and inhibitory control. Here, the researchers found that a larger telencephalon might enhance the fish’s cognitive flexibility, allowing them to more quickly associate food with a new color after the researchers switched it.

Infographic: Two Guppy Brain Regions May Help Them Learn Tasks

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Fish Brain Region Size Correlates with Cognitive Flexibility

Portrait of Chuck Stevens

Famed Neuroscientist Charles Stevens Dies at 88

Cartoon of a silhouetted person’s bright pink brain being shocked by jumper cables

Electrically Zapping Specific Brain Regions Can Boost Memory

A white lab mouse peers over the wall of a sprawling maze

Bacterial Metabolite May Regulate Cognition in Mice

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Distracted Brains Better at Parsing Unfamiliar Languages: Study

Illustration of gray bacteriophages approaching and infecting a red and orange bacteria that has multiple fimbria protruding from it.

Bacteria-Infecting Viruses in Gut Microbiome Linked to Cognition

Old man stands in front of tree, smiling at camera.

Neuroscientist Mortimer Mishkin Dies at 94

Trending

Photo of John Calhoun crouches within his rodent utopia-turned-dystopia

Universe 25 Experiment

The green zombie virus under the microscope, on a mottled yellow background.

What Are Giant Viruses, and Are They Dangerous?

Illustration of a hole in the shape of a dollar sign on a blue background. One character is falling into the hole at the bottom of the “S” while another individual is holding another up at the top of the “S”. The image represents the absence of funding for researchers in biotech with the cancellation of the SBIR/STTR program.

The Federal Government’s Research Innovation Lifeline Has Gone Dark

Cartoon illustration of dead, rod-shaped bacteria, signifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis successfully defeated by antibiotics.

New “Kill Test” Could Help Screen Better Antibiotics

Multimedia

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

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Illustration of a developing fetus surrounded by a clear fluid with a subtle yellow tinge, representing amniotic fluid.
January 2026

What Is the Amniotic Fluid Composed of?

The liquid world of fetal development provides a rich source of nutrition and protection tailored to meet the needs of the growing fetus.

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Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

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Skip the Wait for Protein Stability Data with Aunty

Skip the Wait for Protein Stability Data with Aunty

Unchained Labs
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An Automated DNA-to-Data Framework for Production-Scale Sequencing

illumina

Products

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Nuclera eProtein Discovery System installed at leading Universities in Taiwan

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BRANDTECH Scientific Introduces the Transferpette® pro Micropipette: A New Twist on Comfort and Control

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Biotium Launches GlycoLiner™ Cell Surface Glycoprotein Labeling Kits for Rapid and Selective Cell Surface Imaging

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Thermo Scientific X and S Series General Purpose Centrifuges

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