Flipping the switch on fewer than 500 neurons dramatically reduces the alcohol consumption of mice. This novel finding could lead to new targets for therapeutics. The brain might have a hidden “off switch” for binge drinking, and it seems to be governed by fewer than 500 brain cells, newContinue Reading
Researchers have uncovered a hidden split in the venom of Australia’s deadly Eastern Brown Snake. Southern populations create rock-solid blood clots, while northern snakes produce fragile clots that collapse almost instantly — two very different paths to the same deadly outcome. This discovery raises urgent concerns about whether current antivenoms,Continue Reading
What does survival look like for animals who live in the slow lane? Fast animals get plenty of attention for their incredible feats of speed. But what about animals that move at a slower pace? “We definitely are programmed to think that speed is good,” said James Maclaine, senior curatorContinue Reading
Dec. 3, 2023: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained. his week in science news, we saw SpaceX rockets punching temporary holes in our planet’s atmosphere, heard about new technology for smart glasses that use sonar,Continue Reading
The cat family has an amazing array of eye colors stemming from one unusual ancestor. The evolution of eye color in cats has been mapped for the first time, and researchers found that one unusual ancestor is responsible for the feline family’s dazzling variety of peepers — from yellow-eyed tigersContinue Reading
Among people on HIV meds, young children are the likeliest to die, often due to late diagnosis or treatment interruptions. Among people with HIV, young children are the likeliest to die while receiving treatment. This is likely because many children under 5 already have severely weakened immune systems by theContinue Reading
The site is part of a royal compound that archaeologists think may have been overseen by King Raedwald. Archaeologists in England have unearthed the 1,400-year-old remnants of a possible pagan temple or cult house that was once part of a royal compound. The discovery was made this summer during ongoingContinue Reading
People with tinnitus may be wrongly classed as having “normal hearing” because standard tests don’t detect the condition’s true cause, a new study suggests. People with tinnitus experience persistent ringing or buzzing in their ears that can significantly impact their quality of life — and now, scientists think they finallyContinue Reading
The robot was tested in a simulated Martian environment, and can one day be used to aid humanity’s survival on the Red Planet. Scientists in China have created a robot chemist powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that can extract oxygen from Martian water without human supervision. Synthesizing useful resources fromContinue Reading
If dark matter is made from “dark” versions of the basic building blocks of ordinary matter, the world’s largest particle accelerator should be able to pin it down, a new study suggests. A new search for dark matter has turned up empty handed — but, in a silver lining, theContinue Reading