Brain’s opiate pathway explains why we crave sweets even when full

Our brain has a sweet tooth.
© AI-generated image, tool: Adobe Firefly.

Who hasn’t been there? The big meal is over, you’re full, but the craving for sweets remains. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research have now discovered that what we call the “dessert stomach” is rooted in the brain. The same nerve cells that make us feel full after a meal are also responsible for our craving for sweets afterwards.

To find the cause of the “dessert stomach,” the researchers investigated the reaction of mice to sugar and found that completely satiated mice still ate desserts. The paper is published in the journal Science.

Investigations of the brain showed that a group of nerve cells, the so-called POMC neurons, are responsible for this...

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Phoenix galaxy cluster caught in the act of extreme cooling

Study reveals the Phoenix galaxy cluster in the act of extreme cooling
The core of the Phoenix cluster is shown across the whole electromagnetic spectrum. The bright purples represent X-rays produced by the hot gas, and the dashed purple outlines show regions where this hot gas has been pushed away by the radio jets from the supermassive black hole. The radio jets themselves are shown in red colors. The blues and yellows represent visible light emitted by cool gas and stars. The green contours show the “warm” gas that is in the process of cooling, newly measured in the MIT study with JWST. Credit: NASA

The core of a massive cluster of galaxies appears to be pumping out far more stars than it should. Now researchers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered a key ingredient within the cluster that explains the core’s prolific starburst.

In a new study publis...

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3D-printed, bioresorbable implant could help patients regenerate their own heart valves

        The bioresorbable heart valve (yellow) and a 3D-printed heart model.
The bioresorbable heart valve (yellow) that promotes tissue regeneration and a 3D-printed heart model.

Every year, more than 5 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with heart valve disease, but this condition has no effective long-term treatment. When a person’s heart valve is severely damaged by a birth defect, lifestyle, or aging, blood flow is disrupted. If left untreated, there can be fatal complications.

Valve replacement and repair are the only methods of managing severe valvular heart disease, but both often require repeated surgeries that are expensive, disruptive, and life-threatening. Most replacement valves are made of animal tissue and last up to 10 or 15 years before they must be replaced...

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Korean team unveils fine structure of magnons for neuromorphic devices

A clue to improving the completeness level of neuromorphic devices has been discovered
VNA equipment (left) and the magnon device (right) used by the research group to observe the magnon microstructure. Credit: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS)

A Korean research team has succeeded in securing a basic technology for further improving the completeness level of neuromorphic devices. Their paper is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science observed the fine structure of the magnon, which is attracting attention as a key material for neuromorphic devices. As areas that are approximately 1,000 times finer than before were observed successfully, it is expected that the results will enable the design of more sophisticated neuromorphic devices.

Neuromorphic devices are next-...

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