Is the colour you see the same as what I see? It’s a question that has puzzled both philosophers and neuroscientists for decades, but has proved notoriously difficult to answer. Now, a study that recorded the brain activity of 15 participants suggests that colours are represented and processed in the same way across different people. Read more about My blue is your blue: different people’s brains process colours in the same way[…]

Microsoft is rolling out a new return-to-office policy that will see first Redmond, then US, and then global staff getting back on-prem at least three days a week. “How we work has forever changed,” Microsoft’s Chief People Officer Amy Coleman told staff in a blog post. And that change will start in Redmond by the Read more about Maker of remote working software Teams orders employees back to office[…]

Managers and supervisors brace yourselves: calling the boss a dickhead is not necessarily a sackable offence, a tribunal has ruled. The ruling came in the case of an office manager who was sacked on the spot when – during a row – she called her manager and another director dickheads. Kerrie Herbert has been awarded Read more about Batshit crazy UK judge rules you can’t be fired for calling your bosses dickheads[…]

Insomnia patients taking cannabis-based medical products reported better quality sleep after up to 18 months of treatment, according to a study published August 27 in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Arushika Aggarwal from Imperial College London, U.K., and colleagues. About one out of every three people has some trouble getting a good night’s Read more about Study finds cannabis improves sleep where other drugs fail[…]

Researchers have demonstrated a novel vaccine delivery method in an animal model, using dental floss to introduce vaccine via the tissue between the teeth and gums. The testing found that the new technique stimulates the production of antibodies in mucosal surfaces, such as the lining of the nose and lungs. “Mucosal surfaces are important, because Read more about This vaccine uses dental floss instead of needles[…]

This study begins by outlining the transparency paradox: that trust in science requires transparency, but being transparent about science, medicine and government reduces trust in science. A solution to the paradox is then advanced here: it is argued that, rather than just thinking in terms of transparency and opacity, it is important to think about Read more about Lying increases trust in science – because people are taught that science is infallible, instead of that it can (and is) improved with time and knowledge[…]

Surveys show that the increasing number of extreme climate events, including floods, wildfires and hurricanes, has not raised awareness of the threats posed by climate change. Instead, people change their idea of what they see as normal. This so-called “boiling frog effect” makes gradual change difficult to spot. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania Read more about ‘Boiling frog’ effect makes people oblivious to threat of climate crisis, shows study[…]

Air pollution isn’t just bad for your lungs—it may be eroding your brain. In a sweeping review covering nearly 30 million people, researchers found that common pollutants like PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and soot are all linked to a significantly higher risk of dementia. The most dangerous? PM2.5—tiny particles from traffic and industry that can lodge Read more about 29-million-person study shows air pollution fuels dementia and Alzheimers[…]

Undoubtedly, one of the most important social issues is the discussion of boredom and disillusionment, which is currently observable in many societies, and perhaps many individuals, as well as our loved ones, have encountered it and are seeking treatment to be relieved of it and resolve the crisis. The issue of boredom is a perennial Read more about A review of the impacts of boredom: A review of the best evidence[…]

When we focus, switch tasks, or face tough mental challenges, the brain starts to sync its internal rhythms, especially in the midfrontal region. A new study has found that smarter individuals show more precise and flexible coordination of slow theta waves during key decision-making moments. Using EEG recordings and cognitive testing, researchers discovered that it Read more about Your brain has a hidden beat — and smarter minds sync to it[…]

© Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Enhanced Games, a bizarre, steroid-fueled Olympics knock-off that is being funded by wealthy MAGA types, is officially happening. The unconventional sports festival—which, as its name proudly suggests, will allow contestants to use performance-enhancing drugs—will take place in 2026 in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend, organizers announced on Read more about The Enhanced Games—the Olympics on Literal Steroids—Will Take Place in Vegas Next Year[…]

[…]“People definitely noticed that they were able to get out onto the lake less,” said Liu, who’s now a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. “However, they didn’t necessarily connect this trend to climate change.” When the university’s alumni magazine featured her research in the winter of 2021, the comment section was filled with wistful Read more about Study Uncovers the One Thing That Cuts Through Climate Apathy: Loss – use clear binary data[…]

Researchers have discovered a mutation in the SIK3 gene that enables some people to function normally on just three to six hours of sleep. The finding, published this week in PNAS, adds to a growing list of genetic variants linked to naturally short sleepers. When University of California, San Francisco scientists introduced the mutation to Read more about cientists Identify New Mutation That Enables Three-Hour Sleepers[…]

[…] Among 1,091,449 children, antibiotic exposure before age 2 was positively associated with asthma (hazard ratio 1.24, 1.22-1.26), food allergy (hazard ratio 1.33, 1.26-1.40), and allergic rhinitis (hazard ratio 1.06, 1.03-1.10), with stronger associations observed following multiple antibiotic courses. Findings from sibling-matched analyses were similar. Early-childhood antibiotic exposure was also dose-dependently associated with intellectual disability Read more about Early childhood antibiotics increases risk of asthma, food allergies, allergic rhinitis, and intellectual disability[…]

A sacred pilgrimage ended up in the toilet for several travelers earlier this year. Health officials in Europe have reported an outbreak of superbug cholera traced back to tainted holy water sourced from Ethiopia. Health officials in Germany and the UK detailed the strange outbreak in a report published Thursday in the journal Eurosurveillance. At least Read more about Cholera Outbreak Traced to Holy Water From Ethiopia[…]

Described in a paper published in Nature Neuroscience this week, the neuroprosthesis is intended to allow patients with severe paralysis and anarthria – loss of speech – to communicate by turning brain signals into synthesized words. “Our streaming approach brings the same rapid speech decoding capacity of devices like Alexa and Siri to neuroprostheses,” said Read more about Speech now streaming from brains in real-time, code open sourced[…]

It’s well-established that, on the whole, Americans die younger than people in most other high-income countries. For instance, an analysis from 2022 found that the average life expectancy of someone born in Switzerland or Spain in 2019 was 84 years. Meanwhile, the average US life expectancy was 78.8, lower than nearly all other high-income countries, Read more about Wealthy Americans have death rates on par with poor Europeans[…]

Meniscus tears are common knee injuries that have long frustrated patients and doctors due to limited repair options.A new 3D-printed hydrogel made from cow meniscus could transform how these injuries heal, according to results of a pre-clinical study published in Bioactive Materials. from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Read more about Meniscus injuries may soon be treated by customizable hydrogel[…]

Volkswagen is bringing back physical buttons to all its vehicles after pivoting to touch screens in recent years. In an interview with Autocar, Andreas Mindt, design chief at the German auto giant, called the decision to remove these buttons “a mistake.” “From the ID 2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most Read more about In no-brainer, Volkswagen to Bring Back Physical Buttons to All Vehicles – but still misses some important ones[…]