A study suggests pigeons navigate using iron-rich immune cells in their livers that can respond to Earth’s magnetic field. The findings may solve a decades-old mystery about bird navigation and reveal a surprising new sensory role for the immune system. Pigeons are famous for their ability to travel long distances and still find their way [...]A new evolutionary analysis suggests the behavior appears across many bird groupsA new evolutionary analysis suggests the behavior appears across many bird groupsThe New York Times described the stunning behavior over 100 years ago.
Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crime
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What sets humans apart from other animals is our ability to create culture; however, a new study from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior focusing on chimpanzees is challenging how researchers define culture in the animal kingdom.
Digging deeper into chimpanzee behavior, the new findings indicate that wild chimpanzees learn dozens of everyday behaviors from one another, many of which are essential for survival but have not traditionally been recognized as “cultural.”
The study took place in the Budongo Forest region at the Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda. Over two years, the team followed 28 wild chimpanzees of different ages, recording more than 1,000 hours of detailed observations of their daily behavior.
“Animal culture doesn’t have to be rare or complex. It can include basic skills used every day, like finding food and knowing how to eat it,” says first author Nora Slania from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in a statement.
Researchers focused on a behavior called “peering,” in which one chimpanzee closely watches another’s actions. This attention-based learning technique has been studied in other primates, but its broader role in chimpanzee cultural transmission had not been fully explored. The team documented 366 instances of peering and found that chimpanzees selectively observed others during important learning moments, such as when acquiring complex or rare skills.
“In humans, our everyday lives are full of culture, including the way we speak, dress, or eat. We don’t require behaviors to be especially remarkable or independent of our environment,” says Dr. Caroline Schuppli, senior author of the study.
“Animals, however, have long been held to stricter standards. By adopting a more inclusive view of culture—and standards more comparable to those applied to humans—future research may reveal that many animals possess richer cultures than previously recognized,” she adds.
During the long-term observations, the research team identified 69 distinct behaviors that chimpanzees appeared to learn socially. Surprisingly, only a small subset of those behaviors would have been classified as cultural under previous definitions. Most of the observed activities involved feeding, grooming, playing, and basic environmental exploration.
One of the study’s most important findings involved the central role food plays in chimpanzee culture. Around 60% of the observed behaviors involved identifying, processing, or consuming plant foods such as fruits and leaves. These observations suggest chimpanzees rely not only on instinct, but also on social learning through “peering” to locate and process food sources.
Notable researchers such as Jane Goodall previously linked chimpanzee culture primarily to tool use, identifying 39 cultural behaviors across chimpanzee populations. However, the new findings suggest that a narrower definition may have underestimated the true scale of cultural learning in chimpanzees.
“The fact that so much of a chimpanzee’s diet is socially learned highlights how important social learning is for their development,” Schuppli said in a statement.
“While some behaviors may be simple and learned quickly, acquiring the full range of their culture still takes young chimpanzees many years,” she adds.
These everyday practices are very similar to human culture, like eating habits, communication styles, and social norms. The study proposes that chimpanzee culture is more continuous and embedded in daily life than previously recognized.
“Behavior allows animals to respond flexibly to the world around them, and cultural transmission offers a fast way to learn new behaviors. Ultimately, understanding the full scope of animal culture will help us protect the diverse ways these species adapt to changing environments,” Slania added
This study was previously published in iScience.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.
A team of Canadian researchers studying the possible anxiety-reducing effects of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms, has revealed that the chemical compound makes an innately aggressive species of fish less aggressive and lazier compared to undrugged fish without reducing its overall social activities.
The research team behind the discovery said future research will be needed to confirm their findings, explore how the active ingredient in magic mushrooms alters neural signaling, identify the active serotonin pathways involved in these behavioral changes, and determine why certain behaviors are altered by exposure while others appear to remain unaffected.
According to a statement announcing the research, over 200 mushroom species contain the active compound psilocybin. The majority of these species belong to the genus Psilocybe, including the well-known magic mushrooms popularized in the counterculture era for their psychoactive properties.
When this substance is ingested by mammals, it can bind to serotonin receptors that are involved in the regulation of behavior and emotions. Notably, these chemically induced changes can affect aggression, appetite, and overall mood. However, the researchers note, the effect of psilocybin on animals “remains largely undescribed.”
Since conducting experiments on human subjects poses significant challenges and limitations, the researchers examined whether these behavioral and mood changes also occur in fish. This led the team to choose the amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus), which they described as “innately aggressive,” especially when paired with another fish.
“Their aggressive behaviors are straightforward, and subtle changes can easily be detected,” the team explained. “Therefore, this model ensures all observed effects are caused by psilocybin treatment rather than genetic differences between fish.”
After selecting three genetically distinct laboratory-bred lines of mangrove rivulus, they exposed one to psilocybin, whereas the second line served as “stimulus fish,” intended to trigger behaviors in the ‘drugged’ fish. The team said that the third selected line was used to “quantify whole-body concentrations and absorption of psilocybin” rather than for behavioral evaluation.
During the experiment’s first phase, fish from the first group were placed in a tank already containing the second line of ‘stimulus’ fish. Critically, the two groups were separated by an opaque cover placed over a fiberglass mesh barrier. The researchers said this arrangement allowed the fish to see and smell each other but prevented direct contact.
During this five-minute adjustment period, the team measured behavior to establish a baseline. When the five minutes expired, the barrier was removed, and the interaction between the two fish groups was closely monitored for signs of behavioral or mood changes.
Twenty-four hours after the first phase was completed, the team placed the fish from the first ‘focal’ group in a water tank containing dissolved psilocybin. The fish remained in the psilocybin-enriched tank for 20 minutes to ensure sufficient saturation, then were returned to the tank with the stimulus fish from the previous day’s experiments. Like before, the fish remained separated for five minutes by the opaque mesh barrier before it was removed.
Once again, the team monitored interactions between the two groups to determine whether the ‘drugged’ fish exhibited any behavioral changes. They also looked for potential clues to the fish’s mood. This included measuring the time the fish spent moving and their aggression levels, such as the frequency of swimming ‘bursts’ toward other fish.
According to the researchers, when they compared the fish in the first group’s activities before and after exposure to psilocybin, several changes were observed. Among the most prevalent was an overall reduction in activity after exposure to magic mushrooms’ key ingredient.
“Dosed fish (spent) less time moving than control fish when paired with a conspecific,” they explained, “and performed fewer swimming bursts compared to specimens that hadn’t received psilocybin treatment.”
The study’s senior author, Dr. Suzie Currie, a biologist at The University of British Columbia, defined swimming bursts as “high‑energy attack behaviors that represent an escalation of aggression towards the stimulus fish” but stop short of making physical contact.
“Other types of aggressive behaviors, like head‑on displays, are more about communication and social assessment and require very little energy,” Dr. Currie explained.
The study’s first author, Dayna Forsyth, a research associate and former MSc student at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, said the calming effect of psilocybin observed during their experiments appeared to “selectively reduce energetically costly, escalated behaviors” while other social display behaviors that require less energy remained largely unchanged.
“This suggests that this compound can selectively dampen escalated social conflict rather than shutting down behavior altogether,” Forsyth added.
When discussing the implications of their findings, Forsyth said their findings show that an acute, low dose of the active ingredient from magic mushrooms “significantly reduces activity and aggressive attack behavior during social interactions in adult mangrove rivulus fish.” The research added that the observed change was particularly significant, as the selected fish is a “naturally highly aggressive” species.
“These findings provide the first evidence that psilocybin can selectively reduce escalated aggression in a vertebrate model without suppressing social interaction,” added Currie.
When discussing the potential long-term impacts of their findings, the team said their work can provide “robust results” that can, in theory, ultimately be translated to humans. They also noted that their work could “help inform therapeutic research” by helping scientists further clarify which aspects of social behavior are most sensitive to psilocybin exposure.
Although the results were statistically significant, the researchers caution that their study faced several limitations that should be explored by future efforts. For example, they did not test any potential clinical treatments. They also noted that their findings “cannot be directly extrapolated” to humans exposed to psilocybin.
“The study also focused on single doses and short periods of exposure, and didn’t examine long-term effects, repeated dosing, or adaptation over time,” they added.
The team noted that future studies will be needed to determine whether the social changes observed after magic mushroom ingestion are sustained or transitory.
“Future studies can build on this work to explore how psilocybin alters neural signaling, which serotonin pathways are involved, and why some aspects of social behavior are affected while others are not,” Currie said, adding that “these are questions that are difficult or impossible to answer directly in humans.”
The study “The magic of mushrooms: Psilocybin influences behaviour in the mangrove rivulus fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus” was published in Frontiers in Behavioral Science.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.
In an extraordinary leap forward in our understanding of social behavior, groundbreaking research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has unveiled how brains prepare for social interaction at the neural level even before any physical movement begins. Led by Dr. Lilah Avitan and her doctoral student Imri Lifshitz at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, this pioneering study uses zebrafish as a model to explore the mysterious neural orchestration that prompts social approach, shedding light on the cognitive underpinnings of sociability across species.
At the core of this research lies the question that has fascinated neuroscientists for decades: How does the brain decide to engage with others? The team discovered that social approach is not an impulsive reaction but is preceded by a distinct and coordinated shift in brain-wide neural activity. By meticulously recording brain dynamics in real-time at single-cell resolution, they observed that this neural preparation begins several seconds before the zebrafish initiate movement toward another fish, indicating that social behavior arises from an active decision-making process rooted deeply in neural circuitry.
This neural “pre-decision state” is characterized by a strikingly distributed pattern, with increased activity in the pallium— a high-order brain region analogous to the mammalian cortex—while simultaneously, activity decreases in other brain regions. The pallium, often linked to complex behaviors and decision-making processes, emerges as a critical hub orchestrating the social drive. Contrary to the previous understanding that social behavior might depend on localized “social centers,” this study reveals that brain-wide network coordination shapes social action.
The zebrafish, a transparent and genetically tractable vertebrate, proved to be the ideal organism for this investigation. Its brain’s optical accessibility allowed the use of high-resolution fluorescence microscopy to create a three-dimensional projection of neural activity without invasive methods. In a novel experimental set-up, one fish was observed continuously to monitor its brain activity as it anticipated and responded to another’s movement, enabling the researchers to link dynamic neural patterns directly with impending social actions.
Importantly, the intensity of these coordinated neural patterns predicted not only whether a social approach would occur but also reflected the individual fish’s intrinsic social drive. Zebrafish exhibiting stronger pallium activation patterns before movement were consistently more socially engaged, suggesting that variations in social motivation could be discerned at the neural level before behavior manifests. This observation may extend beyond fish, providing a framework to understand individual differences in social behavior, including in mammals and humans.
The implications of this discovery ripple far beyond basic neuroscience. Understanding how the brain organizes itself seconds before social interaction offers a new lens to study social disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders or social anxiety, where disrupted brain network coordination might underlie behavioral deficits. These findings open pathways for future research aimed at deciphering the neural signatures that could serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for social dysfunction.
Dr. Avitan emphasized the novelty of identifying a brain-wide neural signature that predicts both the initiation and strength of social behavior: “Our findings indicate that the brain does not wait passively but actively gears itself for social engagement. The pallium’s role in this process highlights a conserved mechanism potentially present across vertebrates, offering clues about human social cognition as well.”
The methodological advancements in this study also deserve recognition. The team’s use of dynamic whole-brain imaging with unprecedented temporal resolution allowed them to capture the fluidity of neural transitions as social decisions formed and unfolded. This technological feat advances brain research by bridging the gap between neural activity patterns and observable social behavior in a living organism under ecologically relevant conditions.
Moreover, the identification of this “pre-decision” neural state challenges the oversimplified notion of the brain as a reactive organ. Instead, it portrays the brain as proactively setting the stage for complex social actions, making swift and nuanced decisions that integrate sensory information, prior experience, motivation, and motor planning. This integrative dynamic among disparate brain areas is an elegant example of how biological systems manage sophisticated behaviors through distributed processing.
Furthermore, the distributed neural dynamics observed encompass changes in both excitatory and inhibitory circuits within the zebrafish brain. The simultaneous upregulation and downregulation in different regions may reflect a fine-tuned balancing mechanism that optimizes the organism’s readiness for social engagement while suppressing competing non-social drives. This balance is likely crucial for adaptive social function.
The study fundamentally shifts our understanding by isolating a neural marker tied directly to social drive, enabling future comparative analyses across species, including mammals. Such cross-species insights could illuminate evolutionarily conserved principles governing social motivation and the neural plasticity that accommodates environmental and developmental influences on behavior.
Finally, with the advent of this knowledge, neuroscience enters a new era where predictive neural signatures of social behavior can be quantified and studied longitudinally. This opens exciting possibilities for personalized interventions to enhance social function or remediate social impairments by modulating neural circuits before the onset of social actions.
Subject of Research: Animals
Article Title: Distinct distributed neural dynamics predict pallium-dependent social approach
News Publication Date: 1-Jun-2026
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71666-8
Image Credits: Luke A. Hammond & Jeremy Ullmann
Keywords: Neuroscience, Behavioral psychology, Zebrafish, Social behavior, Neural dynamics, Pallium, Brain-wide coordination, Social drive, Fluorescence microscopy, Decision-making, Neuroethology, Vertebrates
The New York Times described the stunning behavior over 100 years ago.The loss of a queen triggers intense battles for power among female wasps, disrupting the colony’s social structure. Surprisingly, other wasps avoid the fighting and keep the colony functioning by taking care of its most important daily tasks. What happens when a queen suddenly disappears from a wasp colony? According to new research led by [...]Artificial streetlights can lure isopods into massive circular processions that may leave them vulnerable to predators. Researchers have made a world-first observation of thousands of Israeli isopods leaving their normally solitary shelters and moving together in huge synchronized “death spirals” caused by artificial streetlights. By testing different light arrangements, the team found that vertical beams [...]
Scientists have long known that migrating birds and homing pigeons navigate in part by sensing the Earth's magnetic fields, especially at night or in overcast conditions when visual landmarks or sunshine are in short supply. But exactly where this magneto-sensing occurs in the body—and the mechanism that enables it—remains a matter of intense debate. A new paper published in the journal Science suggests that homing pigeons have iron-rich immune cells in their livers that help them detect magnetic fields and transmit that information to the brain.
There are three primary hypotheses for how birds might sense Earth's geomagnetic field. One is a compass-like mechanism, whereby the Earth exerts a pull on magnetic particles in a bird's upper beak that relays directional information via a large nerve in the cranium. A second is that it happens biologically via cellular ion channels sensitive to voltage, enabling birds to sense changes in the magnetic field. And a third suggests that physical effects on retinal pigments enable birds to detect photons and send signals to the brain, although this mechanism is really only viable in the light.
None fully explain how animals can sense magnetic fields. However, “We had some clues that the liver and spleen have magnetic properties, because they break down red blood cells and so store much iron in the body,” said co-author Clivia Lisowski of the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn. This refers to a 2015 paper suggesting that red pulp macrophages in the spleens of mice and humans are intrinsically superparamagnetic and hence more sensitive to magnetic fields. But it wasn't clear if those properties were involved in any kind of magnetoreception.
© Christian Ziegler/ Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
In a groundbreaking advancement poised to reshape our understanding of emotional regulation and pain processing, researchers have unveiled compelling evidence that activating the nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor (NOP receptor) substantially dampens both behavioral and neural reactions to conditioned aversive stimuli. This revelation, detailed in a transformative study published in Translational Psychiatry, meticulously dissects the neurobiological pathways through which NOP receptor agonism modulates emotional and sensory responses, carving new avenues for therapeutic interventions targeting anxiety, trauma, and mood disorders.
The nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide, an endogenous neuropeptide structurally related to opioids but distinct in function, binds selectively to the NOP receptor, a G protein-coupled receptor abundantly distributed across neural circuits implicated in emotion and pain regulation. Historically enigmatic in its role compared to classic opioid receptors, recent research has increasingly illuminated nociceptin’s unique capacity to fine-tune behavioral and physiological responses to stress and adverse environments. The current study expands this knowledge by providing an integrative examination of the receptor’s ability to attenuate the learned behavioral aversions and corresponding neural activity that arise from conditioned negative stimuli.
Through the deployment of precise pharmacological agonists targeting the NOP receptor, the investigative team embarked upon a multi-modal exploration, employing both behavioral assays in animal models and cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques in humans. Subjects exposed to stimuli previously paired with negative outcomes demonstrated reduced avoidance behaviors and diminished neural activation within key brain regions such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and insular cortex following receptor activation. These findings elucidate how NOP receptor engagement effectively weakens the salience of threats that are internally represented through associative learning rather than immediate sensory input.
Critically, the attenuation of aversive responses does not imply a blunt suppression of sensation or cognition but rather a selective downregulation of maladaptive, conditioned fear responses. This nuanced modulation suggests potential for therapeutic application in conditions characterized by pathological fear conditioning, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias, where heightened reactivity to environmental cues perpetuates chronic distress and dysfunction. By targeting the NOP receptor’s signaling cascades, it may be possible to recalibrate the brain’s emotional valence assignment without impairing overall sensory processing or cognitive flexibility.
Neural circuit analyses revealed that nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonism primarily affects glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission within limbic and cortical hubs, thereby restoring inhibitory-excitatory balance disrupted by chronic stress or traumatic conditioning. The dynamic suppression of hyperactive neurons in the amygdala curtails the amplification of fear signals, while the concurrent enhancement of prefrontal regulatory control bolsters top-down inhibition. This dual mechanism fosters an environment conducive to extinction learning, wherein previously threatening stimuli lose their emotional charge, facilitating adaptive coping and resilience.
Furthermore, the study underscores the receptor’s influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a critical neuroendocrine system orchestrating the stress response. Agonism of the NOP receptor markedly attenuated cortisol release in response to conditioned stressors, highlighting a systemic role in calibrating both central and peripheral stress pathways. This holistic modulation potentiates the receptor’s candidacy as a molecular target for integrative treatment approaches aimed at mitigating stress-induced psychopathology.
At the molecular level, investigations revealed that NOP receptor activation initiates intracellular signaling via Gi/o protein coupling, resulting in decreased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production and subsequent attenuation of protein kinase A (PKA) activity. These downstream effects culminate in the modulation of gene expression patterns linked to synaptic plasticity, enabling long-term adaptation of neuronal circuits involved in aversive conditioning. The resultant epigenetic landscape adjustments may underlie sustained therapeutic benefits following receptor-targeted interventions.
Importantly, the favorable safety profile observed with NOP receptor agonists distinguishes them from traditional opioid-based treatments, which carry high risk for dependence, tolerance, and adverse side effects. Unlike mu-opioid receptor agonists, nociceptin’s engagement does not produce significant respiratory depression nor pronounced reward-motivated behaviors, presenting a promising alternative for managing affective disorders without compromising patient safety.
These findings emerge within a broader scientific context that increasingly recognizes the complexity of the brain’s neuromodulatory systems beyond classical neurotransmitters. The study’s integrative approach—melding behavioral neuroscience, pharmacology, neuroimaging, and endocrinology—exemplifies the cutting-edge methodologies driving contemporary psychopharmacological research. The identification of the NOP receptor as a pivotal modulator of learned emotional responses heralds a paradigm shift in therapeutic strategies targeting the neurobiology of fear and anxiety.
The translational implications are profound. Pharmaceutical development based on NOP receptor agonists could usher in a new class of anxiolytics and antidepressants capable of dismantling pathological fear memories with enhanced precision. Additionally, adjunctive use in cognitive-behavioral therapies might amplify treatment efficacy by biologically facilitating fear extinction and emotional recalibration.
While the study provides robust mechanistic insights, it also evokes crucial questions about the receptor’s role across diverse populations, comorbid conditions, and chronicity of symptoms. Longitudinal clinical trials will be vital to ascertain optimal dosing regimens, durability of therapeutic effects, and potential interactions with existing pharmacotherapies or psychotherapies. Moreover, given the receptor’s involvement in multiple physiological domains, expanding research into its systemic effects will enrich understanding of its full clinical utility.
In sum, the demonstration of nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonism as a modulator capable of attenuating aversive behavioral and neural responses stands as a landmark in neuropsychopharmacology. By illuminating a previously underappreciated neuromodulatory axis, this work paves the way for innovative, targeted interventions against some of the most debilitating mental health challenges rooted in maladaptive fear conditioning. As science advances, the promise of harnessing the nociceptin system to foster emotional resilience and mental well-being moves ever closer to fruition.
Subject of Research: Nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonism and its effects on conditioned aversive behavioral and neural responses
Article Title: Nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonism attenuates behavioral and neural responses to conditioned aversive stimuli
Article References:
Hur, KH., Pizzagalli, D.A., Stover, J. et al. Nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonism attenuates behavioral and neural responses to conditioned aversive stimuli. Transl Psychiatry (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04111-5
Image Credits: AI Generated
Scientists have long known that migrating birds and homing pigeons navigate in part by sensing the Earth's magnetic fields, especially at night or in overcast conditions when visual landmarks or sunshine are in short supply. But exactly where this magneto-sensing occurs in the body—and the mechanism that enables it—remains a matter of intense debate. A new paper published in the journal Science suggests that homing pigeons have iron-rich immune cells in their livers that help them detect magnetic fields and transmit that information to the brain.
There are three primary hypotheses for how birds might sense Earth's geomagnetic field. One is a compass-like mechanism, whereby the Earth exerts a pull on magnetic particles in a bird's upper beak that relays directional information via a large nerve in the cranium. A second is that it happens biologically via cellular ion channels sensitive to voltage, enabling birds to sense changes in the magnetic field. And a third suggests that physical effects on retinal pigments enable birds to detect photons and send signals to the brain, although this mechanism is really only viable in the light.
None fully explain how animals can sense magnetic fields. However, “We had some clues that the liver and spleen have magnetic properties, because they break down red blood cells and so store much iron in the body,” said co-author Clivia Lisowski of the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn. This refers to a 2015 paper suggesting that red pulp macrophages in the spleens of mice and humans are intrinsically superparamagnetic and hence more sensitive to magnetic fields. But it wasn't clear if those properties were involved in any kind of magnetoreception.
© Christian Ziegler/ Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crime
© Maskot/Getty Images
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