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Penn State

·April 30, 2024·7 min read

Sour Power: Why Some Adults Love Intense Sourness

Researchers uncovered that approximately one in eight adults enjoys intensely sour flavors, challenging the common belief that adults generally dislike sourness. This international study utilized participants from the U.S. and Italy to explore the liking patterns of sourness in adults.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 8, 2024·6 min read

Insomnia Begins in Childhood and Persists Through Life

Children and teens from racial and ethnic minority groups, especially Black children, are more likely to suffer from insomnia that begins in childhood and persists into adulthood. The study underscores the chronic nature of insomnia symptoms starting from a young age and their link to significant health issues, including cardiometabolic diseases and mental health disorders.

This shows a microphone and a map of the world.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 9, 2024·7 min read

Voice Pitch Influences Social Perceptions Globally

A new study unveiled the significant role of voice pitch in shaping social perceptions across different cultures. The study involved over 3,100 participants from 22 countries who evaluated voice recordings for attractiveness, formidability, and prestige.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·February 7, 2024·9 min read

Parental Traits May Influence Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Researchers revealed that evaluating parental traits for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders offers a more precise prediction for these conditions in children than genetic testing alone. The study found that children's risk of disorders such as autism and schizophrenia increases when both parents exhibit related traits, including depression and anxiety.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 11, 2023·4 min read

Toddlers Who Eat Fish Have Lower Developmental Delay Risks

Introducing fish to toddlers' diets could reduce their risk of neurodevelopmental delays. The study, involving 142 children, found that eating fish at least once a week was associated with decreased neurodevelopmental delay risks, and this association was further influenced by the child's microbiome.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 29, 2023·6 min read

Siri and Alexa Reimagined: Personality Match Enhances User Trust

A new study reveals how the customization of voice assistants (VAs) like Siri and Alexa, and the perceived similarity between user and VA personalities, influence user experience and resistance to misinformation. The study found that users prefer extroverted VAs and are more resistant to persuasive misinformation when their personality matches the VA's.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 24, 2023·4 min read

Unlocking the Language of Emotion Through Body Movement

Researchers unlocked the language of human emotion expressed through body movements. By employing a blend of computing, psychology, and the arts, they curated a human movement dataset to enhance AI's understanding of emotions via body language.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 4, 2023·7 min read

Savoring Bytes: New AI Understands Our Tasty Desires

Researchers engineered an electronic "tongue" that potentially lays a framework for developing artificial intelligence (AI) with emotional intelligence, particularly related to taste and eating habits. This initiative explores the intersection of physiological and psychological factors that determine eating preferences and behaviors in humans, seeking to mimic them in AI systems.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 30, 2023·6 min read

Middle Age Sexual Satisfaction: A Potential Early Sign of Cognitive Decline

Researchers found lower sexual satisfaction in middle age may be a warning sign of future cognitive decline. The study examined associations between erectile function, sexual satisfaction, and cognition in hundreds of middle-aged men, discovering a correlation between declines in sexual satisfaction and future memory loss. This study tracks sexual satisfaction, sexual health, and cognition over time, revealing a novel potential risk factor for cognitive decline. While the causality remains uncertain, this relationship suggests that improving sexual satisfaction might positively affect memory function.Researchers found lower sexual satisfaction in middle age may be a warning sign of future cognitive decline. The study examined associations between erectile function, sexual satisfaction, and cognition in hundreds of middle-aged men, discovering a correlation between declines in sexual satisfaction and future memory loss.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 12, 2023·6 min read

Revolutionary Sensor Mimics Human Eye for Vivid Imagery

Researchers have created a device that emulates the human eye's ability to see color by using narrowband perovskite photodetectors and a neuromorphic algorithm. The photodetectors, sensitive to red, green, and blue light, mimic our cone cells, while the neuromorphic algorithm simulates our neural network to process information into high-quality images.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·February 27, 2023·5 min read

Blood Test for Brain Cancer May Be on Horizon

A new blood-based test to screen for biomarkers of glioblastoma brain cancer has been developed by researchers at Penn State. The test looks for elevated levels of IL13Rα2, an antigen receptor that is derived from glioblastoma tumors.