Science

A duo of scientists at the University of Oxford, UK, has proposed an evolutionary framework to understand why our gut microbiota affects the brain and behavior. Oxford researchers Katerina Johnson and Kevin Foster argue that understanding why gut microbiome influences behavior requires a focus on microbial ecology and local effects …

A team of researchers in Switzerland has observed the quantum mechanical Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in a system of interacting ultracold atoms. Their work appears in the journal Science. A cloud of atoms is held above a chip by electromagnetic fields; the EPR paradox was observed between the spatially separated regions A …

A new genome-wide association meta-analysis has identified 44 genomic variants (loci) that have a significant association with major depression. Of these 44 loci, 30 are newly discovered while 14 had been identified in previous studies. In addition, the analysis identified 153 significant genes, and found that major depression shared 6 …

ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has sent back its first, color images of Mars from its new, near-circular orbit. ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter at Mars. Image credit: D. Ducros / ESA. A few weeks ago, TGO reached its final orbit after a year of ‘aerobraking.’ This exciting operation …

Space agencies have sent various missions to Mars and made fascinating discoveries in the process, but getting samples back to Earth would allow for much more detailed analysis. After a false start some years ago, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have agreed to work together on a Mars …

According to a new study published in the journal Current Biology, domestic horses can read and then remember people’s emotional expressions, enabling them to use this information to identify people who could pose a potential threat. According to Proops et al, some non-human animals can effectively eavesdrop on the emotional …

A team of researchers at Augusta University has shown that when rats or healthy people drink a solution of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3), it becomes a trigger for the stomach to make more acid to digest the next meal and for little-studied mesothelial cells sitting on the spleen to …

An international team of scientists has found evidence of an interaction between Ice Age humans and now-extinct giant ground sloths. White Sands footprints tell the story of a group of humans tracking and hunting a giant ground sloth. Image credit: Alex McClelland, Bournemouth University. The team found and analyzed fossilized …

Consuming dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity, according to two studies presented this week at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting in San Diego. While it is well known that cacao is a major source of flavonoids, this …

Every time you go to sleep, you pass through a phase known as hypnagogia. This mental state straddles the line between “sleeping” and “awake.” Sometimes sleep scientists can’t even agree on whether it should be classified as a phase of sleep. Hypnagogia has a reputation for promoting creativity and freedom …