ScienceDaily: All - September 22, 2023
Today's top research news
Probing the deep genetic structure of Africa
Using ancestry decomposition techniques an international research team has revealed a deeply divergent ancestry among admixed populations from the Angolan Namib desert. This unique genetic heritage brings the researchers closer to understanding the distribution of genetic variation in the broader region of southern Africa before the spread of food production.
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Jellyfish, with no central brain, shown to learn from past experience
Even without a central brain, jellyfish can learn from past experiences like humans, mice, and flies, scientists report for the first time. They trained Caribbean box jellyfish (Tripedalia cystophora) to learn to spot and dodge obstacles. The study challenges previous notions that advanced learning requires a centralized brain and sheds light on the evolutionary roots of learning and memory.
Colorful primates don't have better color vision, study finds
Primate species with better color vision are not more likely to have red skin or fur coloration, as previously thought.
Trigonelline derived from coffee improves cognitive functions in mice
Trigonelline is derived from coffee; researchers have found that it improves spatial learning and memory in senescence-accelerated mice. The study also suggested that this effect results from inhibiting neuroinflammation and restoring neurotransmitter levels in the brain.
Astronomers discover newborn galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope
With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are now able to peer so far back in time that we are approaching the epoch where we think that the first galaxies were created. Throughout most of the history of the Universe, galaxies seemingly tend to follow a tight relation between how many stars they have formed, and how many heavy elements they have formed. But for the first time we now see signs that this relation between the amount of stars and elements does not hold for the earliest galaxies. The reason is likely that these galaxies simply are in the process of being created, and have not yet had the time to create the heavy elements.
Migratory birds can be taught to adjust to climate change
One result of climate change is that spring is arriving earlier. However, migratory birds are not keeping up with these developments and arrive too late for the peak in food availability when it is time for breeding. By getting the birds to fly a little further north, researchers have observed that these birds can give their chicks a better start in life.
Galaxies from the early Universe are more like our own Milky Way than previously thought, flipping the entire narrative of how scientists think about structure formation in the Universe, according to new research.
Same genes behind heart muscle disorders in humans and Dobermanns
Researchers have made a significant finding in determining the genetic background of dilated cardiomyopathy in Dobermanns. This research helps us understand the genetic risk factors related to fatal diseases of the heart muscle and the mechanisms underlying the disease, and offers new tools for their prevention.
Carbon source found on surface of Jupiter's moon Europa
Astronomers using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have identified carbon dioxide in a specific region on the icy surface of Europa.
A network that spreads light and the role of thalamus in our brain
New research using ultra-high field 7 Tesla MRI, provides a better understanding of how light stimulates our brain and could provide new insights into how it works.
Why are you better at recognizing upright faces? Clues from a person who sees the world differently
When you see a familiar face upright, you'll recognize it right away. But if you saw that same face upside down, it's much harder to place. Now researchers who've studied Claudio, a 42-year-old man whose head is rotated back almost 180 degrees such that it sits between his shoulder blades, suggest that the reason people are so good at processing upright faces has arisen through a combination of evolution and experience.
