Essay: Does Making Predictions Impede the Formation of Memories?

When your brain is presented with a scenario, it makes a decision: Does it file this moment away as a unique event, or slot the information into an existing pattern?


Catapult

The ups and downs of a great vertical migration

Many water dwellers – from plankton to large fish – commute daily from the depths to the surface. Researchers are starting to shed light on this still poorly understood phenomenon.

Knowable Magazine; Republished in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, and Inverse

The US falls behind most of the world in plastic pollution legislation

One of the world's biggest contributors to the plastic crisis has yet to pass meaningful federal regulation on plastic pollution, but a new bill may change that.


Environmental Health News

Blah Blah Blah: The Lack of Small Talk Is Breaking Our Brains

Chit-chat is often dismissed as mindless and boring. But its absence over the past year is affecting you more than you think

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The Walrus

The Colorful, Costly World of Custom Keyboard Enthusiasts

Hobbyists spend hours building their own personalized rigs, while others drop thousands of dollars on a bespoke board. The hype is only getting bigger.


WIRED

What Happens to Caves When Wildfires Scorch the Surface?

Ecologists are finding unexpected changes in the delicate ecosystems below Lava Beds National Monument.


Atlas Obscura

Indigenous harvest rights still under attack in the upper Great Lakes

Tribal leaders say racism and harassment persist as members exercise treaty rights

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Environmental Health News

The Mysterious Coral Cousin Swarming the Palmyra Atoll

Little is known about pesky corallimorphs, except that they seem to thrive when reefs are damaged.


Atlas Obscura

Unplugged: Abandoned oil and gas wells leave the ocean floor spewing methane

The Gulf of Mexico is littered with tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells, and toothless regulation leaves climate warming gas emissions unchecked

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Environmental Health News

FORECAST OR REMEMBER: THE BRAIN MUST CHOOSE ONE

Trying to predict a situation impedes memory formation

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Scientific American

THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT: CAN SCIENCE EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HIKERS?

Nine Russian hikers died mysteriously in the mountains more than 60 years ago. New research suggests that an avalanche may have sealed their fate

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Discover Magazine

FISH FARMING HAS A PLASTIC PROBLEM

Microplastics in fishmeal are contaminating farmed fish—impacting their health, the nutrition they provide, and leaving consumers potentially exposed

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Environmental Health News

CLIMATE CHANGE WILL CONTINUE TO WIDEN GAPS IN FOOD SECURITY, NEW STUDY FINDS 

Countries already struggling with low crop yields will be hurt most by a warming climate

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Environmental Health News

CITIZENS OF MAURITIUS ARE CLEANING UP A MAJOR OIL SPILL THEMSELVES

Authorities have been slow to act, and locals are picking up the slack

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Popular Science

THESE ULTRA-BLACK FISH CAMOUFLAGE WITH THE DARKNESS OF THE DEEP SEA

They can almost vanish—escaping predators and sneaking up on prey

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Popular Science

SOLVING THE MEDICAL MYSTERY OF THE BRAIN THAT SEES NUMBERS AS SPAGHETTI

The condition could help us better understand perception

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Popular Science

MEET THE YOUNG DOCTOR LEADING NEPAL'S
COVID-19 TESTING PROGRAM

A 31-year-old Nepali infectious disease specialist is playing a key role in the country’s efforts to contain COVID-19

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Medscape

TEAR GAS DURING COVID-19 IS A PUBLIC HEALTH DISASTER

Case studies on the crowd-control weapon show just how dangerous it can be for the lungs

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Popular Science

THESE ANIMALS BUILD PALACES OUT OF THEIR OWN SNOT

Using lasers, scientists digitally reconstructed these delicate, squishy houses

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Popular Science

RADAR-EQUIPPED SEABIRDS WON'T STOP ILLEGAL FISHING

Thwarting illegal fishing boats in the open ocean will take more than technology alone

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Scienceline

TETRIS FIEDS REVEAL HOW TO MAKE BETTER SPLIT-SECOND DECISIONS

Neuroscientists explore the nature of expertise by studying players of the classic game, and the sky’s the limit

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Scienceline  

THE “BLACKEST BLACK” – FOR SCIENCE AND ART

A record-breaking engineered material leaves no room for vanity

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Scienceline