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The Binding of Cu²⁺ to Lipid Membranes Is Not Substantially Influenced by Electrostatic Screening

Asymmetric Counteranion-Directed Halogen Bonding Catalysis

The Temporal Organization of Learned Vocal Behavior Is Predicted by Species Rather Than Experience

Birdsong is hierarchically organized in time, like speech and other communication behaviors. Syllables are produced in sequences to form song motifs and bouts. While syllables are copied from tutors, the factors that determine song temporal organization, including syllable sequencing (syntax), are unknown. Here, we tested the roles of learning and species genetics in song organization. We manipulated juvenile song experience and genetics in three species of estrildid finches (zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata castanotis ; long-tailed finches, Poephila acuticauda ; Bengalese finches, Lonchura striata var. domestica ). We analyzed the adult songs of male birds that were: (1) tutored by conspecifics; (2) untutored; (3) tutored by heterospecifics; and (4) genetic hybrids. Song macrostructure, syllable sequencing, and syllable timing were quantified and compared within and across species. Results showed that song organization was consistent within a species and differed across species, regardless of experience. Temporal features did not differ between tutored and untutored birds of the same species. The songs of birds tutored by other species were composed of heterospecific syllables produced in sequences typical of conspecific songs. The songs of genetic hybrids showed the organization of both parental species, despite the fact that only males sing. Results indicate that song organization is predicted by species rather than experience.

An archaic European face more than one million years old

Tracking the Fate of Therapeutic Proteins Using Ratiometric Imaging of Responsive Shortwave Infrared Probes

Fungal RiPPs Side Chain Macrocyclization Catalyzed by Copper-Dependent DUF3328 Enzyme

Kinetics Compensation Mechanism in Cosolvent Electrolyte Strategy for Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Fresh ‘quantum advantage’ claim made by computing firm D-Wave

Watch DeepMind’s AI robot slam-dunk a basketball

Pd-Catalyzed Strain-Releasing Dyotropic Rearrangement: Ring-Expanding Amidofluorination of Methylenecyclobutanes

Revealing the Relationship between Publication Bias and Chemical Reactivity with Contrastive Learning

Efficient Metabolomics Profiling from Plasma Extracellular Vesicles Enables Accurate Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer

Sapphire anvils squeeze metals atomically-thin

Two Birds, One Stone: Microsecond Dark Excited-State Lifetime and Large Cage Escape Yield Afforded by an Iron–Anthracene Molecular Dyad

Ligand Influence on the Performance of Cesium Lead Bromide Perovskite Quantum Dots in Photocatalytic C(sp³)–H Bromination Reactions

High Entropy Oxide-Polyoxometalate Sub-1 nm Hetero-Nanowires as Cathode Catalysts in Li–O₂ Batteries

Single-Handed Helical Polymer-Based Polycarboxylate with Achiral Triarylphosphine Pendants as Chiral Catalysts for Asymmetric Cross-Coupling Reactions in Pure Water

Interfacing Flexible Design and Social Self-Sorting Enables Comprehensive Control over Photophysical and Self-Assembly Properties of Supramolecular Polymers

Characterizing Olfactory Brain Responses in Young Infants

Odor perception plays a critical role in early human development, but the underlying neural mechanisms are not fully understood. To investigate these, we presented appetitive and aversive odors to infants of both sexes at 1 month of age while recording functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and nasal airflow data. Infants slept during odor presentation to allow MRI scanning. We found that odors evoke robust fMRI activity in the bilateral olfactory cortex and thalamus and that fMRI response magnitudes in the olfactory cortex differ across odors. However, in contrast to prior work in adults, we did not find compelling evidence that odor stimuli evoke discriminable fMRI activity patterns in the olfactory cortex or thalamus using two different multivariate pattern analysis techniques. Finally, the average inhale airflow rate was higher for appetitive odors than aversive odors, which tentatively suggests that infants could modulate their respiration to reflect odor valence. Overall, these results show strong neural responses to odors at this early developmental stage and highlight nasal airflow as a behavioral metric for assessing odor preference in infants.

Medical records from the Center for the Study of Temporal Disorders, Pediatric Department