IQgenio Blog
Science-backed news on intelligence, neuroscience, and brain training
Meta-Representational Predictive Coding: A Brain-Like Self-Supervised Learning Model
Researchers propose Meta-Representational Predictive Coding (MPC), a neuroscience-inspired self-supervised learning model that uses active inference to learn representations without backpropagation.
LLMs Fail to Match Human Imagination Network Structure Across Cultures
New research shows human mental imagery networks are consistent across cultures, but large language models cannot replicate this structure, revealing limits of purely linguistic training.
How Stress Ages Your Immune System Through Gut Bacteria
Chronic stress suppresses brain regions that control gut bacteria, depleting anti-aging spermidine and accelerating immune aging in mouse bone marrow stem cells.
Bumble Bees Demonstrate Spontaneous Problem-Solving in Classic Intelligence Test
Bumble bees solved a novel object-manipulation task without training, challenging the belief that spontaneous problem-solving is unique to large-brained animals.
Aphantasia Shows Abstract Thought Doesn't Need Mental Images
A new study argues that aphantasia, the inability to form mental images, disproves classical theories that abstract thought requires sensory visualization.
Maternal High-Fructose Diet Epigenetically Harms Fetal Brain Development
A new study shows that when pregnant rats consume high fructose corn syrup, their offspring suffer permanent learning and memory deficits due to epigenetic changes that silence neurogenesis genes.
AI Targets Brain Inflammation in APOE4 Alzheimer's Carriers
USC researchers use AI to find molecules that inhibit the cPLA2 enzyme, potentially stopping pre-symptomatic brain inflammation in APOE4 gene carriers, the highest genetic risk for late-onset Alzheimer's.
Rats Show Genuine Empathy, Just Not Like Humans Do
Rats display flexible, other-oriented helping behavior that qualifies as empathy, though they lack the mental-state mapping seen in humans, according to a new multidimensional analysis.
How Your Brain Compresses Goals to Learn Faster
New research shows that the brain compresses complex goals into simple rules, freeing working memory and boosting learning efficiency.
Social Media Recalibrates How the Brain Values Mental Effort
New research shows digital media doesn't destroy attention but changes how the brain values effort, making deep work feel harder.
New AI Method Predicts Brain Stimulation Responses from Minutes of Data
Researchers used differentiable biophysical models to predict neural responses to electrical stimulation with 90.6% accuracy, replacing hours of testing with minutes of recording.
Acetaminophen Use in Pregnancy Does Not Raise Autism or ADHD Risk
A large sibling-matched study of over 700,000 mother-child pairs finds no link between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism or ADHD, reassuring expectant mothers.