How is a high-fat diet bad for your brain? Is time real? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Oct 12 - 18 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's edition of the best science news from around the world, explore the Coronavirus vaccine being grown in tobacco plants, and discover the new room-temperature superconductor that could revolutionise energy. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Eating a high-fat diet could change your brain for the worse by Samuel J Walker for Massive Science.

This study suggests that exposure to a high fat diet alters the brain’s response to food so that only high-calorie foods are rewarding and satiating.
Credit: Nenad Stojkovic via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• Bigger questions: Is time real? by Lauren Nelson at A Short Scientist.
• Immunity and re-infection by Derek Lowe at Science Translational Medicine.
• A drug trio for COVID-19: Precedents in Cystic Fibrosis, HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis C by Ricki Lewis for DNA Science.
• A virus-like COVID-19 vaccine is being grown in tobacco plants by Hayley McKay for Massive Science.
• The preexisting conditions of the Coronavirus pandemic by Adam Rogers for WIRED.
• Excess deaths from pandemic higher than official numbers by Steven Novella for Neurologica.
• A new take on the marshmallow test: children wait longer for a treat when their reputation is at stake by Sofia Deleniv for BPS Research Digest.
• Liquid air energy storage (LAES): putting air to use by Rohit Imandi for Energy.io.
• First room-temperature superconductor could spark energy revolution by Leah Crane for New Scientist.
• Death by black hole: Astronomers spot flare from “spaghettification” of star by Jennifer Ouellette for Ars Technica.
• Melting candy gives mathematicians insight into how some landscapes form by Clara Moskowitz for Scientific American.
• A brief history of scientific racism by BenchPress for Mass General Research Institute.
• Turning to frog skin for new biologic peptide drugs by Sean Lim for The Skeptical Chemist.
• Neuroscience study finds non-deceptive placebos lead to genuine psychobiological effects by Eric W. Dolan for PsyPost.
• New type of brain immune cell implicated in Alzheimer’s disease by Maya Gosztyla at AlzScience.
• Why is Mars so bright? And other things to see in the October sky by Never Trust An Atom.
• The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020: Andrea Ghez by Briley Lewis for Astrobites.
• Economists are more like storytellers than scientists – don't let the Nobel for 'economic sciences' fool you by Carolin Benack for The Conversation UK.
• Noisy, high-speed recreation disturbs sensitive wildlife by Elyse DeFranco for Massive Science.
• Fossilised teeth reveal first mammals were far from warm blooded by Elis Newham and Pam Gill at The Conversation UK. 
• Rain really can move mountains by Lauren Fuge at Cosmos magazine.
• New view of Tweed Valley’s attraction by Lauren Fuge at Cosmos magazine.
• Bacteria produce green bio-plastics by Rachel Burckhardt for Bacterial World.

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Do we really have free will? How are sperm helping to make mini-motors? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Oct 5 - 11 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's edition of the cream-of-the-crop from the world of science news, we've got the biggest stories from this year's Nobel prizes, and the latest on the coronavirus pandemic. Find out how having neanderthal DNA might make coronavirus more dangerous, and discover the new tests that give results in just five minutes. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• You don’t have free will, but don’t worry. by Sabine Hossenfelder at Backreaction.

"If you did one thing, there is no evidence you could have done something else because, well, you didn’t." 
Credit: A.Davey via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• Sperm-powered micro trucks by Michael Berger for Nanowerk.
• How does coffee wake us up (and why is it addictive)? by Mark Jefferson Plata at FlipScience.
• Neanderthal DNA may be COVID risk by Christopher Intagliata for Scientific American.
• New test detects coronavirus in just 5 minutes by Robert F. Service for Science magazine.
• Americans are drinking 14% more often during pandemic, study finds by Reese Oxner for NPR.
• Rapid COVID-19 testing, international collaboration, and a family favor by Jordan Villaneuva for Promega Connections.
• How a complex physics experiment became tabloid fodder by Eleni Petrakou for Massive Science.
• Working-class ants take the reins when the Indian jumping ant queen dies by Sree Rama Chaitanya for Massive Science.
• Golden-collared manakins change choreography when the environment shifts by Sukanya Ramani for Massive Science.
  
• Recycling meets reality by M. Mitchell Waldrop for Knowable Magazine.
• A conversation with CRISPR-Cas9 inventors Charpentier and Doudna by Dr. Ricki Lewis for DNA Science.
• There may be other ways to build DNA and RNA by Madeline Garner for Sciworthy.
• Rewriting the secret of life: The story of CRISPR by Shreya Ghosh at the Scientific Lens.
• NASA is sending yeast into deep space by Brook Shepard for Sciworthy.
• Could we kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria by impaling them on nanowires? by Sruthi Sanjeev Balakrishnan for Massive Science.
• Physicists have discovered the ultimate speed limit of sound by Leah Crane for New Scientist.
• The Nobel-winning black hole by Chandra X-ray Observatory.

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Why do some people suffer worse with Covid-19? Why are some people resistant to HIV, while most aren't? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 28 - October 4 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, discover how males and females react to the coronavirus differently, explore the interplay between you, vitamin D and sunlight, and find out why cursive writing is good for your brain. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Why do some people suffer worse from COVID-19? New studies identify a genetic mutation by Derek Beres for Big Think.

The genetic mutations slow down interferon—a group of signaling proteins released in the presence of viruses—production and function.
Credit: Mislav Marohnić via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• The immune systems of males and females respond to COVID-19 differently by Shelby Bradford for Massive Science.
• COVID - Not close to herd immunity by Steven Novella for Neurologica blog.
• Covid-19 testing was a political bust — but a scientific triumph by Aran Shaunak for Undark magazine.
• Can we self- vaccinate against HIV? by Tanaaz Khan at Musings of a Boffin.
• Flu season never came to the Southern hemisphere by Katie Peek for Scientific American.
• Pathogens love to muddy the waters to escape immune response: All about pattern recognition receptors by Jatin Sharma for ImmunoBites.
• Lactose tolerance spread through Europe faster than previously thought by Rita Ponce for Massive Science.
  
• Sunshine, skin chemistry, and vitamin D by Kat Day at The Chronicle Flask.
• Crystal Structure of LSD and 5-HT2AR- Part 1: Capturing the first steps of a psychedelic trip by Lily Aleksandrova for Psychedelic Science Review.
• The expertise account, or, why the brain’s face-recognition area can be activated by the sight of a chessboard by The Brain from Top to Bottom Blog.
• Why cursive handwriting is good for your brain by Christopher Bergland for Psychology Today.
• Are we what we hear? A reflection on sound, identity and science communication by Nat das Neves Rodrigues Lopes for Crastina.
• Unprecedented ice loss expected in Greenland by Cosmos magazine.
• Why some ecologists worry about rooftop honey bee programs by Jennifer Clare Ball for WIRED.
• A giant leap towards defeating astronomy’s greatest enemy: Earth’s atmosphere by Ethan Siegel at Starts with a Bang.
• Famous shadow of black hole provides novel test for new theories of gravity by Adrian Cho for Science.
• New research sheds light on neutrino-nucleus interactions by Sci-News.com.
• Podcast: Liftoff #133: The world’s most expensive WeWork by Jason Snell and Stephen Hackett at Relay FM’s Liftoff.
• How to use the knowledge of hydroinformatics in opening a start up ? by Mrinmoy Majumder at Hydrology Newsletter.
• Sodium ion battery - Overview and realistic expectations by Rohit Imandi for Energy.io.
• Science can lead us to better futures if we lead with hope by Edauri Navarro Pérez for Small Pond Science.

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What even are birds, really? How could Fool's Gold have helped spark life on earth? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 21 - 27 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

This weeks best from the world of science sees a resurgence in Covid-19 news as several places around the world prepare for a second wave. Luckily, Michael Tabb is here to tell us what we learned from studying isolation in researchers in Antarctica. Good lockdown reading! ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Birds are just a bunch of different dinosaurs we lump together an interview with Jingmai O’Connor by Maddie Bender for Massive Science.

To some taxonomists, the group 'Birds' is just a convenient grouping of a lot of different types of dinosaurs.
Credit: Stefan W. via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• Podcast: Birds Flutter Their Feathers To Send A Message by Alexa Lim, Valentina Gomez-Bahamón, and Christopher Clark for Science Friday at WNYC Studios.
• Could "Fools' Gold" have helped assemble the building blocks of life? by Marcos Jusino-Maldonado for Sciworthy.
• The accidental tree killers by Stephanie Pain for Knowable magazine.
• 2020 Road from Paris: Climate ambition is not canceled by Anjali Jaiswal, Madhura Joshi and Marie McNamara for NRDC.
• Decades-old theory on how ears work is wrong by Josseline Ramos-Figueroa for Massive Science.
• Why is it so hard to study Covid-related smell loss? by Sara Harrison for WIRED.
• The Universe Knows Right from Wrong by Philip Goff for Nautilus magazine.
• What research in Antarctica tells us about the science of isolation by Michael Tabb for Scientific American.
• Something to sneeze at: Hunger-induced sneezing? by Susan Lubejko for NeuWrite San Diego.
• So that’s what the claustrum does! by Joel Frohlich for Knowing Neurons.
• New research uncovers neural and genetic connections to romantic love in newlyweds by Eric W. Dolan for PsyPost.
• Podcast: Orgasms: Come for the Science by Wendy Zukerman and Gimlet at Science Vs.
• Is artificial intelligence worsening COVID-19's toll on Black Americans? by Rod McCullom for Massive Science.
• Can fitness bands predict COVID-19 infection before you show symptoms? Probably not by Matthew Bomkamp for Massive Science.
• How the PCR test works and why it’s such a critical weapon against Covid-19 by Siouxsie Wiles for Sciblogs.
• Laboratory methods behind the polio vaccine discovery by Gina Misra for Sciworthy.
• Watch white blood cells swim with microscopic ‘paddles’ by Lucy Hicks for Science magazine.
• Covid on the brain by Lauren at A Short Scientist.
• ALMA sees complex stellar winds around Red Giant stars by Sci-News.com.
• The short weird life—and potential afterlife—of quantum radar by Adrian Cho for Science magazine.
• Data Sonification: Sounds from around the Milky Way by Chandra X-ray Observatory.

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Could there be life on Venus? Are some of the stars in the sky already dead? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 14 - 20 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's very existential selection of the best in science news from science newsmakers, explore the first life on land, as revealed by an ancient microbial fingerprint, and revel in chaos, fractals and complexity as Hannah Pell explores the science behind uncertainty. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Life on Venus? Breakthrough initiatives fund study of possible biosignature by Mike Wall for Scientific American.

“The next step is to do the basic science needed to thoroughly investigate the evidence and consider how best to confirm and expand on the possibility of life.”
Credit: European Southern Observatory via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• Are any stars visible in the night sky already dead? by Ethan Siegel at Starts With A Bang.
• Mathematical ‘Hocus-Pocus’ saved particle physics by Charlie Wood for WIRED.
• Chaos, fractals, and complexity: Big ideas in the Science of Roughness by Hannah Pell for Physics Central.
• New evidence for the first life on land comes from an ancient microbial fingerprint by Rebecca Dzombak for Massive Science.
• New artificial intelligence could save both elephant and human lives by Claudia Geib for Mongabay.com.
• Superbugs in the ocean: what beached whales can teach us about antibiotic resistance by Ma. Francesca Santiago for SciWorthy.
• New video of peccaries mobbing a jaguar shows predator-prey interactions go both ways by E. Melanie Watt for Massive Science.
• Your brain is plastic! by Neuwrite San Diego.
• Surprising insights into sleep’s purpose by Natalie Parletta for Cosmos magazine.
• Scientists discover brain cells that remember where escape routes are by Samuel J Walker for Massive Science.
• Connections between the gut and the brain: the key to reducing pain after chemotherapy? by Kate Secombe for OncoBites.
• Direct printing of wearable health sensors onto skin by Michael Berger for Nanowerk.
• Intestinal organoid built that looks and functions like real tissue by Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology.
• Inside the never-ending debate on the origins of viruses by Rafael Ambag at Flip Science.
• Superspreaders of SARS-CoV-2  by Vincent Racaniello at Virology Blog.
• Viruses that come to stay by Amber Dance for Knowable magazine.
• COVID-19 does not discriminate, but some get hit harder: Nutrition-related health disparities by Ru Liu for NutriBites.
• New studies confirm weakening of the Gulf Stream circulation (AMOC) - translated from German by Stefan Rahmstorf at Real Climate.
• Ig Nobel Prizes reward research on helium-huffing alligators and knives made of feces by Rasha Aridi for Science.
• Supercooled water is two liquids in one, study shows by Sci-News.com.
• Podcast: #574 - State of the Heart: Science for the People by Rachelle Saunders and Haider Warraich for Science for the People.
• Podcast: Diffusion Science radio: Organo-metallic chemist by Ian Woolf and Liam Burt for Diffusion Science radio.
• Creating a package to infer species coexistence by Daniel Caetano for Methods.blog.

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

Check back next week for more great picks!