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Rock, Paper or Scissors

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Brain Activity Reveals How Well We Mentally Size Up Others Originally published by Univeristät Zürich on 9 March 2026 Humans often adapt their behavior to that of other people with lightning speed. A new study by the University of Zurich reveals what brain networks govern social mentalization and adaptatio n, making it possible to predict how flexibly one person reacts to others . The findings of the study could provide new approaches to gaining a better understanding of social disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder or borderline personality disorder . In the interaction with other people, we constantly assess what they think and intend. A new study by the University of Zurich (UZH) shows which brain networks are involved. (Image: iStock / DrAfter123) How quickly do we perceive whether a person we are interacting with is clever or predictable ? Be it in a game, a conversation or a negotiation, we constantly infer what others are thinking and size up their intentions , a...
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When it comes to networks, nature has an edge

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Originally written by  University of New Mexico   and published in phys.or  on March 17, 2026 Edited by  Lisa Lock , reviewed by  Robert Egan Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain  Networks exist in both nature —such as biological systems like food webs and gene regulatory networks— and in engineered systems as seen in power grids. Though natural and engineered systems share an overarching goal —providing a mechanism for interacting components to transmit information— one system appears to have a clear advantage, according to f indings published recently by a University of New Mexico-led team . In this case, the team found that nature does its best when it comes to networks. New study compares natural and man-made networks "The Frequency Response of Networks as Open Systems,"  published  in  Nature Communications , was authored by former UNM graduate student Amirhossein Nazerian , now at Colorado State University; Malbor Asilani, Florid...
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How fast does a protein fold? Real-time technique captures the moment

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Proteins assume complex 3D shapes even faster than does DNA , which is a simpler molecule. Originally wri tten By  Katherine Bourzac and published in Nature on 9 March 2026 It can take less than a microsecond for proteins (artist’s impression) to fold into their 3D shapes. Credit: Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library Scientists say they have made some of the first direct measurements of how long it takes an individual, ordinary protein to fold . The results were surprising: they found no relationship between a protein’s sequence or size and how long it takes to  fold into its 3D shape . And proteins seem to fold more efficiently than do other biomolecules, such as DNA — despite proteins having a more complex set of ingredients. The work was published today in  Physical Review Letters 1 . Read more
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Why crowning the protein that makes jellyfish glow green as a model can help scientists streamline biology

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Originally published by Marc Zimmer ,  The Conversation , on March 1, 2026 edited by  Lisa Lock , reviewed by  Alexander Pol Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Fruit flies, mice , zebrafish , yeast , and the tiny worm  C. elegans  are  model organisms  that have carried modern biology on their backs. Scientists did not choose them for their charisma. They were chosen because their similarities illuminate biological principles across many species. Their biology is simple enough for researchers to master yet deep enough to keep  delivering new insights centuries later . But biologists don't have a common reference point for a vast area of the field:  proteins, the cell's doers . Proteins catalyze chemical reactions, give cells their structure, and help them communicate with each other. Most organisms use tens of thousands of protein types, and each can be mutated , modified , and measured in different ways and in countless environments...
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Engineered bacteria can consume tumors from the inside out

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Published in phys.org by  University of Waterloo on February 24, 2026 edited by  Sadie Harley , reviewed by  Robert Egan Under a low magnification of 1.9X, this image depicts a close-up view of a Petri dish culture plate that contained a medium of egg yolk agar, which was inoculated with Clostridium sporogenes bacteria. These organisms gave rise to these colonies after a 48 hour incubation period. Zones of opacity were noted beneath these colonies. Credit: CDC, Public Domain A research team led by the University of Waterloo is developing a novel tool to treat cancer by engineering hungry bacteria to literally eat tumors from the inside out . "Bacteria spores enter the tumor, finding an environment where there are lots of nutrients and no oxygen , which this organism prefers, and so it starts eating those nutrients and growing in size," said Dr. Marc Aucoin, a chemical engineering professor at Waterloo. "So, we are now colonizing that central space , and the bacter...
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Spinal Cord Organoids Help Test Paralysis Treatment

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Organoids developed from human stem cells modeled spinal cord injuries, providing a powerful in vitro tool to evaluate regenerative therapies for CNS injuries. Original written by Sneha Khedkar and published on The Nutshell section of The Scientist on Feb 13, 2026 Despite being the most common cause of permanent disability, there are few effective treatments for spinal cord injuries. A new organoid model now offers a platform to test regenerative therapies, potentially accelerating the development of new therapies.  Image credit:© iStock.com, Charday Penn Injuries in the central nervous system (CNS) —such as those in the spinal cord—trigger glial scar formation, which inhibits nerve regeneration from healthy neurons surrounding the damage. This results in impaired motor, sensory, or autonomic functions . Despite such spinal cord injuries being the l eading cause of death and permanent disability and affecting up to 500,000 people globally each year , effective therapies ...
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Asteroid Bennu Just Changed the Origin Story of Life

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Originally published by Penn State in SciTech Daily on February 9, 2026 Scientists studying asteroid Bennu have discovered that key amino acids may have formed in icy, radiation-rich environments rather than warm water . The findings suggest life’s basic ingredients can arise in far more extreme corners of space than previously thought. (A view of eight sample trays containing the final material from asteroid Bennu.) Credit: NASA/Erika Blumenfeld & Joseph Aebersold Tiny grains of dust from asteroid Bennu are reshaping how scientists think life’s ingredients formed in space. Scientists previously identified amino acids, the essential components of life, inside 4.6-billion-year-old rocks collected from the asteroid Bennu. These samples were brought back to Earth in 2023 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. While the discovery confirmed that life’s basic ingredients exist beyond Earth, how those molecules formed in space remained unclear. New research led by scie...
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