The everyday nutrient a leading doctor says could help tame an anxious brain - BBC Science Focus Magazine

image: Crops at the ICTA-UAB build-integrated rooftop greenhouse, at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Factors such as sunlight and stage-specific nutrient application determine crop success in urban agriculture, far beyond fixed recipes or miracle solutions. This is demonstrated by an eight-year study conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) in its build-integrated rooftop greenhouse, thermally connected to the facility itself, and located within the university campus.

Northwestern scientists have identified, for the first time, a specific group of neurons -- cells in the brain -- that appear to contribute to anxiety caused by cannabinoid drugs, particularly when those drugs are combined with stressful conditions. Cannabinoids are a category of substances that includes THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. To investigate how cannabinoids influence fear and anxiety, researchers exposed mice to a threatening smell derived from fox urine. Before encountering the odor, the animals were given either a placebo or a synthetic cannabinoid drug.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researcher Isaiah Santistevan led the development of three-dimensional simulations exploring how a nuclear device could deflect or disrupt an asteroid threatening Earth. Credit: Blaise Douros/LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers are developing three-dimensional simulations to examine how a nuclear device could be used to deflect or potentially disrupt an asteroid threatening Earth.