A new study reveals that financial and supply network interactions amplify bank shocks' effects on the economy by nearly 50%. Shocks travel both downstream to customers and upstream to suppliers, contributing significantly to aggregate GDP impact.
A new study by researchers at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca analyzed over 3,700 reports of dream and waking experiences to understand what determines the content of dreams. The findings show that both individual characteristics and shared life experiences play a key role in shaping dream content.
Researchers found that vivid dreaming helps sustain deep sleep perception across the night, offering a new perspective on what shapes our perception of sleep depth. The quality of dreams, especially immersiveness, appears crucial in interpreting brain activity during sleep.
Studies show that a significant portion of survey responses can be false or fraudulent, while AI agents can complete polls with little supervision. To address this issue, researchers propose analyzing response patterns, vetted survey panels, and design tasks that exploit human reasoning weaknesses.
A new study by IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca analyzed the effects of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement on irregular migration and mortality in the Mediterranean. The research found that the deal led to a surge in lives lost at sea, particularly on the Central Mediterranean route, with nearly double the death rate after the agreement.
A study published in Communications Psychology found that dream recall is influenced by individual characteristics and external factors, including positive attitude toward dreams, mind-wandering tendency, and sleep patterns. Younger participants showed higher rates of dream recall, while older individuals experienced 'white dreams.'
A study published in PNAS found that prolonged mental fatigue can lead to a decrease in self-control, causing individuals to behave more aggressively. The researchers discovered that areas of the frontal cortex dedicated to executive functions showed sleep-like activity when subjects were subjected to demanding mental tasks.
Researchers found termites use humidity to guide their nest-building activity, not relying on pheromones. The study used artificial structures with varying heights and shapes, tracking termite behavior and correlating it with changes in the 3D structure.
A study published in Science Advances reveals that emotions are represented in the brain through a distributed network encompassing sensory, prefrontal, and temporal areas. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex emerges as a key locus for storing an abstract representation of emotions.
Researchers found that temporary blindness caused by occluding one eye for two hours led to increased sensitivity to auditory input when the other eye was monitored. The brain's neural response to sound was selectively enhanced, indicating a high degree of plasticity and interdependence between senses.
Research analyzing over 46,000 participants in 68 countries reveals that left-wing individuals are more likely to donate globally and show universalistic generosity, whereas right-leaning people focus on donating to their own country. The study also found that the quality of governance plays a significant role in shaping these behaviors.
A new study by Italian neuroscientists found that blind and deaf individuals' brains possess an innate functional architecture for integrating sensory information. This suggests that brain architecture can develop independently from sensory experience, adding weight to the 'nature versus nurture' debate.
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected biomedical research, with a significant shift in priorities towards COVID-19-related studies. Publications and clinical trials in non-COVID fields decreased by up to 25%, while COVID-19-related research saw a surge in publications and grants.
A recent study published in iScience found that congenitally blind individuals and normal sighted people are equally good at discriminating between sounds. However, those who lost sight later in life had more difficulties with tasks requiring detailed auditory processing, suggesting an adaptation to the new condition.
A new study proposes prioritizing COVID-19 vaccination for essential workers, the unemployed, and those at high unemployment risk to facilitate return to work and reduce future job losses. The study found that lockdowns reduced excess mortality but also increased unemployment risk.
A new study analyzed Italian firms' Twitter conversations during the pandemic, revealing a focus on environmental sustainability and digital transformation. The research highlights the importance of corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement on these themes.
Researchers apply statistical physics principles to analyze financial systems as complex networks, shedding light on early warning signals of crises and interbank linkages. Network theory reveals the impact of heterogeneity on risk propagation and systemic instability.
A new study reveals that posts revealing concern for 'pneumonia' circulated early on Twitter, indicating social media's potential to detect emerging health threats. The analysis of Twitter data shows a statistically significant increase in mentions of pneumonia and dry cough before the official announcement of COVID-19 cases.
A new study on rare 'split brain' patients demonstrates that NREM-sleep slow waves propagate in the human brain through cortical anatomical connections, contradicting common beliefs about sleep as a uniform state. The research found that each area of the brain may produce its own
Researchers at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca found that transcendental meditation reduces anxiety and stress levels. The study used fMRI to measure brain activity and connectivity in healthy young volunteers who practiced TM for three months.
A study by IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca found that a specific region of the right temporo-parietal junction can represent various affective states. The researchers used fMRI data and found smooth transitions in this region, which allows the brain to map emotions in a single patch of cortex.