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Biology

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How Loneliness Reshapes the Brain

February 28, 2023

Feelings of loneliness prompt changes in the brain that further isolate people from social contact.

Can Our Brains Be Taken Over?

February 23, 2023

Several real-life pathogens can change a host’s behavior against their will. Here’s what we know about these zombie-like infections.

With Nothing to Eat Except Viruses, Some Microbes Thrive

February 21, 2023

“Virovores” — organisms that survive and multiply by eating viruses — might influence the flow of energy through ecosystems.

Gene Expression in Neurons Solves a Brain Evolution Puzzle

February 14, 2023

The neocortex of our brain is the seat of our intellect. New data suggests that mammals created it with new types of cells that they developed only after their evolutionary split from reptiles.

Q&A

She Studies Growing Arteries to Aid Heart Attack Recovery

February 13, 2023

Regenerative medicine researcher Kristy Red Horse’s discoveries may someday help damaged hearts heal better. Her stewardship of her Native American heritage may advance science in other ways too.

The Joy of Asking About Infinity, Jellyfish and the End of the Universe

February 9, 2023

As The Joy of Why podcast returns for a second season, producer Polly Stryker and host Steven Strogatz invite listeners to join them and their brilliant new guests on another voyage of discovery.

When Does the Brain Operate at Peak Performance?

January 31, 2023

The critical brain hypothesis suggests that neural networks do their best work when connections are not too weak or too strong.

The Cause of Depression Is Probably Not What You Think

January 26, 2023

Depression has often been blamed on low levels of serotonin in the brain. That answer is insufficient, but alternatives are coming into view and changing our understanding of the disease.

Mobile Genes From the Mother Shape the Baby’s Microbiome

January 17, 2023

Tiny genetic sequences in a mother’s bacteria seem to hop into the infant's bacteria, perhaps ensuring a healthy microbiome later in life.

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