Summary: This week, Neuroscience News shares intriguing breakthroughs spanning from primate behavior to human memory, fetal development, lab-grown brains, and the understanding of aggression.
Researchers found that high cognitive abilities and explorative behavior could both enhance lifespan in gray mouse lemurs. Our capacity for visual memory isn’t rigid but can be expanded with meaningful stimuli, shifting traditional notions.
Unborn babies were found to ‘remote-control’ maternal nutrition through a paternal gene, while researchers innovated animal-free human brain organoids, potentially improving neurodegenerative disease treatment. Lastly, aggression, often seen as a lack of self-control, was reinterpreted as a controlled act for maximizing retribution.
Source: Neuroscience News
Welcome to another week of exhilarating discoveries in neuroscience.
These top five stories have blown our readers’ minds this week.
#5: Survival of the Smartest or Adventurous? Secrets of Longevity Revealed
A new study takes a peek into the longevity secrets of gray mouse lemurs. Findings suggest that both heightened cognitive abilities and a penchant for exploration could play key roles in their extended lifespans.
Through evaluating cognitive performance and personality traits among 198 lemurs, researchers found two survival tactics – superior cognition with lesser exploration, and more adventurous behavior leading to better food finding and consequently, higher weights.
Further research might explore how these cognitive skills influence survival behaviors like foraging and mating.
#4: Meaningful Stimuli: The Key to Expanding Visual Memory Capacity
Contrary to prior beliefs that visual working memory has a fixed capacity, researchers have found it to be expandable, provided the stimuli hold meaning.
Recognizable objects enabled individuals to retain more visual information, signaling the need for reassessing clinical diagnostic tools and AI systems.
#3: Unborn Babies ‘Remote-Control’ Moms for Nutrition via Paternal Gene
Researchers delve into the dynamic between unborn babies and maternal nutrition.
It appears that unborn babies employ a paternal gene to ‘remote-control’ their mother’s metabolism, securing better nutrition during pregnancy.
This tug of war over resources marks the first direct evidence of a father’s gene influencing maternal nutrient redirection.
#2: Lab-Grown Human Brain Organoids Go Animal-Free
Researchers have taken huge steps in creating animal-free human brain organoids. Earlier, these mini-brains were grown using a substance derived from mouse sarcomas, causing inconsistencies.
However, researchers have now engineered an animal-free extracellular matrix, enhancing brain organoid neurogenesis. This could allow for more accurate human brain condition replication and pave the way for personalized neurodegenerative disease treatments.
#1: Aggression Is A Result of Self-Control, Not Lack Thereof
A new study redefines aggression. Rather than viewing aggression as a consequence of poor self-control, a new study suggests that it’s often a controlled, deliberate act, intended to maximize retribution.
This meta-analysis-based finding might reorient interventions for violent tendencies from focusing on enhancing self-control to exploring other strategies.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned to Neuroscience News for more riveting research updates in neuroscience, AI, and cognitive sciences.
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Author: Neuroscience News Communications
Source: Neuroscience News
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