A new kind of brain wave has been discovered that specifically rotates over space and time, relies on a circular anatomical circuit in the sensory cortex, and impacts activity across the brain. The findings were made in mouse studies. Scientists hope to learn whether these rotating traveling waves play a global role in sensing and interpreting internal and external stimuli, in laying down memory, and in managing motor performance. The researchers have yet to determine if rotating traveling waves are coordinated globally to the same extent in other species, including humans, as they are in mice.  

A study by a team of NYU mathematicians reveals that flocks and schools behave in ways that are similar to a soft crystalline material, with individual birds and fish serving as “atoms” that are evenly spaced in a lattice-like formation. The findings offer detailed insights into the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic interactions crucial in aerospace and automotive engineering, robotics, and energy harvesting.

Scientists analyzed more than 350 over-the-counter probiotics sold at the three largest pharmacy chains in the United States. Here's what they found.

A new “electronic nose” developed at UC Berkeley can detect the scents associated with spoiled food much more accurately than the human nose. It can also sniff out the presence of common food allergens, like walnuts and peanuts, which can be deadly for those with sensitivities.

Study used lower-limb exoskeletons to facilitate therapist-patient interactions while performing functional tasks. Therapist’s and stroke survivor’s exoskeletons were virtually connected at the hips and knees. Patients reported high levels of motivation and enjoyment from new therapy.

Materials engineers have developed the ability to manipulate structure and matter at the nanoscale for solid-state alloys called intermetallics, making it possible to alter their properties for extra performance characteristics.

For years, pest control professionals throughout the Northeast have reported a troubling pattern. In some neighborhoods, rodents seemed increasingly more difficult to eliminate, even when standard control methods were used. Now researchers at Rutgers University believe they may know one reason why.

A study found that 84% of house mice sampled from urban areas in the Northeast carried at least one genetic mutation linked to rodenticide resistance, suggesting many mouse populations may be evolving ways to survive the poisons commonly used to control them. The research was published in the international journal Pest Management Science.

Physicists have long wondered whether the fundamental laws of nature contain freely adjustable external “dials.” A researcher at Kyushu University and collaborators have shown, under certain assumptions, that continuous parameters in conformal field theories can be generated by operators within the theory itself. The findings support Einstein’s idea that apparent free parameters in quantum gravity should be explained by dynamical fields rather than chosen externally.