Yale

An extraordinary new study is reporting the first direct demonstration of a psilocybin dose inducing neural plasticity in a mammalian brain. The researchers hypothesize this mechanism playing a role in the drug’s antidepressant qualities.

Researchers have demonstrated how exposure to the common cold can slow the onset of a SARS-CoV-2 infection by stimulating the immune system to jump into action early, though unfortunately this doesn’t immediately offer clues to new COVID-19 treatments.

Scientists have discovered a hitherto unknown mass extinction event that decimated the global shark population some 19 million years ago. The study authors say the event saw sharks almost entirely disappear from the open ocean in its wake.

Researchers have catalogued 178 gene variants associated with major depression in one of the biggest genome-wide association studies ever conducted. The study encompassed several million people in the hope of developing a genetic test to detect those most at risk.

The skin is the body’s first line of defense against infection, and new research has brought us closer to understanding how it works. Researchers at Yale have identified how immune cells spread themselves out to maintain the most effective patrol.

Researchers at Yale University have developed a bioplastic made using wood byproducts. The material boasts high strength and durability, but also has the ability to degrade completely in the space of just three months.

How life got started on Earth is one of science's most profound mysteries. Now scientists have found that lightning strikes could have contributed a key ingredient, which suggests it could be easier than we thought to spark life on other planets.

Yale researchers have found evidence that worms can detect the color blue – even though it doesn’t have eyes or any kind of visual system. In tests, the team found that the color of harmful bacteria influenced whether or not the worms avoided them.

An analysis of 13 case histories has found intravenous injections of stem cells lead to motor function improvements in patients with spinal cord injury. The research claims the therapy is safe but clinical trials are needed to further affirm efficacy.

Researchers at Yale University have shown how skin cancer could one day be treated with a simple injection. The team found that they could shrink tumors by injecting them with adhesive nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapy drugs.

A robust new study has comprehensively demonstrated how SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can infect the brain and central nervous system. The study validates a growing body of research attributing neurological issues to COVID-19.

An exploratory study has found a single dose of the psychedelic psilocybin can reduce migraine frequency by 50 percent for a least two weeks. The preliminary trial was small but the promising findings suggest potential for psychedelics to treat migraines.