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The brain's characteristic folds appear to differ subtly in those with schizophrenia compared to those without the condition. Image: OsakaWayne Studios/Getty ImagesShareSchizophrenia might be among the most intensely studied mental illnesses. However, its causesand the way those causes manifest in the brainremain frustratingly elusive. A new study published February 26 in the American Journal of Psychiatry examines physical differences between the brains of people who experience schizophrenia and those who do not.Wolfgang Omlor, a study co-author and psychiatrist from the University of Zurich in Switzerland, tells Popular Science that while schizophrenia may have its own mechanisms shaping brain structure and function, these processes remain far from fully understood.To identify trends in physical features common to the brains of people with schizophrenia, Omlor and his team combed through data from the global Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) database covering 6,037 people. They saw two potential features: an increased uniformity of folding patterns in a part of the brain called the right caudal anterior cingulate region, and an increased variability in the thickness of the cerebral cortex.An immediate question is whether these features could contribute to causing schizophrenia, or whether theyre caused by the condition. Similarly, its not clear whether these features are innate, or develop over the course of a persons life. Omlor explains that because this study is comparing individuals already diagnosed with schizophrenia to controls, it cant address the question of causation.As far as whether these features are something with which a person is born, or whether they develop over the course of life, he says, Its likely a combination of both. Some features may be present from early development, while others can emerge later, influenced by factors like medication or chronic stress that reshape the brain through neuroplasticity.According to Omlor, cortical folding appears to fall into the category of features present from early development and is mostly established before birth and into early childhood. However, schizophrenia itself tends to manifest in late adolescence/early adulthood. This raises the possibility that these folding patterns represent some sort of predisposition to schizophrenia; whether or not this results in the onset of the actual condition, however, will depend on any number of other factors.The folding of cerebral tissue is one of the brains most distinctive features. In general, folding increases the brains surface area in limited space and is thought to influence how neurons connect, Omlor says. Subtle differences in the nature of the way that brain tissue is folded are also a feature of other conditions, although its difficult to identify what exact effect such differences have.Some neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., autism) also show altered cortical folding, he says. The implications of such differences arent fully understood, but the more uniform folding in schizophrenias anterior cingulate could point to a more constrained developmental process in that region.Exactly how these folding patterns might interact with the development and nature of the condition remains an open question, but Omlor theorizes that the uniform folding patterns may reflect a less flexible interplay between genes and environment at these earlier stages [of development].It certainly seems notable that the folds manifest in the right caudal anterior cingulate region, a part of the brain that integrates cognitive and emotional processes. However, a single role should not be given part of the brain.Brain regions generally work together in complex networks.So while we do see more uniform folding [in the right caudal anterior cingulate region]The studys second finding is a greater variability in cortical thickness in individuals with schizophrenia. As an example of how nothing related to the brain is ever simple, this isnt merely a question of people with schizophrenia having bigger or smaller cerebral cortices. Instead, one persons cortex might be thinner in some parts and thicker in others, while another might be just the oppositeso even though those two peoples cortices might have the same overall volume, their internal make-up might be quite different. In people with schizophrenia, there is a broader spread of such variation in thickness.The subtleties involved here reflect the fact that the brains dizzying complexity means its rarely possible to draw simple conclusions. Even in this case, where a basic interpretation might be that schizophrenia is linked to the volume of the cerebral cortex, the answer is not that straightforward.Greater variability of cortical thickness in schizophrenia reflects a broader range beyond a more or less pattern, underscoring the disorders complexity, says Omlor.However, it does appear possible to correlate these differences with the myriad ways in which schizophrenia presents.We also found that variations in specific brain regions correlate with schizophrenia symptom domains, suggesting these structural differences mirror the diverse presentations of the condition, Omlor says.Ultimately, one key takeaway from this study is that the way in which schizophrenia presents in a person is as unique as that person themselves. Similarly, it appears that theres no single way in which schizophrenia can be reflected in a persons brain. If anything, theres perhaps a set of regions in which the condition manifests, but the ways in which it can do so appear to be many and varied.Approaching schizophrenia in this individualistic manner isnt merely an abstract consideration. Instead, a better understanding of how and why the condition varies from person to person could guide more individualized precision-medicine efforts by recognizing these differences early on, clinicians and researchers can work toward treatments better suited to each persons unique profile, according to Omlor.

ShareJapans high-speed bullet trains are famous for speeding across the countrybut China wants to set a new world record for the fastest electric passenger rail. Prototype tests are reportedly underway on the nations upcoming line of CR450 trains, and according to the Ministry of Transport, they already can reach top test speeds as fast as 281 mph.The CR450 is the latest in Chinas line of Fuxing (Rejuvenation) electric trains, and is expected to run at around 248.5 mph, surpassing the current CR400 trains 217 mph operational speeds. For comparison, Japans Shinkansen electric trains typically max out at 186 mph, and while a modified version of Frances Train Grande Vitesse (TGV) maintains the world record for fastest wheeled train (357.2 mph), its standard version zips along at around 200 mph.The eight-car CR450 design relies on whats known as a water-cooled advanced permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) system that allows at least a 3 percent increase in energy conversion efficiency compared to previous models. Like all of Chinas other passenger rails, the trains will receive power through the countrys network of 25kV 50Hz AC overhead catenary lines. They will also feature a storage battery array capable of providing the CR450 with a 110V DC power source. Each train houses over 4,000 sensors to monitor all the crucial moving parts, including its fire detection systems, car body, emergency braking, and pantographthe roof-mounted device that converts electricity from catenary line to the train itself.A video provided by CCTV Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.While reducing the weight, we must ensure that its strength does not decrease, and we even need to increase its strength because of the higher speed, Chen Can, an associate researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS) Locomotive and Vehicle Research Institute, explained in the video. Its just like a person who wants to slim down while building strength. This involves structural changes and material innovations.As Interesting Engineering noted, the CR450 prototypes have so far passed static and low-speed dynamic tests for noise control, braking, and traction, with developers hoping to increase speeds over successive trial phases.The CR450 is expected to be delivered to China Railway by the end of the year, with a second line slated for 2027 that will run the 181 mi between the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing in under 50 minutes.

Humans lived under the leafy canopy of a West African rainforest by at least 150,000 years ago.Previously, the oldest secure evidence for humans living in African rainforests dated to about 18,000 years ago. The earliest human rainforest presence in the world had been placed at about 70,000 years ago in Southeast Asia.Now, new sediment analyses at Bt I, a site in the West African nation of Ivory Coast, indicate that people occupied wet tropical forests tens of thousands of years earlier, researchers report February 26 in Nature. The date and site location may help to explain how Homo sapiens evolved.A researcher holds one of the stone tools found at a site in the African nation of Ivory Coast that helped to uncover the oldest known human rainforest occupation.Jimbob Blinkhorn, MPGBt I was discovered in the early 1980s. Stone artifacts unearthed there from 1982 to 1993 include large implements suited for cutting fibrous plants and other tropical forest resources. In 2020, archaeologist and geochronologist Ben Arous and colleagues, including one of the sites original excavators, Francois Yod Gud, relocated the site.Their new investigation completed shortly before quarrying destroyed Bt I used two sediment dating methods to obtain an age estimate for the sites stone tools. Sediment samples contained pollen, plant remains and chemical remnants of plants waxy coating typical of humid, West African rainforests today. Dense woods resulted in low levels of grass pollen at the ancient site, the researchers report.Ancient rainforest pioneers served as ancestors of later Stone Age populations in Ivory Coasts rainforests and in coastal mangrove forests farther north in whats now Senegal, suspects Eleanor Scerri, Arous colleague at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena, Germany.The new findings also strengthen an argument that H. sapiens evolved roughly 300,000 years ago via mating among populations based in different African regions and habitats, including West Africas rainforests. Even around 150,000 years ago, when these groups coalesced, their exchanges shaped the course of our evolution and likely contributed to the success of our species, Scerri says.

Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08582-8The interplay between geometrical and spin chiralities in three-dimensional twisted magnetic ribbons can lead to new functionalities that could allow for innovative chiral spintronics.

Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08656-1Two new methods, target chromatin indexing and tagmentation (TACIT) and combined TACIT (CoTACIT), enabled single-cell profiling of the epigenome and lineage tracing from mouse zygotes to blastocysts.

Jill Elaine Hasday is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and the Centennial Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School. She teaches and writes about anti-discrimination law, constitutional law, family law, and legal history. After graduating from Yale Law School, she clerked for Judge Patricia M. Wald of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Hasday is the author of three books: Family Law Reimagined, Intimate Lies and the Law, and We the Men: How Forgetting Womens Struggles for Equality Perpetuates Inequality. Intimate Lies and the Law won the Scribes Book Award for the best work of legal scholarship published during the previous year and the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award for Family and Relationships. Hasdays articles have appeared in many leading law reviews. She spoke with SSRN about her work as an anti-discrimination scholar and how her new book encourages the fight for gender equality by remembering womens place in the history of law.Q: Tell me a little bit about your career path: why did you choose to study, teach, and write about subjects like anti-discrimination law, constitutional law, family law, and legal history specifically?A: I knew I wanted to be a law professor from the first time I learned that job existed. I love how teaching law gives me an opportunity to combine theory and practice. Law professors have the freedom to pursue questions without the pressure of representing clients who have immediate problems to address. But at the same time, teaching and writing about law requires you to be grounded in the reality of what is happening in the world.My specific interest in focusing on law and inequality emerged out of my own life experiences as a woman. I consider myself an anti-discrimination scholar and write from that perspective, whether I am discussing constitutional law, family law, legal history, or something else.Q: You have a new book coming next month (March 2025) called We the Men: How Forgetting Womens Struggles for Equality Perpetuates Inequality, the introduction for which is posted on SSRN. This book looks at the history of womens struggle for equality and emphasizes the importance of remembering womens stories more often and more accurately in order to encourage the work we still have left to do. What served as the catalyst for you writing this book? In other words, why now?A: With the 250th anniversary of the United States approaching in 2026, I felt that now was an especially good time to write a book that includes women at the center of American law and history. We the Men argues that excluding women from Americas dominant stories about itself is not only inaccurate but helps perpetuate inequality. I first began thinking about some of the ideas in the book when I was in law school. I was struck by how often the stories I heard in class treated mens lives as the ordinary baseline and womens lives as exceptions to either skip over or mention as footnotes. I thought: women are not an exception. We are half the population. Our experiences within and outside of the law are just as important as mens experiences.Q: For such a wide-reaching topic like this, Im sure there are many avenues you couldve taken when writing this book. How did the direction and structure of the book really take shape?A: After considering many possible alternatives, I decided that organizing the book into four parts would present my argument most crisply. The first two partsErasure and Distortionhighlight ways in which Americas dominant stories forget about women, whether by ignoring womens struggles for equality or by wildly exaggerating American progress. The third partConsequencesexamines how forgetting about women helps perpetuate womens inequality. The final partHopeexplores how Americans can learn from the past to change the future.Each part of the book alternates between a chapter on the courts and a chapter focused outside the courts. Although judges commonly present themselves as operating above the fray of politics and popular opinion, Americas dominant stories about women ricochet back and forth between judges, politicians, journalists, and other powerful Americans.Q: One of the things you argue for in the book is the need for more conflict over womens status, rather than less: this importance of conflict and agency rather than waiting around for spontaneous enlightenment on the part of men. What do you feel is the most productive form of this conflict, and at what level do you believe it is most effective?A: I wish there was one strategy that would work every time. In reality, the long history of womens struggles for equality makes clear that progress has always been difficult and always required multiple strategies, often sustained across generations. We are currently in an anti-feminist moment in American history. But this is not the first time that opponents of womens rights have blocked womens advances or reversed earlier victories. The key is to persist nonetheless.Q: That isnt the only book youve written. In 2019, you released Intimate Lies and the Law, which analyzes deception in intimate relationships and the hidden body of law that governs it. In this book, you suggest that one way the law could change to better protect those deceived is to afford them the same rights as people deceived in situations outside of intimacy: how difficult would it be to reform the law in such a way that this is possible? What are some of the current barriers to making this a reality?A: Intimate Lies and the Law argues that the legal system should treat deception in dating, sex, marriage, and family life more like deception outside of intimacy. Today, courts routinely tell deceived intimates that they cannot pursue suits for fraud or misrepresentation, even if they can establish all the ordinary elements of those claims. Under my approach, courts would begin with a rebuttable presumption that intimacy is not a bar to seeking ordinary legal remedies.Convincing courts to alter entrenched patterns is always difficult, but my book explains why I find the arguments defending the status quo unconvincing. For example, courts sometimes contend that providing redress for intimate deception would encourage deceived intimates to feel aggrieved when otherwise they would accept their lot. I have read hundreds of memoirs and interviews in addition to every case I could find. I can assure you that deceived intimates already know they are injured and already feel aggrieved. Moreover, to the extent that having the law take these injuries more seriously helps some people conclude that they deserve better than to be duped, I consider that an advance rather than a cause for concern.Q: In other talks youve given about this book, youve mentioned that at this point, nothing really surprises you anymore when it comes to deception but at the same time, you say that the point of your book isnt for us to believe deception is everywhere, all the time. How do you suggest that people balance the desire to believe people are completely trustworthy, while still protecting themselves from deception?A: No form of intimate deception surprises me anymore, and some deceit I have even come to expect. On any given Saturday night, there are probably more male bar patrons falsely claiming to be Navy SEALs than have ever served in the SEALs in all of American history. An internet search to confirm someones background can sometimes save you a lot of heartache. That said, I would never recommend going through life assuming the worst. How can you form intimate bonds if your first thought when someone declares their love is to suspect a scam? One reason I want the law to provide more remedies for intimate deception is that it is unrealistic, unfair, and often counterproductive to expect people to protect themselves.Q: Are there any papers of yours on SSRN that you are particularly interested in or encourage people to check out?A: I would like to highlight one of my articles, Fighting Women: The Military, Sex, and Extrajudicial Constitutional Change. When the Supreme Court in Rostker v. Goldberg (1981) upheld the constitutionality of male-only military registration, the Courts reasoning relied on the militarys longstanding policy of excluding women from combat. My 2008 article argued that Rostkers foundations were increasingly shaky as the military was opening more combat positions to women. That has become even more true since January 2016, when the military ended all sex-based combat exclusions. Congress convened a commission to study the issue, and I testified in 2019 to explain why excluding women from military registration is unconstitutional. But male-only military registration persists.Equal responsibilities and equal rights are inextricably intertwined. The absence of one makes the other less likely.Q: How do you see SSRN as fitting into the broader legal research and scholarship landscape?A: I am grateful that SSRN provides an opportunity to distribute papers and receive feedback before work is officially published. In addition, I appreciate SSRNs reach. SSRN is free and open to the public, and it crosses disciplinary boundaries. One of the reasons I began writing books is because I am eager to connect with audiences outside of the law. SSRN also helps me reach that wider audience.You can see more work by Jill Hasday on her SSRN Author page here

A stunning "parade of planets" will grace the night sky this week, with all seven of Earth's celestial neighbors joining the show. Here's how to spot it and why it happens.

A new study has revealed that "hug of death" megaraptorids and previously unknown carcharodontosaurs shared Australia's unique Antarctic dinosaur ecosystem during the Cretaceous.

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