The term “memorability” refers to the likelihood that a particular stimulus, such as an object, face or sound, will be remembered by those exposed to it. Over the past few years, some psychology studies have been exploring the extent to which some stimuli are intrinsically more memorable than others, or in other words, whether people are generally more likely to remember them compared to other stimuli of the same type.

Researchers at the University of Chicago recently set out to specifically investigate the memorability of voices. Their findings, published in Nature Human Behaviour, suggest that some voices are more memorable than others and their memorability can be consistently predicted across different listeners.

“Research on intrinsic memorability—the consistencies in what people remember and forget—is a fairly new but active area of cognitive psychology,” Cambria Revsine, first author of the paper, told Medical Xpress. “Many studies from our lab and others have extensively explored this phenomenon over the past decade, finding that participants tend to remember the same images of faces, scenes, objects, and much more. However, no prior study to our knowledge has investigated the memorability of auditory stimuli.”

A team of neurologists, neuroradiologists and biomaterials specialists affiliated with several institutions in Spain has found that marathon runners undergo a reversible reduction in myelin in the brain during a race. In their study published in the journal Nature Metabolism, the group analyzed MRI scans of marathon runners before and after a race and then at later intervals to learn more about how participating in long races impacts the brain.

The editors at the journal have published a Research Briefing that outlines the work in the same issue and suggest that the team’s findings could influence the understanding of brain metabolism.

The researchers recruited 10 runners—eight male and two female—and performed MRI scans of their brains before they ran a 42K marathon. They administered a second scan 24 to 48 hours later. Two of the runners received an MRI two weeks later, and six runners were scanned two months after the race as a follow-up.

Research conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that 1 in 4 adults using prescription stimulants engaged in misuse, and nearly 1 in 10 met the criteria for prescription stimulant use disorder (PSUD).

Findings show that amphetamine users were more likely to experience PSUD than those prescribed methylphenidate. Increased prescribing rates, particularly among middle-aged women, were observed, yet this demographic exhibited lower misuse rates than younger adults.

Concerns over stimulant misuse have grown as prescribing rates for these medications, commonly used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have increased. Clinical practice guidelines for adult ADHD remain absent, leading to variations in diagnosis and treatment. Questions about appropriate use persist as research indicates both the protective benefits of ADHD pharmacotherapy and its potential risks, including misuse, overprescription, and development of use disorders.

Sleep isn’t just a luxury, it’s a vital process that helps our bodies repair and rejuvenate. Researchers have started to uncover how the quality and timing of sleep can affect more than just how rested we feel—it might also affect the very blueprint of our cells: our DNA.

A new study from Canada found that melatonin, a hormone known for its role in regulating sleep, might help reverse some of the DNA damage caused by years of poor sleep.

Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in our brains when darkness falls. It signals to our bodies that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep. Beyond its sleep-inducing properties, melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant.

Dr. Michael Levin is on the verge of revolutionizing medicine by unlocking the bioelectric code that governs how cells communicate, heal, and build complex structures. His work reveals that intelligence exists at every level of biology—allowing us to reprogram tissues, regenerate limbs, and even suppress cancer by restoring cellular memory and connection.

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe.

Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com.

Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE

Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
/ @theoriesofeverything.

Links:

Ubiquitin marks proteins for degradation, whereby ubiquitin molecules can be combined in different types and numbers forming different chains. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) have developed the new UbiREAD technology to decode the various combinations of ubiquitin molecules—the ubiquitin code—which determine how proteins are degraded in cells.

Using UbiREAD, scientists label fluorescent proteins with specific ubiquitin codes and track their degradation in cells. The study, published in Molecular Cell, revealed which ubiquitin code can or cannot induce intracellular protein degradation.

Proteins are the building blocks of life, maintaining cellular structure and function. However, when proteins become damaged, misfolded, or obsolete, they can lead to a range of diseases, from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to cancer and muscular dystrophy. To prevent this, cells have developed a sophisticated system to mark unwanted proteins for degradation with a small protein called ubiquitin.

Type 2 diabetes may quietly alter the brain in ways that mimic early Alzheimer’s, weakening reward perception and memory signals in a key brain area called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In a rat study, diabetic animals still behaved normally but processed rewarding locations differently, s