Brain, intellect, IQ

A surprising discovery reveals how psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, rapidly reshapes the brain by creating new neural connections and strengthening them. Researchers found that the drug behaves differently in healthy and chronically stressed mice, potentially helping repair brain circuits damaged by prolonged stress. Most intriguingly, they identified a way to trigger this brain rewiring without the behavioral response associated with psychedelic effects.

Making great video content does not always call for a camera crew or overtly expensive gear. Here is how we used Wondershare Filmora 16 and smart automation to turn casual phone snaps into a finished, dynamic video clip in minutes.

Using data from a 1950s Russian experiment, researchers are getting “to the heart of brain programming” in foxes

FRIDAY, Nov. 6, 2026 — Want to give your baby an early brain boost?Nosh plenty of vitamin C chewables while you’re pregnant, a new study suggests.Pumping up vitamin C intake during pregnancy supports early brain development, potentially decreasing...

FRIDAY, Nov. 6, 2026 — A new study suggests a woman's reproductive history may play an important role in her brain health later in life."Women are affected by Alzheimer's disease more often than men. This may be related, in part, to fluctuations in...

A surprising new study suggests that an anti-aging drug could help protect people genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that just four weeks of low-dose rapamycin improved brain blood flow in healthy middle-aged adults carrying the high-risk APOE4 gene variant, with women showing the strongest benefits. Because declining blood flow can occur years before Alzheimer's symptoms appear, the discovery raises hopes for preventing or delaying the disease before memory loss begins.

A significant reduction in genetic abnormalities in cortical neurons occurs after birth, suggesting a selective elimination mechanism in brain development.

Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between Alzheimer’s-related protein buildup, disrupted brain waves during deep sleep, and fading memory. The findings suggest that hidden changes in how the brain processes memories overnight may contribute to age-related memory loss long before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear.

A research team led by Professor Ji-Woong Choi of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee), in collaboration with research teams led by Professor Han-Joon Kim of Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Professor Kyong Hwan Jin of Korea University, and Dr. Jong-Cheol Rah of the Korea Brain Research Institute, has developed "NONOS," a deep-learning-based analysis technology that precisely separates "rhythms" from the underlying "background signals" in brain signals with high temporal resolution.

Foundational support from Mark and Mary Stevens and an additional gift from Clara Wu Tsai launch a university-wide

A KAIST-led research team has found that a protein involved in gene regulation can suppress the harmful aggregation of amyloid-beta, a peptide associated with Alzheimer's disease. The approach also reduced the toxicity of protein aggregates that had already formed.

Inside the brains of some cognitively normal adults, firing patterns were able to foretell Alzheimer's disease years before the onset of memory loss or the accumulation of plaques and tangles, according to new Stanford Medicine-led research.

A particular signaling protein in the brain could be a therapeutic target for neurological disorders arising from the deletion of the autism-linked gene MEF2C, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers found in a new mouse study.

A longer reproductive lifespan and a history of using birth control pills or menopausal hormone therapy were associated with certain signs of blood vessel health in the brain, according to a study published November 4, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

A commentary in The Journal of Clinical Investigation examines evidence linking pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to cerebellar abnormalities, focusing on impaired lysosomal lipid metabolism, oxysterol accumulation, and microglial inflammation. Findings from human imaging, mouse models, and cultured cells suggest that NCOA7 may help protect against these changes, although the proposed mechanisms and therapeutic implications require further investigation.

If you can remember your first sip of coffee, the memory might not be a pleasant one. Coffee's bitter flavor is one we naturally steer clear of. So how do coffee fans learn to love it?

Glioblastoma is the deadliest and most common type of malignant brain tumour in adults. One of the reasons it's almost always incurable is that individual tumour cells are very different from one another and shift dynamically between various 'states'.

Pregnancy and motherhood are associated with neural adaptations that help prepare women for caregiving.

The brain's own clearance mechanisms are most active during sleep. Researchers have now shown that this natural clearance process can also be enhanced while people are awake.

New findings could help explain why cognitive exhaustion feels so crummy

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

Scientists propose that the brain’s mysterious cross-wiring, which connects each hemisphere to the opposite side of the body, may have originated more than 500 million years ago in the visual systems of ancient fish. Rather than evolving for a specific advantage, this unusual arrangement may simply be a legacy of evolution building new brain circuits on an ancient foundation.

People with type 2 diabetes, heart disease or stroke who sleep well have better cognitive function and greater brain volume than people with the same conditions who sleep poorly, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet.

A pioneering blood test used at the scene of medical emergencies can identify patients with bleeding on the brain within minutes, according to East Anglian Air Ambulance, which has been trialing the technology in a US-first for air ambulances as part of its BRAIN-FIRST program.

The study finds that unsalted peanuts may enhance brain insulin responsiveness, providing new insights into dietary influences on cognitive health in aging.

Living close to industrial facilities that pollute waterways with pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals is tied to an increased risk for PSP, a rare and incurable brain disease.

A new study suggests that ultra-processed foods may influence children's developing brains in ways that encourage weight gain. Researchers from USC studied 46 children ages 7 to 10 and found that those who ate more ultra-processed foods showed stronger activity in the brain's reward system when viewing tempting foods like cookies and French fries. These heightened brain responses were linked to greater increases in body fat and body mass index (BMI) one year later, suggesting that the brain's sensitivity to food cues may help explain why ultra-processed diets are associated with obesity.

By studying G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) in mouse hippocampal slices, Qi Ding and colleagues provide evidence of unconventional receptor signaling that has implications for the function of synapses in the brain.

A longitudinal study of 5,423 adults in England found that cardiovascular disease was associated with faster cognitive decline, with the strongest association observed among participants with consistently low depressive symptoms. Those with persistent moderate or high depressive symptoms generally experienced poorer cognitive performance and faster overall deterioration, despite showing a weaker additional association between cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

Expert Counter-Strike players could make ideal candidates for fast-paced emergency service response jobs requiring split-second decision-making, according to a new University of Sheffield study aiming to debunk myths about video games.

A surprising new discovery suggests that fear may cause the brain to blur the line between danger and safety rather than distinguish them more clearly. By observing brain activity in mice using augmented reality, scientists found that memories of threatening and harmless environments began to overlap, potentially allowing faster responses to danger. This "better safe than sorry" survival mechanism could help explain why people with anxiety or PTSD sometimes experience intense fear in completely safe situations.

A major 24-year study involving more than 8,200 adults suggests that excess body weight may accelerate brain aging, leading to faster declines in memory, concentration, and decision-making skills. The connection was particularly strong among people over 65, raising concerns about the long-term effects of obesity on brain health.

Scientists have discovered that a drug originally developed for spinal cord injuries can tackle several key features of Alzheimer’s disease, including DNA damage and inflammation. Already tested for initial safety in humans, the experimental treatment could offer a faster path toward therapies that target the disease at its roots.

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, UC San Francisco and international collaborators are uncovering the cascade of molecular events that happen when women undergo menopause, a time of life marked by endocrine changes and symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog and sleep disturbances.

Scientists studying the neurology of tame foxes identified changes in a part of the brain that has previously been associated with aggression, according to a new paper that compared the brains of domesticated, aggressive and wild foxes. The changes occurred in an area at the base of the brain called the ventromedial hypothalamus, which is known to drive aggression, control decisions related to energy use and play an important role in maternal instincts and social behaviors in mice.

Professor Tim Vogels from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) will receive $3 million as part of an ambitious new $80 million international research initiative exploring how energy shapes brain function.

Overeating alters neural pathways involved in feeding and metabolism, but how fast do these adaptive changes occur? And do these adaptations occur similarly in males and females?

Zombies have taken many forms in popular culture. In Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video, corpses climb out of their graves and perform an impressively coordinated dance. In HBO's "The Last of Us," a fungus infects humans, takes over their bodies and turns them into hosts that help spread the infection. Even Plankton has tried his hand at taking control of another organism in "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Worsening memory or concentration in adults after COVID is tied to higher depression and anxiety symptoms but not to measurable cognitive impairment, a study shows.

In a qualitative analysis of 130 Reddit posts, researchers examined how perimenopause and menopause affected women's career sustainability, finding that brain fog, fatigue, mood changes, and anxiety were associated with reduced confidence, workplace performance concerns, and threats to professional identity. The accounts revealed interconnected challenges involving health, happiness, and productivity, alongside experiences of supportive managers, online peer support, reduced working hours, and career reassessment that helped some women adapt to the transition.

A surprising new study suggests that eating peanuts every day could help support brain health and memory in older adults. Researchers found that consuming about two servings of unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts daily for 16 weeks improved insulin responsiveness in brain regions important for memory, a function that often weakens with age and has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists at the University of Virginia have developed a promising new strategy to fight glioblastoma, one of the deadliest and most difficult-to-treat forms of brain cancer. Their experimental approach combines focused ultrasound, tiny nanoparticles, and genetic molecules called microRNAs to attack multiple cancer-driving genes simultaneously.

Staring at yourself in the mirror can create an illusionary effect, distorting your features to the point of appearing fantastical

A breakthrough in the fight against mosquito-borne viruses could one day help protect patients from devastating neurological complications.

Excessive physical exercise affects more than just the muscles; it can also alter brain chemistry. A new study published in the journal Neuroscience revealed that exhaustive training without adequate rest alters the regulation of dopamine in the hippocampus, a brain region closely linked to memory and the regulation of emotions.

To the untrained eye, a "ham" radio may look like a simple device. However, inside its casing, dozens of delicate wires and tiny elements perform distinct yet connected functions to deliver messages to a vast network of operators around the world.

Elon Musk has outlined Neuralink's ambitions for Telepathy and Blindsight, two brain implants targeting paralysis and blindness. He also hopes future technology could help people walk and use their hands again.

The clocks falling back this weekend gives you the opportunity to sleep like a caveman

Cells are very particular about the proper locations of their contents. For example, DNA is packaged in the nucleus in a highly specific way, but researchers are still trying to understand how this happens. For stem cells in the brain of a larval fruit fly—a model organism used to study processes such as early development—the DNA is organized so that the center of each strand, called the centromere, is at the top of the nucleus.

Published in Reproduction and Fertility, the review examined five existing studies of women aged 41 to 65 to understand whether testosterone treatment improves thinking and memory in women during and after menopause.

In patients with nontraumatic acute brain injury, a meta-analysis identifies early CT markers that show reproducible links to progression to death by neurologic criteria.

Infants whose mothers receive psychotherapy during pregnancy have smaller right hippocampal volumes, but the significance of the finding is unknown.

In developing fetuses, the human brain generates an excess of neurons, most of which are eliminated around when the baby is born. New research suggests that this is an important quality-control mechanism. The post Brain Quality Control Selectively Eliminates Neurons with Abnormal Variants in Development appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Scientists can now edit genes in precise locations deep in the brain and body without the use of invasive surgery or implants, thanks to new work from researchers at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. The team demonstrated its technique, which uses a combination of ultrasound, light-emitting nanoparticles and photo-controllable gene-editing proteins, by successfully altering genes in mouse brains at selected locations.

For medical imaging, innovative contrast agents are in high demand. Materials scientist Robert Nissler has therefore developed an ultra-bright near-infrared nano-pigment designed to provide high-resolution images of intricate brain structures.

Donald Trump faced online ridicule after a Corpus Christi speech, as disputed comments about slurring and vocal interruptions revived speculation over neurological, dental and other possible explanations.

THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2026 — As many as 3 of 4 NFL players who died in the past 15 years were suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head impacts, a new study has found.An estimated 75%...

Oral anticoagulation is tied to lower risks for ischemic stroke and death compared with no anticoagulation in patients with AF and prior intracranial bleeding, a study shows..

Scientists have identified a weakened brain signal that may connect several seemingly unrelated symptoms of schizophrenia, including sensory processing difficulties, disorganized speech, and greater symptom severity. The surprising discovery could help explain the disorder's underlying mechanisms and potentially lead to earlier detection and new treatments.

A study of nearly 13,000 adults found that people consuming the most artificial sweeteners experienced a 62% faster decline in memory and thinking skills, equivalent to approximately 1.6 additional years of brain aging. Six popular sweeteners were linked to faster cognitive decline, raising concerns about the long-term brain health effects of common sugar substitutes, although causation was not established.

The energy required for brains of different sizes to function could play a role in how different species evolved over time. While the energetic costs of brains have long been deemed important in evolution, direct measurements of the rate at which the brains of different species consume energy, also known as brain metabolic rates (MRs), remain scarce.

The tool could eventually lead to an entirely new approach for treating mental health

By optimizing laser, optical, and acquisition parameters, The Rockefeller University researchers developed a three-photon microscopy platform that captures deep-brain neural activity in living mice at single-cell resolution without surgically removing the overlying cortex. The post Three-Photon Microscopy Reveals Neural Activity Deep in the Mouse Brain appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

As light travels deeper into the brain, it scatters. Three-photon microscopy, the current state of the art, reduces the resulting background fluorescence and can, in principle, image much deeper than earlier techniques-but to do that, it uses average laser power limits that cause overheating and damage living tissue.

Researchers fed breeding pairs of mice five diets with different fat and sugar contents to examine how parental nutrition affects offspring brain development. High-fat diets, alone or combined with high sugar, delayed early motor development and altered brain structure in young adult offspring, while the high-sugar-only diet produced no significant changes in individual brain regions after correction for multiple comparisons.

Scientists at UC San Francisco have engineered CAR-T cells that stay dormant until they reach the brain, where they switch on and destroy tumor cells.

Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), a behavioral therapy used alongside medication treatment, may help people with opioid use disorder respond differently to drug-related cues and natural rewards, according to a randomized clinical trial led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

During fetal development, the human brain generates an excess of neurons, most of which are eliminated shortly before and after birth.

Using statistical techniques, a new study has arrived at a harrowing estimate: Three of four retired pro football players most likely had C.T.E. at death.

Using statistical techniques, a new study has arrived at a harrowing estimate: Three of four retired pro football players most likely had C.T.E. at death.

The human brain accounts for roughly 2% of total body weight but uses approximately 20% of our body's energy. Relative to our body size, human brains are much larger than those of other mammals and take a lot of energy to keep humans going. The evolution of our unusually large "social brain" is thought to have given us advanced intelligence and enabled the formation of large, complex societies.

Mice with transplanted human brain organoids improved their gait and maze abilities. The resulting cells suggest new ways to study cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism.

Though one analysis of radon exposure data suggests possible associations, other datasets show no significant association, raising questions about the link.

A major new study reveals that autistic children’s brains process faces differently, and those differences may begin earlier than scientists previously thought. Researchers found that brain signals associated with recognizing faces become more specialized as neurotypical children grow older, but show much less change in autistic children. The discovery could help explain why some autistic people have difficulty recognizing faces and reading emotions.

It's Halloween night. Someone has dared you to turn off the lights and stand in front of the mirror. The rules are simple: Stare into your reflection and say her name three times.

How did the human brain become so much larger than that of our closest evolutionary relatives? Part of the answer lies not in new genes, but in how humans and non-human apes use the genes they share. Using brain organoids grown from stem cells, an international team led by Prof. Mareike Albert at TUD Dresden University of Technology compared early brain development in humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered a new strategy that glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of adult brain cancer, uses to fuel its own growth.

People with more narcissistic traits had less consistent patterns of brain activation in real life-like scenarios involving another's ​​loss of face––a finding that may help explain difficulties in their social interaction.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a parasitic disease that causes the rapid deterioration of brain tissue, is one of the most lethal infections known, with a fatality rate exceeding 97%. Caused by the free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri (N. fowleri), the disease progresses with devastating speed, often leaving patients with only a few days to respond to treatment.

Dr Martin Wessendorf is a neuroscientist and an associate professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. His work focuses on how the brainstem controls the function of neurons in the spinal cord.

Why do some people stay mentally sharp even when their brains show signs of Alzheimer’s disease? Scientists in the Netherlands may have uncovered an important clue hidden in a rare group of immature brain cells. Researchers discovered that these cells remain present even in people over 80, but their behavior differs dramatically between those who develop dementia and those who remain cognitively healthy.

New in JNeurosci, Pyry Heikkinen and colleagues, from the University of Helsinki, explored how emotional meaning influences the way the human brain prioritizes information during naturally spoken conversations in a cocktail party setting.

A Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology suggests that analyzing DNA in cerebrospinal fluid could provide another source of information when MRI cannot provide a clear brain tumor diagnosis or obtaining tissue through biopsy is difficult or potentially unsafe.

Dr. Martin Wessendorf is a neuroscientist and an associate professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. His work focuses on how the brainstem controls the function of neurons in the spinal cord. Daniel Wang also researches the brain, focusing on cognitive neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases.

Some people who have autism spectrum disorder struggle to adapt to changing demands in their environment.

Many people have narcissistic traits to some degree, for example, confidence in one's own superiority, a sense of entitlement and a desire to be the center of attention. However, some people have notably higher levels of narcissistic traits than others, and the neural basis of so-called "grandiose narcissism" has rarely been studied in socially complex situations.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a parasitic disease that causes the rapid deterioration of brain tissue, is one of the most lethal infections known, with a fatality rate exceeding 97%.

MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2026 — Ultra-processed foods appear to rewire kids’ brains so they crave more junk food, a new study says.Pictures of cookies or fries trigger a powerful reaction in the brain reward systems of children who eat more ultra-processed...

Applying mild electrical stimulation to the brain temporarily removed a perceptual bias linked to the sexual objectification of women, in the first study of its kind. The study is published in the journal Social Neuroscience.

Reading a sentence, following a conversation, solving a problem or deciding what to do next: all of these rely on working memory.

Scientists have filmed tiny magnetic vortices called skyrmions melting out of an organized lattice for the first time, revealing new ways to manipulate these unusual structures. The breakthrough could help make brain-like computers a reality, potentially enabling dramatically smaller and more energy-efficient technology.

By pairing a retina-like sensor with a spiking neural network, a new technique with potential applications for self-driving