Noted

Alex Eben Meyer

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Using previously unavailable tools, a team co-led by a Yale researcher has reconstructed the genetic relationships of two extinct Galapagos giant tortoises. Because genetic material degrades over time, obtaining information from ancient DNA is a challenge for researchers studying extinct species and trying to establish relationships between populations. For this study, researchers extracted DNA from museum specimens, then combined the recovered genetic information and superimposed it onto a reference phylogenetic tree (a diagram that maps evolutionary relationships). Their approach, combining powerful computing tools, identified specimens from extinct San Cristóbal and Santa Fe island lineages. Connecting these extinct populations with tortoises alive today could have implications for conservation efforts throughout the Galapagos archipelago, and tools developed could be applied to other wildlife conservation efforts.

You’ve arrived home from work but don’t remember making the drive. What was your brain doing while you were on the road? Yale researchers have identified the brain signals responsible for actions taken by the body that we aren’t aware of until after the fact. In a study, participants played a timed puzzle game while simultaneously watching background videos they were told to memorize. Periodically, the game paused and asked them to identify their last move and rate their confidence. Correct answers with high confidence were deemed “aware” while incorrect answers with low confidence were labeled “unaware.” Participants’ brain activity was measured with electroencephalography, and researchers found distinct differences in brain signals between “aware” and “unaware” moves both before and after the action. They note that understanding how brain activity differs for aware versus unaware acts may help treat some brain disorders.