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Why have papers by one of history’s most famous physicists been retracted?
Springer Nature has removed two studies by Max Planck. A bot may be to blame
As better chatbots get harder to build, AI turns to simulated worlds
In pursuit of human-level intelligence, researchers are developing agents that learn by acting in virtual environments rather than simply absorbing more text
The universe may be hiding conscious minds stranger than we can imagine
What if consciousness isn’t limited to brains like ours? Philosophers Eric Schwitzgebel and Jeremy Pober argue that consciousness could arise in many different forms of life, even in beings built from radically different materials than those found on Earth. Drawing on the vastness of the universe and the likely existence of countless alien civilizations, they suggest it would be surprisingly Earth-centric to assume that only Earth-like biology can support conscious experience.
Scientists discover ancient brain cells that help block distractions
Scientists have discovered a tiny group of neurons in an ancient brain region that acts like a built-in focus filter, helping the brain ignore distractions and zero in on what matters most. When researchers temporarily switched off these neurons in mice, the animals became unusually distractible—similar to what is seen in ADHD—but regained normal focus as soon as the neurons were reactivated.
Scientists discover hidden “footprints of death” that may help viruses spread
Scientists have uncovered a surprising new twist in what happens when cells die. As dying cells break apart, they leave behind tiny “footprints of death” packed with newly discovered particles that help guide the immune system to clean up the remains. But researchers found that influenza viruses can exploit this process, hiding inside these microscopic packages and potentially using them to spread to nearby cells.
Retraction questions claim that cancer therapy works better in morning
Investigation finds problems in a key clinical trial that critics said was too good to be true
Why were mysterious ancient humans found in an African cave all female?
Analysis of fossil proteins deepens mystery of the enigmatic Homo naledi
Explorative investigation on effects of multi-day neurofeedback with implanted electrodes in patients with Parkinson's disease
Neurofeedback, which consists of recording and visualizing neural activity in real-time, is a method currently being investigated as a supplementary treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). By using implanted deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes with interleaved sensing capability, previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of neurofeedback based on beta oscillations in the basal ganglia. Herein, for the first time, we explored short-term neurofeedback ability over the course of multiple...
Targeting of RhoA-ROCK pathway activators and linked molecular signaling in Alzheimer's disease: The paving dawn for future therapy
Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays a central role in regulating cellular processes, including growth, proliferation, survival, and migration. ROCK exists as two isoforms, ROCK1 and ROCK2, which function as the principal downstream effectors of Rho GTPases. Activation of the RhoA-ROCK signaling pathway is induced by a variety of extracellular stimuli, including angiotensin II (Ang II), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), integrins, and vascular...
Comparative efficacy and safety of pathway-targeted pharmacotherapies for Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of phase III trials
CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacotherapies targeting neurotransmitters, the gut-brain axis, and inflammatory pathways may offer comparatively favorable cognitive benefits in AD. However, variations in safety profiles across intervention classes highlight the need for careful benefit-risk assessment. Given the limited evidence base for certain strategies, further high-quality RCTs are warranted to confirm these findings.
The blood metabolome of brain health in midlife and influences of genes, microbiome and exposome
Metabolic alterations are increasingly implicated in neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), highlighting the relevance of the peripheral metabolome, shaped by genetic and environmental exposures, for brain health. We examined the relation of 991 blood metabolites with cognition and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures cross-sectionally in 1,082 dementia-free middle-aged participants of the population-based Rotterdam Study and quantified contributions of genetic...
Age-related interplay of walking economy, stability, and neuromuscular coordination during single- and dual-task walking
CONCLUSION: Aging is associated with simplified muscle synergies and strengthened coactivation, which helps preserve stability under cognitive load but elevates energetic cost. These findings demonstrate that cognitive interference strengthens the coupling between neuromuscular organization and energetic expenditure, identifying synergy entropy and dual-task energy cost as potential targets for monitoring and improving mobility in older adults.
Dihydromyricetin alleviates immunosenescence by modulating the TAK1/MAP3K7 Axis
Aging is frequently associated with a progressive loss of physiological integrity, with immunosenescence and chronic inflammation playing pivotal roles in this process. While natural compounds like Dihydromyricetin (DHM) exhibit significant anti-aging potential, its precise upstream immunomodulatory targets and cross-species conservation remain largely elusive. Through a combination of transcriptomic analyses and cross-species assays, we demonstrated that DHM systematically downregulates basal...
Application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy in older adults with balance impairment: A review
As the population ages, the issue of falls among the elderly is becoming increasingly prominent, and balance dysfunction is one of the main risk factors for falls. Accurately assessing balance function in older adults and elucidating its underlying neural mechanisms holds significant clinical importance for predicting fall risk and developing personalized interventions. In recent years, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), as a non-invasive brain imaging technology, has demonstrated...
Ubiquitin-specific proteases in cardiovascular disease particularly in aging: mechanisms and therapeutic prospects
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is essential for maintaining intracellular protein homeostasis, and growing evidence indicates that its dysregulation critically contributes to the onset and progression of various CVDs, particularly in the context of aging. Among these, ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) have emerged as promising therapeutic targets, but their precise roles and regulatory mechanisms...
CHIP In cardiovascular and immune ageing
Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) describes the proliferation of blood cell clones that carry driver mutations, such as DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A), ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2), additional sex combs like 1 (ASXL1), and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), without leading to any obvious malignancy. Its occurrence rate is age-related and associated with cardiovascular and immune aging. In prospective cohort studies, CHIP substantially elevated the risk of myocardial...
Magma convection favors ephemeral melt-rich bodies within mushy reservoirs
Magma convection is a mechanism that greatly enhances heat transfer from mobilizable, crystal-poor magma bodies to the surrounding immobile, crystal-rich mush reservoir of Earth's igneous systems. As most of these systems are geophysically shown to be mush-dominated, magma convection is often omitted from thermo-kinetic models, and its role in magma evolution and eruptibility remains underexplored. Here we present 2-D numerical thermal modelling that parameterizes magma convection through a...
A mechano-integrated gradient electrolyte for long-cycling solid-state lithium metal batteries
Overcoming interfacial mechano-electrochemical failure remains a fundamental challenge in solid-state lithium metal batteries, where polymers offer conformal interfacial contact but suffer from low ionic conductivity, while oxides/sulfides provide high ionic conductivity but face severe interfacial issues. Here we show a mechano-integrated gradient electrolyte based on a hydrogen-bonded polyurethane matrix with dual chain extenders. The polyurethane matrix exhibits high viscoelasticity (>5000%...
The mutational landscape of STING-induced immunity
Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is an evolutionary conserved immune signalling protein with key roles in host defence, cancer, senescence and inflammation^(1-3). Downstream of STING, type I interferon, inflammatory cytokine signalling and non-canonical autophagy are governed by a multilayered mechanism integrating ligand-induced structural transitions, protein-protein interactions and coordinated intracellular trafficking^(4-13). Despite its central role in immunity and relevance as...
Sleep lowers waking theta frequency in the rat hippocampus
Hippocampal theta oscillations coordinate computations underlying learning and memory. The frequency of theta varies with factors such as locomotion and anxiety, but the effect of an animal's sleep history on theta frequency remains unknown. Using long-duration CA1 recordings in rats, we found that awake theta frequency progressively decreases following sleep but remains elevated during sleep deprivation. These changes were not accounted for by movement but were predicted by the proportion of...