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behavioral neuroscience

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·November 25, 2025·7 min read

Genes Behind Dog Behaviors Also Shape Human Emotions

Researchers analyzed the genomes and behavioral profiles of 1,300 golden retrievers and found that several behavioral traits—such as trainability, fear of strangers, and aggression toward other dogs—are shaped by specific genetic variants. Remarkably, a dozen of these same genes also influence emotional and cognitive traits in humans, revealing shared biological roots across species.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 20, 2025·5 min read

Unexpected Superhero Cameos Make People Kinder

A new behavioral study demonstrates that sudden, unexpected events can significantly increase altruistic behavior in everyday environments. When a person dressed as Batman appeared on a Milan subway, passengers were nearly twice as likely to give up their seats to a pregnant woman compared to the normal routine condition.

This shows a person walking away from an oversized face.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 14, 2025·5 min read

Moving Away Makes Faces Seem Angrier

New research shows that our own physical movements can alter how we perceive emotions on others’ faces. In a virtual reality experiment, participants were more likely to judge a face as angry when they actively moved away from it, compared to when the face moved away from them.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 10, 2025·5 min read

Gut Microbes May Shape Brain and Behavior Through Hidden Mutations

In a groundbreaking study using Merino sheep, researchers uncovered that tiny genetic variations within gut microbes can influence brain-related behavior. By sequencing over 5,000 microbial genomes—including 3,500 never before reported—they linked single nucleotide variations (SNVs) in microbes to neurobehavioral traits and plasma metabolites tied to brain function.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 22, 2025·3 min read

Prenatal Endocannabinoid Disruption Impacts Brain Wiring, Behavior

A new study shows that prenatal disruption of the endocannabinoid system can have long-lasting effects on brain structure and behavior. When scientists lowered the activity of an endocannabinoid receptor in the developing mouse brain, neurons failed to migrate properly, and key genes involved in brain development were altered.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 17, 2025·10 min read

When Machines Become Our Moral Loophole

A large study across 13 experiments with over 8,000 participants shows that people are far more likely to act dishonestly when they can delegate tasks to AI rather than do them themselves. Dishonesty rose most when participants only had to set broad goals, rather than explicit instructions, allowing them to distance themselves from the unethical act.

This shows a teen alone in a dark room with a cell phone, surrounded by emojis.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 9, 2025·5 min read

Loneliness Drives Teens to Seek Rewards

A new study reveals that adolescents are highly sensitive to even brief periods of social isolation, showing a sharp increase in motivation to seek rewards after just a few hours alone. This heightened drive can encourage reconnection but may also lead to risky behaviors if social contact isn’t available.

This shows the outline of a head and brain. Behind are two people fighting.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 8, 2025·2 min read

Aggression Is Contagious: Observing Violence Primes the Brain for Aggression

A new study shows that observing violence can make individuals more likely to act aggressively later, but the effect depends on familiarity. Male mice who watched familiar peers attack others became more violent afterward, driven by amygdala neurons that “prime” aggression.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 5, 2025·4 min read

Environment Shapes Autism-Linked Social Behaviors

A new study shows that environment significantly affects social behavior in zebrafish carrying a mutation linked to autism. In stressful, white Styrofoam tanks, the fish displayed higher anxiety and less social contact, while in familiar Plexiglass tanks their sociability improved.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 4, 2025·5 min read

Autism Gene Found to Alter Brain’s Social Hormone Signals

A new study reveals how a mutation in the Shank3 gene, associated with autism, alters social behavior by disrupting vasopressin release in the brain. In mice, this mutation reduced sociability and defensive aggression by limiting vasopressin reaching the lateral septum.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 4, 2025·5 min read

Astrocyte Disruption Tied to Depression After Childhood Stress

Researchers have shown that astrocytes in the lateral hypothalamus play a pivotal role in how stress shapes behavior, particularly after early-life adversity. In mice, stress led to smaller, less branched astrocytes and abnormal orexin neuron activity, with sex-specific patterns in activity levels.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·August 14, 2025·4 min read

Single Gene Edit Transfers Behaviors Across Species

Scientists in Japan have used genetic engineering to make a species of fruit fly perform a courtship ritual it had never done before. By turning on the “fruitless” gene in insulin-producing neurons, they rewired the brains of Drosophila melanogaster to offer regurgitated food to potential mates—a behavior seen in a different species, D. subobscura.