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Illustration of a ring of circles drawn so that their outer edges are darker blue-black than their inner sides. This creates an optical illusion that the space in the center is a brighter white than the white background outside the circle ring.
| 3 min read
Illusions activate specific neurons in the primary visual cortex that complete patterns based on experiences and reinforce the perception of certain images.

visual cortex

Drawing of a mouse scratching itself after watching a video of a different mouse scratching itself.

Specialized Brain Circuit Makes Mice Itchy When They See Others Scratch

Archerfish in the deep transparent water.

Archerfish Defy Notion that Complex Vision Requires a Cortex

Clues to the Origin and Function of the Brain’s Alpha Waves

Optogenetic Manipulations Create Perception Without Sensory Input

Brain Surface Area Reveals Overlap in Genes, Intelligence, Evolution

Nanoparticles Let Mice See Near Infrared Light

Image of the Day: Fountain of Youth

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

Universe 25 Experiment

A woman in her 60s wears a yellow tank top and brown-rimmed glasses while placing a hormone-replacement patch on her upper arm.

Flawed Studies Linked Menopausal Hormone Therapy to Breast Cancer

A painting depicts an operation with a patient under anesthesia as doctors surround him and other doctors watch from the operating theater.

The Origin of Anesthesia: Feuding Scientists, War, and Dart Poison

A hand holding $100 bills reaches out of a green-colored laptop screen, indicating a bribe.

Publisher Investigates an Alleged Peer Review Extortion Attempt

Multimedia

Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Miltenyi
A model of a brain made of flat, multicolored pieces stacked together.

Mapping Tissues with Spatial Biology

August 2026 Digest cover
August 2026

Epic Fail: Sea-Monkeys Sabotage Fieldwork

When Barry Hicks set out to photograph thrombolites, thousands of unexpected visitors photobombed his underwater images.

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Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Miltenyi
Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Axion Biosystems
Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Covaris
Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Miltenyi

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A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

Lucid Scientific logo
Conceptual image of ice and frost.

The VAULT100 PRO: Inside the most advanced Stirling Ultracold ULT freezer ever built.

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