Matilda's Lab

The flexible brain: How circuit excitability and plasticity shift across the day Did you know your brain might be more receptive to learning new things depending on the time of day? This study examined how a 24-hour cycle alters brain plasticity and neuronal excitability in rats.

They say that insanity is repeating the same process but expecting different results. When it comes to the brain, that's just another day at the office.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Saturn’s icy moon may host a stable ocean fit for life, study finds New findings from NASA’s Cassini mission show that Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons and a top contender for extra-terrestrial life, is losing heat from both poles – indicating that i...

Is there life on Enceladus, in orbit around Saturn? The supporting evidence continues to get stronger.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Green space to fewer hospitalizations for mental health Higher levels of greenness are associated with lower risks of hospital admissions for mental disorders, finds an analysis of data from seven countries over two decades. Local greenness was associated ...

Green spaces lower mental health hospital admissions, especially in cities.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Matilda's Lab Newsletter #99 This week... Halloween. So naturally we have a Devil Bee and a cosmic bat, non-devil bees that read morse code, gesture language, how to spot AI generated faces and shouting at seagulls, for science.

Noosletter time!
This week... Halloween. So naturally we have a Devil Bee and a cosmic bat, non-devil bees that read morse code, gesture language, how to spot AI generated faces and shouting at seagulls, for science.
open.substack.com/pub/matildas...

The map of life has been a little neglected recently as I've been swamped with other things recently. I've dropped 2 new rays into the mix now.
The full map is still here: matildaslab.wordpress.com/map-of-life/
#scicomm #sciart #evolution #sharks #rays

Universe's expansion 'is now slowing, not speeding up' The universe's expansion may actually have started to slow rather than accelerating at an ever-increasing rate as previously thought, a new study suggests. "Remarkable" findings publishe...

A shrinking universe? It was a surprise when scientists learnt that the expansion of the universe was speeding up, not slowing down. It's even more surprising to see this new study which says that the growth may now be decelerating!
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Want to be more persuasive? Talk with your hands, UBC study finds A new UBC study finds that purposeful hand gestures can boost persuasiveness and perceived competence.

Persuasion is in your hands. Making your monologue multimedia through the employment of your upper limbs can help you get your message across.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Groundbreaking review reveals how gut microbiota influences sleep disorders through the brain-gut axis A comprehensive review published in Brain Medicine demonstrates that disruptions in gut microbiota composition are closely linked to sleep disturbances across multiple disorders, including insomnia, o...

Is there any aspect of our life that is not influenced by the microbes that live within us? It's now clear that the microbiome is linked to sleep disorders.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

A new pink sea anemone that “builds a home” for hermit crabs discovered off Japan’s deep-sea coast Researchers from Kumamoto University and collaborating institutions have discovered a new species of deep-sea sea anemone that builds shell-like “homes” for hermit crabs — an extraor...

An anemone for a crab, a hermit crab. When one animal evolves into an accessory for another it creates a beautiful synbiosis.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Persuasion in the brain. If you want to resonate with people, you need to make them anticipate a reward or make them empathise with someone else.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Making adults work like kids. When faced with constant distraction, the grown-up working memory takes a hit.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Can bamboo help solve the plastic pollution crisis? A new research perspective highlights bamboo as a promising and sustainable alternative to traditional plastic materials, offering fresh hope in tackling one of the most pressing environmental issues ...

Bamboo to the rescue as a potential alternative to plastic.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Non voters are statistically more likely to be dying. It means that we can't blame our current political woes on the recently departed.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Idris Elba & Idris Elba Matilda’s Lab ©2021.

Today's featured blog post. Technically, this is a coincidence and the wasp is not actually named after the actor: if it were, it would have to be called "elbai".
matildaslab.wordpress.com/2021/09/16/i...
#scicomm #idriselba

When speaking out feels risky Arizona State University and University of Michigan researchers have developed a model showing how fear, boldness and surveillance interact to shape when people choose to speak up or stay silent.

Self censorship. Our ability to hold our tongue is proportional to the potential penalties for transgression.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Bias leads us to fake news, on both sides of the political spectrum
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Mad scientists aren't putting kids off
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Dick Cheney & Agathidium cheneyi 3 members of the Agathidium genus were named after members of the bush administration in 2005 & Cheney made the cut.

I'd had this one ready to go for a while. Sometimes the universe tells you when it's time to publish.
matildaslab.wordpress.com/2025/11/07/d...
#scicomm #dickcheney

Are we living in the Matrix?
A new study concludes that...

No, we are not.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Electric vehicles outperform gasoline cars in lifetime environmental impact After two years of use, lithium-ion battery electric vehicles (BEVs) result in a reduction in cumulative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions compared to fossil-based internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicl...

There has been some uncertainty about the offset of making an electrical vehicle and running one and whether they are actually more environmentally friendly than conventional ones.
It turns out that they are.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Microbes that control mammalian cell growth
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Matilda’s Lab Hall of Fame: Oti Mabuse Who is she? She is a dancer, a champion of Latin American. She is best known for being a professional dancer on the TV show Strictly Come Dancing a show that she has won twice; once with fellow Hal…

I don't know how well this one will travel internationally, but for those in the UK, it's timely that this came up in the middle of a series of Strictly.
matildaslab.wordpress.com/2021/09/15/m...
#scicomm #StrictlyComeDancing

The patience of the contented
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Henry Rollins & Amphinema rollinsi Matilda’s Lab ©2021.

Today's featured blog post. A man of rock, a "fish" of jelly.
matildaslab.wordpress.com/2021/09/10/h...
#scicomm

Stories inform how we deal with pain, and they still carry outdated gender stereotypes.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Scientists develop floral-scented fungus that lures mosquitoes to their doom University of Maryland entomologist Raymond St. Leger helped develop a new strain of fungus that mimics flowers to attract and kill mosquitoes, offering a new weapon in the right against disease-carry...

Mosquito killing siren fungus
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Scientists identify potential climate solutions in “grassy trees” Bamboo, palm, and banana trees look and act like trees, but are actually closer to grasses in how they grow because—unlike trees—their stems do not grow wider over time. A new analysi...

Grassy trees, like bamboo, palm and banana appear to be super players in ecosystem recovery.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Touching nature soothes the mind
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews

Matilda's Lab Newsletter #98 This week, we celebrate a significant anniversary. We have a living mushroom computer, real-life Spiderman gloves, the medicinal power of music and dance, rational chimps and do we live in the Matrix?

Happy Halloween! But more importantly, it's newsletter day.
This week, we celebrate a significant anniversary. We have a living mushroom computer, real-life Spiderman gloves, the medicinal power of music and dance, rational chimps and do we live in the Matrix?
open.substack.com/pub/matildas...

Rainforest animals are using tourist walkways—offering clues for conservation design Look up in the woods and you may see a familiar sight: squirrels using tree limbs like a leafy highway, crossing a patch of land without putting their paws on the ground. That’s true in the Ama...

You know who loves tourist forest canopy walkways? Resident forest canopy animals.
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#sciencenews