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Speaker-independent auditory attention decoding without access to clean speech sources
Speech perception in crowded environments is challenging for hearing-impaired listeners. Assistive hearing devices cannot lower interfering speakers without knowing which speaker the listener is…
Nonstick chemicals that stick around and detecting ear infections with smartphones
On this week’s show: Tainted groundwater from nonstick chemicals and using smartphones for ear-infection detection
Senolytic therapies for healthy longevity
The estimated “natural” life span of humans is ∼30 years, but improvements in working conditions, housing, sanitation, and medicine have extended this to ∼80 years in most developed countries.…
Hierarchical reasoning by neural circuits in the frontal cortex
Primates can compute and integrate low-level decisions to make strategic adjustments to higher-level decisions. The neural substrates and mechanisms that allow this process are not known. Sarafyazd…
B cells engineered to express pathogen-specific antibodies protect against infection
Antibodies are currently being used to treat a number of ailments from infectious diseases to cancers and autoimmunity. Like other drugs, patients often require multiple doses of antibodies. Because…
Learning sensorimotor control with neuromorphic sensors: Toward hyperdimensional active perception
The hallmark of modern robotics is the ability to directly fuse the platform’s perception with its motoric ability—the concept often referred to as “active perception.” Nevertheless, we find that…
Signals trigger state-specific transcriptional programs to support diversity and homeostasis in immune…
Macrophages are immune cells that play a major role in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Because of their high plasticity, macrophages can rapidly respond to various external and internal cues, such as…
Putting sugars under strain
Sugar molecules such as glucose usually exist in a stable low-energy conformation that creates the least amount of strain in the bonds between the constituent atoms. These shape preferences can make…
Dental evolutionary rates and its implications for the Neanderthal–modern human divergence
The origin of Neanderthal and modern human lineages is a matter of intense debate. DNA analyses have generally indicated that both lineages diverged during the middle period of the Middle Pleistocene,…
Probing and imaging spin interactions with a magnetic single-molecule sensor
The resolution that can be achieved in scanning probe microscopy can be greatly enhanced by absorbing a molecule such as CO on the probe tip. Czap et al. now show that this approach can be used to…
Towering models, engaging interactives, and virtual reality bring the Tyrannosaurus rex to…
Head down and jaws wide, drool running down its banana-sized teeth, the Tyrannosaurus rex is a nightmare incarnate. The unsettling eyes only add to the effect. Children are nudged forward by their…
Initial results from the New Horizons exploration of 2014 MU69, a small…
After flying past Pluto in 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft shifted course to encounter (486958) 2014 MU69, a much smaller body about 30 kilometers in diameter. MU69 is part of the Kuiper Belt, a collection of small icy bodies orbiting in the outer Solar
Why some climate scientists are saying no to flying
Limiting air travel to reduce carbon footprint works for some academics, but not everyone is onboard
Adult-born neurons in brain circuitry
The mammalian hippocampus is often referred to as the gateway to memory formation. By receiving information from numerous other brain regions, this structure has a privileged position not only in…
Emergence of exploratory look-around behaviors through active observation completion
Standard computer vision systems assume access to intelligently captured inputs (e.g., photos from a human photographer), yet autonomously capturing good observations is a major challenge in itself.…
Detecting middle ear fluid using smartphones
Ear infections are typically diagnosed using specialized equipment to assess eardrum mobility: The presence of fluid in the middle ear, indicative of likely ear infection, limits eardrum mobility.…
Synthetic transcriptional synergy
The architecture of transcription factors (TFs) is surprisingly modular ([ 1 ][1]). Each factor broadly consists of a DNA binding domain and an activation domain that recruits the cell's transcription…
MR1 displays the microbial metabolome driving selective MR1-restricted T cell receptor usage
A subset of T cells can detect microbial ligands displayed by MR1, a nonconventional MHC molecule. MR1 is known to present metabolites from microbes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis , but the breadth…
Building upon foundations for evidence-based policy
![][1] ILLUSTRATION: DAVIDE BONAZZI/SALZMANART There is no natural constituency for evidence-based policy. It should, by rights, be the public who wants the most from their government (and their…
LMBR1L regulates lymphopoiesis through Wnt/β-catenin signaling
The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is central to hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) survival, renewal, and differentiation. Both excessive and insufficient β-catenin can have adverse consequences, so…