Scicurious

Neuroscience

To beat sleepiness of anxiety drugs, team looks to body’s clock

Studying basic functions, such as the body’s clock, has inadvertently led to a compound that relieves anxiety in mice.

Animals

The scent of a worry

The smell of fear makes other rats stressed. Now, scientists have isolated the Eau de Terror that lets rats communicate their concerns.

Science & Society

This study of hype in press releases will change journalism

A survey of press releases and their related scientific studies shows that hype may creep from press releases to news coverage. But this doesn’t give anyone at any stage of the news cycle a pass.

Animals

‘Tis the season for white-nose syndrome in bats

While bats are active, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome stays put in the caves the bats call home in winter. New findings show how the fungus varies through the seasons.

Science & Society

Compassionate colleagues can help labs restart after disaster

Scientists plan for many things, but often not for disaster. Two scientists share their story of recovery after Superstorm Sandy.

Neuroscience

The molecular path of best resilience

Many studies focus on susceptibility to stress and how it triggers depression. But a new study highlights a protein important in resilience, showing that resisting stress takes work, too.

Health & Medicine

Add high-fat diet to the ‘don’t’ list for pregnant moms

There’s always controversy over what to eat while pregnant. Four animal studies at this year’s Society for Neuroscience meeting bring together negative effects of high-fat diets.

Neuroscience

Serotonin lies at the intersection of pain and itch

Serotonin may help relieve pain, but it also causes itch. A study shows why scratching just makes it worse.

Neuroscience

For a friendlier zebra finch, just add stress

Adding stress hormones to the diet of developing zebra finches produced birds that were social butterflies.

Neuroscience

Study of psychiatric disorders is difficult in man and mouse

Studying human psychiatric disorders in animals presents a challenge. A new study highlights one of the ways scientists can study human mutations by slipping them into mice.

Science & Society

Is NIH policy the best way to sex equality in studies?

A new NIH policy will require females to be studied alongside males in preclinical studies. The mandate comes with both opportunities and challenges, and little funding.

Animals

A stressful youth makes for a devoted finch dad

Stress is generally thought to be a bad thing. But a new study shows that under certain conditions, a stressful childhood could make a zebra finch a better father.