Alzheimer’s Genetic Risk Scores Don’t Explain SuperAgers

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Summary: New multicenter research shows that exceptional memory in advanced age—seen in “SuperAgers”—is not explained merely by having a lower inherited genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers assessed 142 SuperAgers (people in their 80s and 90s whose memory scores match or exceed those typical of individuals decades younger) and 89 cognitively average peers across five … Read more

Memory Erasure: How the Brain Physically Forgets

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Summary: A new study shows that non-Brownian suspensions can form, retain, and overwrite multiple microscopic memories at once. These physical memories follow dynamics that parallel how cognitive memories interact in neuroscience. Researchers examined mixtures of relatively large particles suspended in a viscous fluid. They found that two distinct types of memory—directional memory imprinted by steady … Read more

Genotype-Based Recall in Precision Psychiatry

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Summary: A new study presents a practical framework for recall-by-genotype (RbG) research in large, diverse healthcare-system biobanks to advance precision psychiatry. Using Mount Sinai’s BioMe biobank, researchers recontacted individuals carrying rare copy number variants (CNVs) associated with elevated risk for neurodevelopmental disorders and performed direct clinical and cognitive assessments that revealed critical details not captured … Read more

Too Much Robot Feedback Overwhelms Human Learners

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Summary: Researchers observed 90 adult learners attempting to interpret object-placement instructions given in Swahili by a humanoid robot. The study revealed a clear temporal trade-off: highly detailed, personalized feedback increased cognitive load and reduced the effectiveness of immediate, task-focused hints on the very next attempt, yet produced stronger overall task performance across the session. These … Read more

How Bats in Colonies Synchronize Their Echolocation

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Summary: Researchers found that greater Japanese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus nippon) adjust and align the frequency of their echolocation calls when living together in colonies. Instead of spreading out frequencies to avoid overlap, these bats—especially lower-frequency individuals—shift upward to share a common, clutter-free frequency band that improves detection of Doppler-shifted echoes from fluttering insect prey. Key … Read more

High Social Media Use Raises Anxiety and Suicide Risk in Teens

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Summary: New longitudinal research followed 1,066 participants from about age 12 onward, collecting annual self-reported data from 2018 through 2025. The study captures the era of short-form, algorithm-driven platforms such as TikTok and identifies gender differences: girls reported higher daily social media use and a stronger connection between heavy use and anxiety symptoms. Key Facts … Read more

Study Finds Natural Selection Still Shapes Modern Humans

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Summary: Using an age-stratified allele frequency approach across adults aged 24 to 70, researchers tracked how genetic variants change in frequency across age brackets and identified 168 variants under active natural selection. Of these, 159 show evidence of purifying selection. Nearly 90% of the detected variants are extremely rare, including 71 listed as pathogenic in … Read more

New Study Overturns a Fundamental Rule of Evolution

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Summary: A new long-term analysis of spotted hyenas reveals that reproductive inequality becomes female-biased when measured across multiple generations. Short-term measures, such as annual offspring counts, follow the classic Darwin–Bateman pattern with greater variation among males. However, pedigree analysis across generations shows that high-ranking females and their matrilines accumulate disproportionately more descendants. Within six generations, … Read more

New Compound Could Restore Muscle Strength in Older Adults

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Summary: A new study shows that lipoic acid trisulfide (LASSS) prevents age-related chemical modification of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and can convert it into a more potent form. In aged tissue, HGF is nitrated on tyrosine residues Y198 and Y250, preventing it from binding the c‑met receptor on muscle satellite cells and impairing muscle repair. … Read more

New Obesity Drugs Target Specific Brain Circuits

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Summary: A new Cambridge study finds that drugs targeting the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) act through two anatomically distinct brain regions. Activating GIPR in the brainstem directly suppresses appetite, while blocking GIPR in the hypothalamus removes an inhibitory “brake” that limits the brainstem’s sensitivity to satiety signals. By releasing this hypothalamic brake, GIPR antagonists … Read more