Hacker News
- Apple's Safari browser is still vulnerable to Spectre attacks https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2023-10-26-security-gap-apples-safari-browser-still-vulnerable-spectre-attacks 7 comments
- Associative learning. Research found that primary school children outperform all other age groups in the ability to make the connection between an event and its consequences. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2025-02-27-associative-learning-primary-school-children-outperform-all-other-age-groups 9 comments science
- Research revealed the prevalence of fake social media accounts using AI-generated images and their involvement with the spread of misinformation online. More than half of the accounts with fake images were first created in 2023; in some cases, hundreds of accounts were set up in a matter of hours https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2024-11-06-it-security-how-common-are-fake-profile-pictures-twitter 23 comments science
- A person's facial expression gives us important clues about their emotions, but it's rare for people to read emotions just from someone's face. We also rely on a bunch of other traits and background knowledge to gauge someone's feelings https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2024-10-11-philosophy-emotions-how-do-we-recognize-other-peoples-emotions 17 comments science
- Simple and reliable early prediction of diabetes: research has shown that a mathematical calculation based on just two values taken from a blood sample enables the reliable and inexpensive diagnosis of diabetes at an early stage https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2024-01-19-medicine-simple-and-reliable-early-prediction-diabetes 10 comments science
- You won’t find another place that makes it as easy to compare yourself with others as social media. Social media provides people with a materialistic mindset with ideal opportunities to compare themselves with others, which stresses them out and, ultimately, leads to low life satisfaction. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2024-01-19-psychology-how-does-materialism-social-media-trigger-stress-and-unhappiness 20 comments science
- Exposure therapy for a specific fear can also help reduce other fears, finds a new study of 50 people with a fear of spiders and heights. Although they were only treated for the fear of spiders, the fear of heights was likewise reduced in the process. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2024-01-10-psychology-therapy-against-spider-fear-can-also-reduce-fear-heights 9 comments science
- At which age are we at our happiest? A meta-analysis of a total of 460,902 participants showed that life satisfaction decreased from age 9 to 16, increased slightly until age 70, and then decreased again until age 96. Overall, the study indicated a positive trend over a wide period of life. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2023-09-19-psychology-which-age-we-are-our-happiest 68 comments science
- Early Alzheimer’s detection up to 17 years in advance https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2022-07-21-biology-early-alzheimers-detection-17-years-advance 9 comments upliftingnews
- Early Alzheimer’s detection up to 17 years in advance. A sensor identifies misfolded protein biomarkers in the blood. This offers a chance to detect Alzheimer's disease before any symptoms occur. Researchers intend to bring it to market maturity. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2022-07-21-biology-early-alzheimers-detection-17-years-advance 1519 comments science
- Hepatitis E virus is highly resistant to alcohol-based disinfectants. The alcoholic components dissolve the lipid envelope, but the resulting "naked" viruses are still infectious. The decisive advantage was a product that contains phosphoric acid as well as alcohol. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2022-02-01-virology-hard-break-down 15 comments science
- Why people deceive themselves. Researchers found self-deception can stabilize the self-image, established ways of thinking and motivation to act in normal times, but becomes detrimental in times of crisis that require radical rethinking and new ways of acting https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2022-01-07-philosophy-why-people-deceive-themselves 33 comments science
- Consciousness in humans, animals and artificial intelligence. The new concept describes consciousness as a state that is tied to complex cognitive operations – and not as a passive basic state that automatically prevails when we are awake. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2021-12-20-psychology-consciousness-humans-animals-and-artificial-intelligence 50 comments science
- Study: Birds and monkeys—despite their different brain architecture—share the same central mechanisms and limits of working memory. The similarities between the distantly related bird and mammalian species confirm pre-existing core ideas about the limits of working memory. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2021-12-17-cognitive-neuroscience-limited-brain-capacity-humans-and-birds 3 comments science
- In almost all countries, a research team found a link between not using television as a source of information and refusing vaccination. In Poland, Sweden and the USA, the use of social media as a source of information contributed to people being more likely to reject vaccination. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2021-12-07-coronavirus-which-factors-determine-whether-person-decides-get-vaccinated 118 comments science
- New type of earthquake discovered by a Canadian-German research team. Unlike conventional earthquakes of the same magnitude, they are slower and last longer. The events are a new type of induced earthquake that have been triggered by hydraulic fracturing, a method used for oil and gas extraction. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2021-12-06-geoscience-new-type-earthquake-discovered 148 comments science
- Flashlight fish have the ability to generate situation-specific blink patterns resembling a visual Morse code. Researchers have shown in laboratory and field experiments that the animals use these light signals to coordinate their behaviour in the school when visibility is limited. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2021-03-19-biology-how-flashlight-fish-communicate-light-signals-school 3 comments science
- Designer cytokine makes paralyzed mice walk again. Using gene therapy, a research team has succeeded for the first time in getting mice to walk again after a complete cross-sectional injury. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2021-01-15-paraplegia-designer-cytokine-makes-paralyzed-mice-walk-again 251 comments science
- New study: If and how babies recall what they have learned depends on their mood: what they’ve learned when feeling calm is inaccessible when they’re acitive and vice versa. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2020-08-21-developmental-psychology-why-babies-not-always-remember-what-they-have-learned 64 comments science
- Sars-Cov-2 viruses can be inactivated using certain commercially available mouthwashes. All of the tested preparations reduced the initial virus titer. Three mouthwashes reduced it to such an extent that no virus could be detected after an exposure time of 30 seconds. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2020-08-10-virology-mouthwashes-could-reduce-risk-coronavirus-transmission 227 comments science
- A protein (LY6E-Protein) produced by the human immune system can strongly inhibit corona viruses, including Sars-Cov-2, the pathogen causing Covid-19. “This finding might lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches against coronaviruses.” https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2020-07-28-virology-immunoprotein-impairs-sars-cov-2 4 comments science
- How playing the drums changes the brain. People who play drums regularly for years differ from unmusical people in their brain structure and function. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2019-12-09-neuroscience-how-playing-drums-changes-brain 21 comments science
- An international research team has used nanoparticles to convert carbon dioxide into valuable raw materials. The chemists used carbon dioxide to produce ethanol and propanol, which are common raw materials for the chemical industry. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2019-09-27-inspired-nature-converting-co2-valuable-resources-help-nanoparticles 8 comments science
- The brains of people with excellent general knowledge are particularly efficiently wired, finds a new study by neuroscientists using a special form of MRI, which found that people with a very efficient fibre network had more general knowledge than those with less efficient structural networking. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2019-07-31-neuroscience-what-brains-people-excellent-general-knowledge-look 1675 comments science
- Procrastinators and doers may differ genetically, suggests a new study, which found that in women, the trait to postpone action is associated with a genetic predisposition towards a higher level of dopamine in the brain, linked to increased cognitive flexibility but also increased distractibility. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2019-07-11-neuroscience-how-procrastinators-and-doers-differ-genetically 4 comments science
- Early-stage detection of Alzheimer’s in the blood: Using a simple blood test, the disease can be detected approximately eight years before the first clinical symptoms occur, with a sensitivity of 90%. Adding a second diagnostic validation step offers an overall specificity of 97%, finds a new study. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2019-05-03-protein-research-early-stage-detection-alzheimers-blood 760 comments science
- Alleviating flashbacks by playing Tetris - A behavioural intervention procedure for people with PTSD found that playing the game helped reduce the number of involuntarily recurring visual memories of traumatic experiences. https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2019-01-08-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-alleviating-flashbacks-playing-tetris 4 comments science
- Could rewiring be possible? http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2018-08-22-neuroscience-how-brains-doers-differ-those-procrastinators 21 comments productivity
- Brains of doers differ from those of procrastinators - Procrastinators have a larger amygdala and poorer connections between it and part of the cortex that blocks emotions, so they may be more anxious about the negative consequences of an action, and tend to hesitate and put off things. http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2018-08-22-neuroscience-how-brains-doers-differ-those-procrastinators 1702 comments science
- The more intelligent a person, the fewer connections there are between the neurons in their cerebral cortex. These findings sound paradoxical at first glance, but they do reconcile previously conflicting results. http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2018-05-17-neuroscience-smarter-brains-run-sparsely-connected-neurons 217 comments science
- Researchers have examined how humans repress prejudices. Even people who would describe themselves as liberal and open-minded might not be free of unconscious racism. http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2018-05-16-philosophy-how-humans-repress-prejudices 53 comments science
- Feelings determine from which side we embrace each other. In emotionally charged situations, we tend to hug each other from the left side more often than in neutral contexts, due to the way emotions are processed in the respective brain hemispheres, as reported in the journal Psychological Research. http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2018-01-24-psychology-feelings-determine-which-side-we-embrace-each-other 3 comments science
- Gamers have an advantage in learning: Neuropsychologists let video gamers compete against non-gamers in a learning competition. During the test, the video gamers performed significantly better and showed an increased brain activity in the brain areas that are relevant for learning. http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2017-09-29-neuroscience-gamers-have-advantage-learning 1343 comments science
- Pigeons better at multitasking than humans. Unlike hitherto assumed, cognitive ability does not necessary require a complex mammalian cerebral cortex. A small bird brain is fully sufficient. http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2017-09-26-behavioural-science-pigeons-better-multitasking-humans 10 comments science
- A new study suggests that the spinal cord determines if we are left- or right-handed http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2017-02-17-neuroscience-reasons-our-left-or-right-handedness 1093 comments science
- Astronomers have discovered that a star thought to be younger than the Sun is actually 12 billion years old. http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2017-01-16-astronomy-presumed-young-star-turns-out-be-galactic-senior-citizen 1244 comments science