A Modified Psychedelic Toad Toxin Reduces Signs of Depression and Anxiety in Mice, Study Suggests
Colorado River toads produce a psychoactive toxin that some have claimed has medical benefits. The new research suggests these benefits could be achieved without hallucinations
Are Days Passing Too Quickly? Memorable Experiences Might Help Dilate Your Sense of Time, Research Suggests
How we process time is linked to things we see, according to a new study, which found memorable, non-cluttered imagery can make moments seem to last longer
Why Do Some People Always Get Lost?
Research suggests that experience may matter more than innate ability when it comes to a sense of direction
Male Bonobos, Close Human Relatives Long Thought to Be Peaceful, Are Actually Quite Aggressive, Study Suggests
The new research found bonobos were three times more likely than chimpanzees to commit an act of physical aggression
Why Do We Want to Squish and Squeeze Things That Are Cute? Science Has the Answer
The response dubbed “cute aggression” by researchers is the brain’s attempt to self-regulate when confronted with intense emotion
Can Snakes Recognize Themselves? One Species Has Passed a Modified ‘Mirror Test’ Based on Smell
Eastern garter snakes might recognize their own scents, suggesting the reptiles are more cognitively complex than thought, according to a new study
This Extremely Rare Neurological Condition Makes Faces Appear Distorted or ‘Like a Demon’
For the first time, scientists have recreated what one patient suffering from prosopometamorphopsia, or PMO, sees when he looks at faces
World War II ‘Rumor Clinics’ Helped America Battle Wild Gossip
Newspapers and magazines across the United States published weekly columns debunking lurid claims that were detrimental to the war effort
Great Apes Love to Tease, Poke and Pester, Suggesting the Urge to Annoy Is Millions of Years Old
The desire to get a rise out of others is a 13-million-year-old trait humans and great apes share with a common ancestor, new research suggests
What We’ve Learned Through Sports Psychology Research
Scientists are probing the head games that influence athletic performance, from coaching to coping with pressure
A Lesser-Known Psychedelic Drug Shows Promise for PTSD Treatment
Ibogaine, derived from a central African shrub, has been used in rituals for two millennia. But in a small study, it appeared to reduce symptoms of PTSD among veterans
Sniffing Women’s Tears May Reduce Aggression in Men, Study Finds
The findings, which may extend to all humans, suggest emotional tears might serve an evolutionary purpose
The Books We Loved
Smithsonian editors choose their favorite (mostly) nonfiction of (mostly) 2023
Chimpanzees and Bonobos May Remember Faces for More Than 20 Years
The great apes, which are humans’ closest living relatives, appeared to recognize photos of their former acquaintances in a study, even decades later
Are Psychedelics the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment?
The drugs have been shown to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms and make individuals more flexible in their thinking
Roosters May Recognize Their Reflections in Mirrors, Study Suggests
The findings demonstrate self-recognition could be more common among animals than previously thought
This Pioneering Black Zoologist’s Insights Were a Century Ahead of Their Time
Charles Henry Turner conducted trailblazing research on the cognitive traits of bees, spiders and more
Can Psychopathic Tendencies Help You Achieve Success?
New research is reframing this often sensationalized and maligned set of traits and finding some positive twists
Does Playing Games With Spiders Reduce Arachnophobia?
An anthropologist ponders whether a children’s pastime in the Philippines, pitting the creatures against each other in wrestling matches, decreases fear
We Can Hear Silence Like a Sound, Scientists Say
In a study, participants were tricked by “silence illusions” in the same way that illusions with sound fool the brain
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