What does a lonely brain look like? What's the deal with the new British coronavirus strain? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Dec 14 - Dec 21 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In the last weekly roundup of the eventful year that has been 2020, find out how DMT is being used to fight depression, and explore how part of the coronavirus could become incorporated into our DNA. Happy holidays, stay safe and join us again on January the 4th for more from the world of science news. 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?

Scientists show what loneliness looks like in the brain by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology news.

“The findings fit with the possibility that the up-regulation of these neural circuits supports mentalizing, reminiscence, and imagination to fill the social void,”
Credit: Leszek Pietrzak via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Psychedelic drug DMT given all clear for depression treatment trials by Ben Nealon at Science Prism.

Hearing aids could use some help by Paula Span for The New York Times.

How temperature dictates whether sea turtles become male or female by Mikael Angelo Francisco for Flip Science.
The coronavirus may sometimes slip its genetic material into human chromosomes—but what does that mean? by Jon Cohen for Science.

The first COVID-19 vaccines: What’s mRNA got to do with it? by Dr. Ricki Lewis for DNA Science at PLOS blogs.

Just how worrying is the new Covid-19 strain for Britain – and the rest of us? by Siouxsie Wiles for SciBlogs.

Holiday Instability by Physics Central.
Gravitational waves probe exotic matter inside neutron stars by Clara Moskowitz for Scientific American.
We may have seen a huge explosion in the oldest galaxy in the universe by Jonathan O’Callaghan for New Scientist.
Finding love in a hopeless place: How deep-sea anglerfish evolved to fuse with their mates by Alia Sajani for ImmunoBites.
Dust from receding glaciers may have major atmospheric impacts by Emily Harwitz at the American Geophysical Union blog Eos.

Where do stem cells come from? Expert answers by Dr. Paul Knoepfler for The Niche.

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