Scientists continued to make tremendous strides in 2024, as you can see in today’s science edition. The stories below highlight studies about the way our brains feel love, the mysteries of the sky above us, and what humanity was like tens of thousands of years ago. One thing’s for sure: We’ve come a long way!
Science
Where Does the Brain Feel Love? Study Evaluates 6 Types and Reveals Which Is Strongest
kulkann/ iStock
Where is love? Turns out Oliver Twist isn’t the only one asking — the question has been on scientists’ minds as well (though they likely don’t express it in quite as pretty a soprano). And in August, a study out of Finland’s Aalto University identified where six types of love reside in the brain. The researchers measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. To pinpoint the areas that light up for love, 55 parents, self-described as being in loving relationships, were played short, recorded stories related to the different kinds of love. “We now provide a more comprehensive picture of the brain activity associated with different types of love than previous research,” study co-author Pärttyli Rinne said in a statement. “The activation pattern of love is generated in social situations in the basal ganglia, the midline of the forehead, the precuneus, and the temporoparietal junction at the sides of the back of the head.” Love for one’s children generated the strongest brain activity, with romantic love a close second — learn more about the other types.
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Astronomers Identify What Might Be the Universe’s Brightest Object
ESO/M. Kornmesser
Astronomers discovered what could be the most luminous object in the universe, shining more than 500 trillion times brighter than the sun, per a press release from the European Southern Observatory. And it’s not a moon, a star, or a planet, but rather a quasar. The research organization defines quasars as “bright cores of distant galaxies” that are powered by supermassive black holes. They are all among the brightest objects in the universe, but this one, J0529-4351, is unlike other quasars: It’s driven by the fastest-growing black hole ever recorded. “It has a mass of 17 billion suns, and eats just over a sun per day,” explained Christian Wolf, the lead author of a study outlining the findings. Although only recently identified as a record-breaking bright spot, the quasar was first seen over four decades ago. “The exciting thing about this quasar is that it was hiding in plain sight and was misclassified as a star previously,” Yale University astronomer Priyamvada Natarajan, who was not involved in the study, told the Associated Press. See the black hole from an artist’s POV.
Science
Can “Button Dogs” Understand Words on Soundboards? Study Says Yes
David Walter Banks for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Canine communication devices have been around for decades (check out this one from 1997), but in the last few years, updated versions of the tech have gained popularity. Videos of pups pressing colorful tiles or buttons to ask for a “walk” or “treat” — and sometimes even seeming to string together words into the semblance of a sentence — garner millions of views on social media. But do these “button dogs,” as they’re referred to, actually understand the recordings that come out of the soundboards when they press their paws down, or are they merely responding to body language cues from their owner? A study out of the University of California, San Diego says it’s the former — to some degree, at least. The research evaluated three types of soundboard words: those indicating mealtime, going outside, and playing. The team found that dog participants were able to successfully associate two of the categories with the correct outcomes in real life. “This study addresses public skepticism about whether dogs truly understand what the buttons mean,” study lead Federico Rossano, a cognitive scientist recently featured in the Netflix documentary Inside the Mind of a Dog, said in a news release. “Our findings are important because they show that words matter to dogs, and that they respond to the words themselves, not just to associated cues.” Watch some videos of “button dogs” in action.
Science
Neanderthals Cared for a Child With Down Syndrome, Fossil Shows
Bettmann/Getty Images
Fossils can reveal a lot about bygone societies and species — some even tell full stories. One fossilized ear bone found in a Spanish cave uncovers the story of a Neanderthal community that cared for a child with Down syndrome, adding to a growing body of research redefining how we view the ancient humans. From the fossil, which was unearthed in 1989 but only recently rediscovered, researchers were able to glean that the child with Down syndrome would have likely experienced hearing loss, balance issues, and muscle weakness. As such, the fact that the young Neanderthal lived to around age 6 suggests that the adults in the community showed an altruistic instinct for caregiving, without any expectation of reciprocity from the child. Among modern humans, Neanderthal has become slang for someone who is ignorant or barbaric, but more findings like this one are changing perceptions of the species. “This find brings home how like us Neanderthals were in so many ways, particularly in our common human desire to care for the vulnerable,” archaeologist Penny Spikins, who was not involved with the research, told CNN. “We can imagine that this child was loved and looked after like any other.”See the fossil and learn more about its implications.
Nautilus: Where Scientific Brilliance Meets Approachability
Nautilus is an award-winning publication that strikes the perfect balance of scientific rigor and approachable storytelling. The stories in the free newsletter will light up your emotions and introduce you to a delightfully unique and surprising mix of big ideas — ideas that will be debated long into the future.
