Using laser light, researchers can control neurons in the primate brain. This has been done in mice and fish, but the jump to primates opens the door for new therapies. The technique is very specific, affecting just the desired neurons and leaving the rest alone, which reduces side effects.
Astronomers suspect that hundreds of medium-sized black holes are roaming loose in the Milky Way. These rogues, according to a new study, are the orphaned central black holes of the many smaller galaxies that the Milky Way has swallowed over its billions of years of existence.
Ten years ago, Stanford University School of Medicine scientist Emmanuel Mignot, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues made headlines when they identified the culprit behind the sleep disorder narcolepsy. Now Mignot and his collaborators have shown for the first time that a specific immune cell is involved in the disorder -- confirming experts' long-held suspicion that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease.
Biologists have discovered that zebra finches raised in isolation will, over several generations, produce a song similar to that sung by the species in the wild. The experiment provides new insights into how genetic background, learning abilities and environmental variation might influence how birds evolve "song culture" -- and provides some pointers to how human languages may evolve.
Pioneering mathematical engineers have discovered for the first time a rigid structure which exists within the center of turbulence, leading to hope that its chaotic movement could be controlled in the future.