The mouse axon shown in the center of this electron microscope image has bumps connected by thin tubes, similar to beads on a string. This message-sending part of nerve cells is usually thought to be smooth and cylindrical.
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Neuroscience
The message-sending part of neurons may be blobby, not smooth
Axons can be shaped like strings of pearls, research in mice and people show. How that shape may influence brain signaling is not yet clear.
Neuroscience
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Human embryonic kidney cells (seen in this false-color scanning electron micrograph) share some of the same molecular mechanisms as memory-forming neurons.
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Most people can “see” vivid imagery in their minds. They can imagine a chirping bird from hearing the sounds of one, for example. But people with aphantasia can’t do this. A new study explores how their brains work.
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Humans can perceive odor changes in as little 60 milliseconds, roughly similar to the time it takes the brain to perceive changes in color.
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Scientists have uncovered the fast cellular machinery that carries the distinct pain of a hair pull.
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