the Max Planck Institute for Human Development

What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?

We’ve all been there. You walk upstairs only to find yourself wondering why you bothered. You blank on an acquaintance’s name, just as you’re introducing them.

The Biggest Tell That Something Was Written By AI

Thirty years at El Mirón cave uncover 40,000 years of Iberian prehistory

Thirty years at El Mirón cave uncover 40,000 years of Iberian prehistory Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor For the past three decades, a team of archaeologists have been uncovering some of the field's most recent monumental discoveries, relying on gut instinct, persistent hard work, and cutting-edge methods and technologies. The El Mirón Cave excavation project has been a long-term commitment for the lead researchers, fueled by each new discovery and a continued...

Children's motivation and attitudes towards learning play a key role in academic success, study finds

Children's motivation and attitudes towards learning play a key role in academic success, study finds Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor A major new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London has revealed that noncognitive skills—such as motivation, curiosity, academic interest and self-belief—play a key role in translating children's genetic dispositions into academic achievement. Published in Nature Communications, the research provides new insight into...

Great apes: What we know about their cognition, cooperation and curiosity after two decades of research

Great apes: What we know about their cognition, cooperation and curiosity after two decades of research Robert Egan Associate Editor Leipzig Zoo in central Germany is a world-leading center of great ape research. Recent studies have seen chimpanzees there using touchscreen controls to navigate virtual forests and locate food rewards—applying similar techniques to what they would use in the wild. Other research (of which I was part) has investigated chimpanzees' social curiosity.

Scientists mapped every neural connection in a fruit fly and found a surprise

Scientists mapped every neural connection in a fruit fly and found a surprise Scientists have completed the first full brain-to-body wiring map of a fruit fly, revealing that behavior may be driven more by local neural teamwork than by a central brain command center. - Date: - June 10, 2026 - Source: - Harvard Medical School - Summary: - A groundbreaking new connectome maps every neural connection in an adult fruit fly’s central nervous system, creating an unprecedented view of how the brain...