eLife Science Digests

Latest

1. 

   Immune suppressors

   Malaria exposure in children may leave long-lasting effects on the immune system by weakening immune responses to other pathogens later in life.
2. 

   When sperm competition disappears

   Reduced sperm competition in gorillas has led to relaxed selection on male reproductive genes, revealing new genetic contributors to fertility in both gorillas and humans.
3. 

   Closing the tube

   A new high-throughput organoid screening platform identifies three genes essential for proper neural tube closure in the developing human forebrain.
4. 

   Born ready for the music

   Infants as young as 3 months show strong brain responses to music, but structured spontaneous movement responses emerge only by 12 months, suggesting that auditory processing of music precedes the development of complex music-driven motor behavior.
5. 

   Dividing the cortex

   Neural activity profiles in mice reveal how behaviorally relevant activity is organized across the sensorimotor cortex.
6. 

   Brawn before bite

   Early mammals became relatively large-bodied before their teeth evolved the diverse shapes and functions associated with different diets and ecological roles.
7. 

   When a memory is born

   Babies can identify speakers from birth, enabling their first, episodic-like memories.
8. 

   A genetic time capsule

   Whole-genome sequencing of the Faroese population reveals a unique genetic history shaped by Viking and Celtic ancestry, founder effects, isolation, and adaptation, providing new insight into disease risk and human evolution in the North Atlantic.