An area of the brain called Heschl’s gyrus — long known for handling early auditory processing — plays a far greater role in interpreting speech than previously understood. It helps interpret the meaning behind subtle changes in pitch, tone, and emphasis into meaningful information, according to a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications.Scientists had long thought that deciphering those qualities — collectively known as prosody — happened in the superior temporal gy ...read more
Crewed space travel isn’t just an engineering feat. It’s a test of the endurance and resilience of the human body. In microgravity, astronauts' bodies undergo dramatic changes: muscles weaken, bones lose density, fluids shift, and vision can be affected. Beyond that, deep space exposes them to radiation, which can damage DNA and increase long-term health risks.As space agencies and private companies plan for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, understanding exactly how space travel impac ...read more
Sweetness may be contagious. A growing body of research has revealed that the type of people who have a sweet tooth may also have a sweet temperament.“According to the conceptual metaphor theory, metaphors such as ‘love is sweet’ may be more than just linguistic terms — they can build scaffolds to unconsciously guide our behavior,” says Michael Schaefer, a neuropsychologist at Medical School Berlin.A Sweet Tooth and Sweet TemperamentIn research published in 2012, Brian Meier, a psychol ...read more
Inbreeding or chlamydia? It’s an impossible situation. But it’s a situation that koalas are facing in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, where low levels of genetic diversity are threatening one of the only chlamydia-free populations of koalas that’s left.According to a new analysis in Conservation Genetics, the koalas in the southwestern suburbs of Sydney are some of the only koalas in New South Wales that are still free of chlamydia, a contagious disease that’s devastated the other koal ...read more
With a singular, long, spiraled tusk, narwhals really are the unicorns of the sea. The tusk, which is actually an elongated tooth, is mainly found in males and can grow up to 10 feet long. Many researchers believe that narwhals use the tusks in mating displays, though due to limited field observation, there is still much to learn about narwhals. A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science used drones to monitor narwhals in the wild. With this footage, researchers may have a better unde ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine