Optimists Really Are on the ‘Same Wavelength’ When They Think About the Future, New Study of Brain Activity Suggests
As the research participants thought about future scenarios, optimists displayed similar neural patterns, but pessimists showed more individualized brain activity
Octopuses Fall for the Rubber Hand Illusion, Just Like Humans, Pointing to a Sense of Body Ownership
The trick that plays with awareness of one’s own limb appeared to fool all six of the cephalopods tested in a series of experiments
How Do Dogs Watch TV? That Might Depend on Their Personalities, New Research Suggests
A survey-based study reveals how different dogs react to elements on TV, suggesting that personalized television enrichment could support animal welfare in shelters or at home
Need to Solve a Problem? Try Taking a Deep Power Nap for an ‘Aha’ Moment, Research Suggests
A new study finds that entering N2 sleep—a deep phase of non-rapid eye movement sleep—may help lead to more “eureka” breakthroughs
These Australian Cockatoos Learned to Operate Drinking Fountains With Their Feet to Quench Their Thirst
Birds in Sydney’s western suburbs have figured out how to get a sip from the fountains, even though they have access to nearby streams
Cats Can Recognize Their Owner’s Scent Compared to a Stranger’s, New Research Suggests
In an experiment, domestic cats spent longer sniffing cotton swabs with the scents of unfamiliar people than swabs with the scent of their owner
This Sea Lion Can Headbang Better Than You—Watch Her Out-Perform Humans at Keeping a Beat
A new study of Ronan, a sea lion famous for her dancing skills, challenges the idea that only vocal learners can match a tempo
In a World First, Researchers Mapped Part of a Mouse’s Brain in Incredible Detail. It’s a Leap Forward for Neuroscience
The 3D brain map includes more than 200,000 cells, 523 million synapses and over two miles of axons, representing the most detailed wiring diagram of a piece of mammal brain ever constructed
Human Ancestors Were Making Bone Tools One Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought
Archaeologists have discovered a collection of prehistoric animal bones in Tanzania that suggests early humans figured out how to transfer tool-making techniques “from stone to bone” 1.5 million years ago
Wild Fish Can Tell Human Divers Apart Based on Their Outfits, Study Suggests
Using visual cues, including colors on wetsuits, seabream in the Mediterranean learned to identify researchers that would feed them
U.S. Dementia Cases Are Poised to Rise to One Million Each Year by 2060, According to New Projections
As the American population ages, a new study finds the average lifetime risk of dementia for adults over 55 is around 42 percent—a higher rate than previously thought
Researchers Find 13 Proteins in the Blood That Are Seemingly Linked to Brain Aging
Though experts say more work is needed to understand the findings, this line of study might offer a way to monitor age-related cognitive disorders and target treatment
Ancient Texts Reveal How Mesopotamians Felt Emotions—From Happiness in the Liver to Anger in the Feet
Researchers found that ancient Mesopotamians associated body parts with emotions, just as we do—but they discovered some hilarious differences
These Elephants Can Use Hoses to Shower—and Even ‘Sabotage’ Each Other, Study Suggests
Mary, a 54-year-old Asian elephant at the Berlin Zoo, is the “queen of showering,” but her companion Anchali seems to have figured out how to exploit that habit to play pranks
The Ouija Board Can’t Connect Us to Paranormal Forces—but It Can Tell Us a Lot About Psychology, Grief and Uncertainty
The game was born from Americans’ obsession with Spiritualism in the 19th century. Since then, it’s functioned as a reflection of their deep-seated beliefs and anxieties for more than a century
Cats May Be Aware of Their Body Size, Suggests Study of Their Famously ‘Liquid’ Behavior
A scientist used at-home experiments to test whether cats hesitated when moving through increasingly shorter or narrower openings
Scientists Unveil the First-Ever Complete Map of an Adult Fruit Fly’s Brain, Captured in Stunning Detail
The brain diagram, called a connectome, could revolutionize researchers’ understanding of the human brain, which has many parallels with a fruit fly’s
These Tiny Fish Will Assess Themselves in a Mirror Before Taking on a Foe
New findings suggest bluestreak cleaner wrasse understand how their body size stacks up against a rival
The Smell of Human Stress Leads Dogs to Make More Pessimistic Decisions, Study Suggests
Canines that smelled the sweat of anxious people were less likely to approach a bowl that might have contained food, indicating humans’ emotions can affect dogs’ behavior
African Elephants May Call Each Other by Name
In a new study, a computer model was able to identify the recipient of an elephant’s call more than a quarter of the time, which scientists say is significantly greater than chance
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