Words Activate Hidden Brain Processes Shaping Emotions, Decisions and Behavior

Words activate hidden brain processes shaping emotions, decisions, and behavior
Emotional words evoke region- and valence-specific patterns of concurrent neuromodulator release in the human thalamus and cortex. Batten et al/Cell Reports. Credit: Batten et al/Cell Reports

In an unprecedented new study, researchers have shown neurotransmitters in the human brain are released during the processing of the emotional content of language, providing new insights into how people interpret the significance of words.

The work, conducted by an international team led by Virginia Tech scientists, offers deeper understanding into how language influences human choices and mental health.

Spearheaded by computational neuroscientist Read Montague, a professor of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and director of the institute’s Center for Human Neuroscience Resear...

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Discovery of New Class of Particles could take Quantum Mechanics One Step Further

Discovery of new of particles could take quantum mechanics one step further
Excitonic pairing and fractional quantum Hall effect in quantum Hall bilayer. Credit: Naiyuan J. Zhang et al,

Amid the many mysteries of quantum physics, subatomic particles don’t always follow the rules of the physical world. They can exist in two places at once, pass through solid barriers and even communicate across vast distances instantaneously. These behaviors may seem impossible, but in the quantum realm, scientists are exploring an array of properties once thought impossible.

In a new study, physicists at Brown University have now observed a novel class of quantum particles called fractional excitons, which behave in unexpected ways and could significantly expand scientists’ understanding of the quantum realm.

“Our findings point toward an entirely new class of quantum pa...

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Helical Magnetic Fields: A Universal Mechanism for Jet Collimation?

Results of the Rotation Measure analysis in the HH80-81 jet. The left image shows the streamline image of the component of the magnetic field parallel to the plane of the sky. In the middle panel, the color scale of the RM indicates the direction of the magnetic field along the line of sight, i.e., red, away from the observer, and blue, towards the observer. The right panel shows a scheme depicting the 3D configuration of the magnetic field, exhibiting a helical topology.
Credit: Rodríguez-Kamenetzky et al. 2025, The Astrophysical Journal.

New observations from the National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NSF NRAO) Karl G...

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These 11 Genes may help us Better Understand Forever Chemicals’ Effects on the Brain

A blue gloved hand places a small bottle of liquid into a laboratory machine.
A study led by the labs of University at Buffalo chemistry professors G. Ekin Atilla-Gokcumen and Diana Aga has uncovered some molecular clues about the neurotoxic effects of  per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, better known as forever chemicals. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki/University at Buffalo

Molecular clues about the neurotoxic effects of PFAS. A new study has identified 11 genes that may hold the key to understanding the brain’s response to these pervasive chemicals commonly found in everyday items.

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) earn their “forever chemical” moniker by persisting in water, soil and even the human brain.

This unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue makes PFAS particularly concerning, but t...

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