How does a robotic arm or a prosthetic hand learn a complex task like grasping and rotating a ball? In a paper in the journal Science Advances, researchers address the classic “nature versus nurture” It demonstrates that the sequence of learning, also known as the “curriculum,” is critical for learning to occur. In fact, the researchers note that if the curriculum takes place in a particular sequence, a simulated robotic hand can learn to manipulate with incomplete or even absent tactile sensation.

Female hormones can suppress pain by making immune cells near the spinal cord produce opioids, a new study from researchers at UC San Francisco has found. This stops pain signals before they get to the brain. 

The discovery could help with developing new treatments for chronic pain. It may also explain why some painkillers work better for women than men and why postmenopausal women experience more pain.