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41 articles from ScienceDaily

Beyond dopamine: New reward circuitry discovered

The key to overcoming addictions and psychiatric disorders lives deep inside the netherworld of our brains and the circuitry that causes us to feel good. Just like space, this region of the brain needs more exploration. Researchers have now pushed the science forward on our reward pathways and found there is another pathway beyond dopamine.

Having MS plus depression may be tied to increased risk of early death

Depression is common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and a new study shows that people with both conditions may be more likely to die over the next decade than people with just one or neither condition. The study also found that people with MS and depression have an increased risk of developing vascular disease such as heart attack and stroke.

Nasal cartilage relieves osteoarthritis in the knee

Cartilage cells from the nasal septum can not only help repair cartilage injuries in the knee -- according to researchers, they can also withstand the chronic inflammatory tissue environment in osteoarthritis and even counteract the inflammation.

Bionic arm restores natural behaviors in patients with upper limb amputations

Researchers have engineered a bionic arm for patients with upper-limb amputations that allows wearers to think, behave and function like a person without an amputation, according to new findings. The bionic system combines three important functions - intuitive motor control, touch and grip kinesthesia, the intuitive feeling of opening and closing the hand.

Deadwood in the global carbon cycle

The speed at which deadwood decomposes in forests depends on the climate as well as on fungi and insects. An international research team has now determined the annual contribution made by deadwood to the global carbon cycle and quantified the importance of insects in the decomposition of wood.

Step by step to the end product through enzyme catalysis

The production of the sugar trehalose, which is used as a functional food and an additive in pharmaceutical products or in cosmetics, is a team effort for enzymes: One takes care of the construction of an energy-rich intermediate product (UDP-glucose), from which the second then makes trehalose. Flow catalysis makes the cooperation possible, even though enzyme number one works at room temperature,...

Study shows a whale of a difference between songs of birds and humpbacks

These findings challenge the results of past studies that vocal variations in humpback whale songs provide information about a singer's reproductive fitness. Instead, the morphing appears to reveal the precise locations and movements of singers from long distances and may enhance the effectiveness of song parts as sonar signals.

When walked on, these wooden floors harvest enough energy to turn on a lightbulb

Researchers are tapping into an unexpected energy source right under our feet: wooden floorings. Their nanogenerator enables wood to generate energy from our footfalls. They also improved the wood used in the their nanogenerator with a combination of a silicone coating and embedded nanocrystals, resulting in a device that was 80 times more efficient -- enough to power LED lightbulbs and small...

Prehistoric climate change repeatedly channelled human migrations across Arabia

Researchers have discovered archaeological sites in the Nefud Desert of Saudi Arabia associated with the remains of ancient lakes formed when periods of increased rainfall transformed the region into grassland. The researchers found that early humans spread into the region during each 'Green Arabia' phase, each bringing a different kind of material culture. The new research establishes northern...