Neuroscientists have shown, for the first time, that gut bacteria (the microbiome) “speak” with the brain to control food choices in animals. They identified two species of bacteria that have a radical impact on animal dietary decisions.

With the right microbiome, fruit flies are able to face unfavorable nutritional situations. – Zita Santos

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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: Catherine French
Lab @ CCU: Neurobiology of Action lab
Post-doc Project: Investigating the functions of a protein called FOXP2, which is mutated in a speech and language disorder

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Photo credit: Marina Fridman

Joseph Paton, group leader at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal, is among the awardees announced today, May 9th, 2017, by the International Research Scholars Program. Paton is one of 41 outstanding investigators chosen from 1500 submitted applications.

We found that two different regions within the brain seem to play very different roles in the generation of action timing. One area appears to keep track of the ideal waiting time based on experience. A second area also keeps track of the ideal timing, and in addition shows variability that renders individual decisions unpredictable. – Zach Mainen

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: Yvonne Johansson
Lab: Cortico-striatal Microcircuit Lab, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Scientific interest: Understanding the synaptic properties of cortical and thalamic projections onto different types of striatal neurons

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Bruno Costa-Silva, principal investigator at Champalimaud Research, was awarded yesterday (May 30) the Crioestaminal/Associação Viver a Ciência Prize for biomedical research.

The winning project, which was selected among three finalists, is titled: “The role of pancreatic cancer-derived exosomes in mediating bone marrow cell recruitment to the pre-metastatic liver”.

Appearances can be deceiving. When looking at the outmost layer of the brain, called the neocortex, it looks like a simple sheet of neurons. But the truth is far from it. This “simple sheet” has a complex sub organization of its own. And not only that, the neocortex is the brain structure that endows us with advanced cognitive abilities, such as thought and language.

Faced with imminent danger, parents will unconditionally defend their young instead of ensuring their own safety. Scientists have now discovered that it is the release of the so-called “love hormone” – oxytocine – into the amygdala, a brain structure known for its crucial role in the processing of emotional reactions, that accounts for a mother’s behavior when it comes to protecting her offspring.

Scientific progress and Open Science go hand in hand. Open Science includes the sharing of data, techniques and ideas, which drives scientific progress by enabling scientists to build on each other’s work to make further discoveries. Ultimately, these discoveries produce major benefits for society in all fields including medicine and health.

To promote Open Science practice in EU, the European Commission has been taking a series of steps, which include the organisation of the international workshop held at the CCU earlier this week.

On Tuesday June 27, 2017, the Portuguese neuroscientist Rui Costa, principal investigator at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, in Lisbon, Portugal, and Professor of Neuroscience at Columbia University, in New York, was awarded the Ariëns Kappers Medal at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), in Amsterdam.