In mammals, including humans, the cells that contract the heart muscle and enable it to beat do not regenerate after injury. After a heart attack, there is a dramatic loss of these heart muscle cells and those that survive ...
Nov 29, 2017
0
1889
Cocaine and other drugs of abuse hijack the natural reward circuits in the brain. In part, that's why it's so hard to quit using these substances. Moreover, relapse rates hover between 40 and 60 percent, similar to rates ...
Apr 28, 2018
1
312
The human brain is a highly advanced information processor composed of more than 86 billion neurons. Humans are adept at recognizing patterns from complex networks, such as languages, without any formal instruction. Previously, ...
May 8, 2020
0
1404
The human body has hundreds of different cell types, all with the same basic DNA, and all of which can ultimately be traced back to identical stem cells. Despite this fundamental similarity, a bone cell has little in common ...
Aug 29, 2013
0
0
The behavioral problems of a nine-year-old tend to look very different from those of a teenager. What if, before any severe delinquency and rule-breaking began, the young child's brain function and reward-seeking behaviors ...
Aug 3, 2020
9
731
Giving up a kidney to a stranger requires a certain sense of selflessness, what's come to be known in social science as extraordinary altruism. University of Pennsylvania psychologist Kristin Brethel-Haurwitz wanted to understand ...
Sep 11, 2018
2
1121
It is a question that has mystified countless people: Why does one article spread like wildfire through social media and another—seemingly similar—doesn't? How does your brain decide what is valuable enough to read and ...
Feb 27, 2017
0
435
Messenger-RNA (mRNA) vaccines against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 provoke a swift and strong response by the immune system's T cells—the heavy armor of the immune system—according to a study from researchers ...
Aug 16, 2021
0
1581
More and more, scientists have realized that DNA is not the only way that a parent can pass on traits to their offspring. Events experienced by a parent over a lifetime can also have an impact.
Oct 19, 2015
42
3249
Oxytocin's effects on human social behavior aren't clear. Some studies reveal significant positive changes, yet others show none at all. In many animals, from rodents to non-human primates, it's a different story: Oxytocin ...
May 29, 2018
0
707
