NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Astrocyte cells in the fruit fly brain are an on-off switch that controls when neurons can change and grow

  • Written by Sarah DeGenova Ackerman, Postdoctoral Fellow, UO Institute of Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon
imageThe colors in this microscope photo of a fruit fly brain show different types of neurons and the cells that surround them in the brain.Sarah DeGenova Ackerman, CC BY-ND

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Neuroplasticity – the ability of neurons to change their structure and function in response to...

Read more: Astrocyte cells in the fruit fly brain are an on-off switch that controls when neurons can change...

More Articles ...

  1. Derek Chauvin trial: 3 questions America needs to ask about seeking racial justice in a court of law
  2. Northern Ireland, born of strife 100 years ago, again erupts in political violence
  3. How many states and provinces are in the world?
  4. MLB's decision to drop Atlanta highlights the economic power companies can wield over lawmakers – when they choose to
  5. What inspired digital nomads to flee America's big cities may spur legions of remote workers to do the same
  6. Write ill of the dead? Obits rarely cross that taboo as they look for the positive in people's lives
  7. Proof of new physics from the muon's magnetic moment? Maybe not, according to a new theoretical calculation
  8. Pandemic recovery will take more than soaring growth – to fuel a more equitable economy, countries need to measure the well-being of people, too
  9. At what age are people usually happiest? New research offers surprising clues
  10. 3 ways music educators can help students with autism develop their emotions
  11. Planning the best route with multiple destinations is hard even for supercomputers – a new approach breaks a barrier that's stood for nearly half a century
  12. What is mRNA? The messenger molecule that's been in every living cell for billions of years is the key ingredient in some COVID-19 vaccines
  13. 'Our ultimate choice is desegregation or disintegration' – recovering the lost words of a jailed civil rights strategist
  14. Americans adopted fewer pets from shelters in 2020 as the supply of rescue animals fell
  15. Lil Nas X's dance with the devil evokes tradition of resisting, mocking religious demonization
  16. Anxious about going out into the world? You're not alone, but there's help
  17. Water being pumped into Tampa Bay could cause a massive algae bloom, putting fragile manatee and fish habitats at risk
  18. Faith in numbers: Trump held steady among believers at the ballot – it was the nonreligious vote he lost in 2020
  19. India prepares for Kumbh Mela, world's largest religious gathering, amid COVID-19 fears
  20. How worried should you be about coronavirus variants? A virologist explains his concerns
  21. Why you should expect more Suez-like supply chain disruptions and shortages at your local grocery store
  22. Bringing 'behavioral vaccines' to school: 5 ways educators can support student well-being
  23. Beverly Cleary refused to teach kids how to be good -- and generations of young readers fell in love with her rebel Ramona
  24. White supremacy is the root of all race-related violence in the US
  25. Power imbalances are at the root of sexual harassment – but statements like Andrew Cuomo’s don't acknowledge that inconvenient fact
  26. Las sirenas no existen pero, ¿por qué nos fascinan tanto sus historias?
  27. Building trust among parents and teachers is key to reopening schools
  28. Here's how to help your kids break out of their pandemic bubble and transition back to being with others
  29. There's a surprising ending to all the 2020 election conflicts over absentee ballot deadlines
  30. No, the COVID-19 vaccine is not linked to the mark of the beast – but a first-century Roman tyrant probably is
  31. Vaccine guilt is good – as long it doesn’t stop you from getting a shot
  32. Embrace the unexpected: To teach AI how to handle new situations, change the rules of the game
  33. Misunderstanding addiction breeds despair and suffering – and, for alleged Atlanta shooter, violence
  34. For autocrats like Vladimir Putin, ruthless repression is often a winning way to stay in power
  35. Technology innovation gives government leverage to drive down emissions fast – here's how
  36. Scientists need to become better communicators, but it's hard to measure whether training works
  37. Netflix’s big bet on foreign content and international viewers could upend the global mediascape – and change how people see the world
  38. Vape sellers are using popular music videos to promote e-cigarettes to young people – and it's working
  39. Sea level rise is killing trees along the Atlantic coast, creating 'ghost forests' that are visible from space
  40. Sports remain hostile territory for LGBTQ Americans
  41. The US is worried about its critical minerals supply chains – essential for electric vehicles, wind power and the nation's defense
  42. The 17th-century cloth merchant who discovered the vast realm of tiny microbes – an appreciation of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
  43. An interactive visual database for American Sign Language reveals how signs are organized in the mind
  44. Myanmar's brutal military was once a force for freedom – but it's been waging civil war for decades
  45. Today's global economy runs on standardized shipping containers, as the Ever Given fiasco illustrates
  46. The US needs a macrogrid to move electricity from areas that make it to areas that need it
  47. How social media turns online arguments between teens into real-world violence
  48. A pandemic lesson: Older adults need to go back to their doctor and make preventive care a top priority
  49. Free college programs can enable more students to go to college, but it all depends on how the program is designed
  50. 1 in 3 college students face food insecurity – expanding SNAP benefits on campus will help stave off hunger