A study published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience found that social exclusion activates the same brain circuits responsible for physical pain. The research used real people in videos to simulate social exclusion and physical pain, revealing activation of the posterior insular cortex in both conditions.
Researchers at SISSA have developed a mathematical model of protein synthesis, revealing that the process is more stochastic than previously thought. This new understanding sheds light on the random component influencing protein translation times, which can affect the efficiency of the process.
Researchers found a functional distinction between social groups, which are processed separately from animate and inanimate objects. The study used patients with dementia to demonstrate the double dissociation of these functions.
Researchers at SISSA investigated the structural elements of prion proteins, finding that misfolding originates in the N-terminal region. This knowledge is crucial for developing drugs and therapeutic strategies against diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Researchers exploited the Kondo effect in molecules to change conductance between electrodes. The phenomenon allows for an increase in electrical resistance at low temperatures but can be reversed at small size scales.
A research team led by Mathew Diamond found that rats have a 'working memory' system, conceptually similar to humans', which enables them to recognize and interact with environmental stimuli.
A team of researchers used virtual reality to conduct experiments on moral dilemmas, finding that subjects were more likely to choose a utilitarian approach when faced with immediate consequences, rather than adhering to deontological principles.
A systematic review presents the state of the art in investigating the existence of grains in space-time, which could lead to violations of special relativity. Physicists have devised methods to test these deviations using high-energy astrophysics phenomena.
Patients with Parkinson's disease struggle to recognize emotions in facial expressions and speech prosody. After surgery for deep brain stimulation, they show difficulty recognizing disgust and sadness, but this impairment is only temporary.
Researchers observed 'dissipation' peaks in NbSe2 due to frictional force, related to charge density waves. Their theoretical model reproduces experimental data, shedding light on nanofriction mechanisms underlying energy losses.
Researchers identified weak points in capsids and inferred spontaneous assembly processes, discovering each shell is made of protein 'tiles' that spontaneously join up like Lego pieces.
A study investigates how athletes' high-level motor expertise affects the brain's understanding of actions. The research reveals that expert subjects showed a modulating effect on motor activity in response to positive but impossible commands.
Researchers studied the release of genetic material from viral capsids into host cell nuclei, finding that highly ordered DNA strands exit faster than tangled ones. The study's findings have implications for designing artificial viral vectors and understanding complete DNA stalling in experiments.
Researchers at SISSA have identified a key mechanism by which riboswitches regulate gene expression in bacteria. By using computer simulations to model the dynamics of the process, they found that binding to a metabolite molecule stabilizes the active form of the riboswitch, triggering protein synthesis.
Research by neuroscientists at SISSA found that adults' preference for their native language's word order affects language learnability. Infants as young as 8-month-old prefer artificial languages mirroring their native structure, while adults tend to stick to their native scheme.
According to a new hypothesis, black holes may have distinct features, dubbed 'hair', which are influenced by the surrounding matter. This concept contradicts the traditional 'bald' model proposed by Roy Kerr in 1963.
A study by Davide Zoccolan and colleagues found that the anterior inferotemporal cortex (IT) categorizes objects based on visual similarity, except for four-legged animals which are represented by semantic meaning. The IT retains a 'raw' lower-level coding of object properties like color and size.
Researchers at SISSA uncover inconsistencies in the dependence of the linguistic system on the motor one, with damage to specific brain regions affecting gesture imitation but not language processing. The study employs voxel-based lesion symptom mapping to establish a link between brain damage and performance decline.
Researchers at SISSA have developed a circuit simulating the ferromagnetic Kondo effect, a phenomenon linked to spin of metal electrons. The team predicts this effect can be observed with sufficient low temperature, which would change material properties like resistivity.
Scientists have discovered that knots tend to form at the ends of polymers, where they are frequent yet ephemeral. Once formed, knots move along the chain in a seemingly casual manner before disappearing or forming slip-knots/pseudo-knots at the center.
Scientists have simulated the sliding of 'cold ions' on a substrate, discovering that it transitions from smooth to stick-slip regime based on hole depth and chain inhomogeneity. This study contributes to understanding friction at every scale, with implications for nanotechnology development.
Researchers at SISSA have devised a trick to speed up the analysis of protein dynamics using computer simulations. By exploiting experimental data and mathematical rules, they reduce simulation times by an order of magnitude, allowing for faster research in this field.
Researchers have created a numeric model of the chromosome that supports experimental data and provides a hypothesis on the bundle's function. The model identifies regions with specific genes, contradicting the chaotic view of the chromosome as a randomly entangled thread.
Researchers at SISSA have simulated a catalyst that mimics nature's process of producing 'green' fuel from sunlight. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses Ru4-POM to oxidize water and produce hydrogen, paving the way for cost-effective and efficient energy storage.
Researchers explore nano-channels to selectively unknnot DNA, with potential applications in sequencing and understanding cell metabolism. The study reveals varying channel widths can drastically change DNA knot complexity.
Researchers discovered that all individuals are social climbers, as they seek to enhance their social importance through connections with central nodes. In hierarchical societies, this inclination leads to a clear identification of central nodes, resulting in an increasing number of social climbers.
A new compound, diisopropylammonium bromide (DIPAB), has been created as a ferroelectric material with low environmental impact and economical benefits. It can be processed easily from aqueous solution and may replace traditional materials in the production of electronic devices.
A study published in Nature has shown that non-coding antisense RNA can stimulate protein production by acting as a 'lock' for coding RNA, enabling the action of a stimulatory sequence to promote protein synthesis.