Conscious Awareness in Babies
SCIENCE

Conscious Awareness in Babies

Researchers used human newborns as test subjects to examine the age-old question of agency. They were able to connect a baby's foot to a mobile device mounted on his crib and track the moment the baby realized he could influence his environment. [more…]

Is Task Complexity the Cause of Brain Asymmetry?
Biology

Is Task Complexity the Cause of Brain Asymmetry?

Animal brains have somewhat mirror-symmetric neural networks, and asymmetries are hypothesized to be more common in species with higher cognitive abilities. This assumption suggests that more sophisticated neural tasks involve mirror-symmetric neural circuits in the brain. [more…]

Producing Tiny Artificial Eyelashes
Biology

Producing Tiny Artificial Eyelashes

With the help of small magnetic rods and a rotating magnetic field, scientists were able to mimic the undulating motion of hair-like structures on cell surfaces. Thanks to the coordinated fluctuation of hair-like structures known as cilia, [more…]

smart contact
Biology

Tear-rechargeable smart lens batteries

Researchers have developed a micrometer-thin battery that can power smart contact lenses and can be charged with a saline solution. Researchers from NTU Singapore have developed a smart contact that can store electricity when immersed in a saline solution. [more…]

Gluten Inflames the Brains of Mice
SCIENCE

Gluten Inflames the Brains of Mice

Researchers from the University of Otago discovered that rats fed wheat gluten had inflammation in their brains, which is thought to be a world first. Directed by Associate Professor Alex Tups and published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology [more…]

More Effective Industrial Water Filtration
Environment and Climate

More Effective Industrial Water Filtration

The French Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Biological Sciences have joined forces to create a unique protein mimic that can self-assemble into porous structures. Pores have a lipid membrane [more…]

Antarctic Alert in Octopus DNA
Environment and Climate

Antarctic Alert in Octopus DNA

There are two distinct populations of Turquet octopus (Pareledone turqueti) in the ocean bays surrounding West Antarctica. Secrets shared by their ancestors may not bode well for the long-term health of the planet. Geographically, before scientists examine [more…]

Pathways to an Egg for Fertilization
Biology

Pathways to an Egg for Fertilization

Mammalian sperm use a sophisticated stochastic navigation technique that depends on the rheological and chemical properties of the immediate environment. For each of us, fertilization is an unstoppable series of fusion of two gametes that results in the development of a new life. [more…]

Cereals in Danger Due to Drought
Environment and Climate

Cereals in Danger Due to Drought

Grain crops may be endangered by extreme heat and drought, according to a new study. Global warming is changing seasonal patterns, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events such as intense droughts and heat waves. [more…]