Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 22 July 2026 · From issue 10

Cortical gray matter myelin cuts energy cost of spike propagation without increasing conduction velocity

In mice, brain fiber coating saves energy for nerve signals but does not speed them up.

Oron Kotler, Yana Khrapunsky et al.

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Also in issue 10 15 papers

Giving a drug within 12 hours cut serious kidney damage or death by about one third.
BMJ
The sun's 11 year activity cycle changes how much deep ocean water forms in the North Pacific.
Geophysical Research Letters
In spotted hyenas, inherited social rank made females more unequal in reproductive success than males.
Science Advances
Invasive species do more damage in poorer nations, not richer ones as long assumed.
Science
A DNA study found 11 gene locations linked to borderline personality disorder.
Nature Genetics
In lab tests, a shell around iron specks made cheap magnesium resist rust like pure magnesium.
Science Advances
In mice, a habit related brain area replayed a learned skill without the hippocampus.
Nature Neuroscience
In mouse embryos, distinct heart regions stretch in separate patterns as a simple tube becomes a curved chamber.
eLife
In lab tests, recycled plastic cracked sooner and failed faster than new plastic under stress and chemicals.
Science Advances
A new mapping method finds hidden stable and unstable shapes in connected springy systems.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
People learn at two speeds: a quick, temporary shift and a slow, lasting habit for each situation.
eLife
A planet's magnetic field left a fingerprint on its star's activity, seen from 18 years of light data.
Science
A stepped surface guides carbon layers to stack in a rare, highly ordered pattern.
Science
A computer model learned how the upper atmosphere remembers past sunlight before reacting fully.
Geophysical Research Letters

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