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February 9, 2026
A Researcher’s Dark-Cave Experiment Sheds Light on the Science of “Sensory Deprivation”
In the age of digital connection, how does disconnecting from external stimuli affect the body and the brain? Kiana Aran spent five days in a dark cave to find answers. Full Story
February 6, 2026
After a Heart Attack, the Heart Talks to the Brain - and the Brain Responds
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have discovered an unexpected communication circuit between the heart, brain and immune system that shapes how the heart responds after a heart attack. The findings, published in Cell, reveal that signals triggered by cardiac injury travel to the brain and then feed back to the heart through neural and immune pathways, amplifying inflammation and tissue damage. Full Story
January 15, 2026
By Building Virtual Cells, Researchers Aim to Design Better Microbes and Drugs
Bioengineers are creating comprehensive digital twins of bacterial cells to better understand how to engineer microbes that can sustainably produce valuable chemicals, as well as understand the effects of antibiotics to combat drug-resistant bacteria. The project is part of a new $4.1 million DARPA-funded project. Full Story
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