A mere fortnight had passed since the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, a short period that has sent shock waves throughout the world. Whether you are a supporter or not, the fact is that Trump is a controversial leader whose presidency will have implications into many fields, both nationally and abroad.

In the [animal] motor cortex, activity is highly variable at the beginning [of motor learning] and then becomes consistent, not so variable – it crystallizes. So Vivek [Athalye] wanted to know: “Can we devise a way to see how the brain does this?” – Rui Costa.

Watching the smooth movement generated by hundreds of fish as they swim in unison is truly mesmerising. But it’s not only its sheer beauty that makes it so hard to look away, for scientists, it’s also the fact that its emergence is so difficult to explain.

A surprising behavioral effect, discovered in mice by neuroscientists at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown (CCU), in Lisbon, Portugal, strongly suggests that serotonin is involved in a biological mechanism which affects the animals’ motivation.

Who are today’s scientists? Inspired by the project “Humans of New York”, Ar Magazine turns the spotlight on individual humans of science every month.

Names: Scott Rennie and Pooja Viswanathan
Labs: Behavioral Neuroscience at the CCU and Andreas Nieder’s lab at the University of Tuebingen
Project titles: Using a game theoretical approach to study cooperative behavior in rats and Neural representation of numerosity in primate frontal and parietal areas

We are constantly being exposed to mixtures of scents. But, as incredible as it may seem, we are pretty good at separating them from each other. Our brains accomplish this many times a day with no apparent effort, but little is known about the way they do it. Now, Zach Mainen from the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown and colleagues from other countries have, for the first time, come up with computer program that can do it.

Is there diet that is healthier than all others? This question has proven difficult to answer. Now, a new study by scientists at the Behavior and Metabolism Lab, and colleagues working in other countries, suggests that genomics is the key to optimizing the protein composition of a diet.

Serotonin, one of the major chemical messengers serving neuronal communication, is usually associated with the direct regulation of affective states and mood in general. But growing evidence suggests that one of the core functions of this neurotransmitter may be to facilitate our adaptation to changes in the world around us – which, in turn, may indirectly impact mood.

Who are today’s scientists? Inspired by the project “Humans of New York”, Ar Magazine turns the spotlight on individual humans of science every month.

Name: Sam Walker
Lab @ CCU: Behavior and Metabolism Lab
Title of PhD project: Modulation of taste processing and nutrition by internal states

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Photo credit: Marina Fridman

In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon, use advanced genetic and behavioural tools to establish that walking speed is in fact a key indicator of female’s receptivity and discover neurons that control mating in the brain of fruit flies.