Explore current research and scientific developments curated by Seven Reflections. This section serves as our future home for official press releases - bridging the gap between discovery, structure, and meaning across science and society.
In one of the most rigorous modern tests of a classic psychedelic compound, researchers have found that a single dose of MM120, a purified lysergide formulation, produced significant and sustained reductions in generalized anxiety. The phase 2b, randomized, double-blind clinical trial - published in JAMA Psychiatry - showed dose-dependent improvements in anxiety scores up to four weeks after treatment. The results mark a pivotal step toward reintroducing lysergide-based compounds into mainstream psychiatry, not as a countercultural relic, but as a precisely tuned therapeutic molecule.
A team of Quebec researchers has created the first video-based verb-naming test tailored to Quebec French speakers, offering clinicians a sharper tool to assess speech disorders after stroke. Published in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, the new Test québécois de dénomination d'actions par visionnement de vidéos (TQ-DAV) uses short video clips instead of static images to evaluate verb retrieval - a frequent challenge for people with aphasia. By reflecting the real movement behind language, the test marks a major step toward dynamic assessment in neuropsychology.
Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center have found that modifying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) to directly address "fear of sleep" can enhance recovery from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Published in SLEEP Advances study shows that reducing fear around sleep not only improves insomnia but also amplifies the effects of trauma therapy. The findings highlight sleep as both a symptom and a pathway of healing for survivors of trauma.
A new article in JACC: Advances revisits one of cardiology's most entrenched beliefs - that aspirin should be continued indefinitely after a heart attack. Authors John G. F. Cleland and Andrew L. Clark argue that this long-standing practice may no longer be justified. Reviewing major trials, they suggest that informed patients may now understand the limits of aspirin therapy better than some of their doctors, raising a deeper question about how medicine distinguishes evidence from tradition.
A new open-access study in Human Communication Research reveals that the emotional impact of social media depends on sequence, not screen time. When Instagram users first interact with their own self-presentations - posts, stories, or profiles - they become more resilient to the envy often triggered by others' idealized images. The findings show how self-affirmation can act as a psychological buffer, reframing digital life as a space for emotional regulation rather than comparison.
A new chapter published by Oxford University Press revisits one of philosophy's oldest debates - whether reality is composed of enduring "things" or unfolding "processes." The discussion, led by thinkers like Rowland Stout and Helen Steward, questions how entities persist through time, and what it means for identity to exist in motion. For cognitive science, systems theory, and consciousness research, the implications are profound.
Everyday choices often pit temptation against caution. Should we take the risk or stay safe? A new study from Osnabrück University shows that this internal tug-of-war looks very different for each of us. Using EEG to measure mid-frontal theta waves - neural rhythms linked to cognitive control - researchers found no single "universal" pattern of decision conflict. Instead, the brain's response depends on how strongly each person values reward or fears punishment, revealing the deeply individual nature of self-control and motivation.
A new study from the University of Oxford introduces "transculturing" - a concept redefining how culture evolves through creativity, language, and human connection. Published in Applied Linguistics (Open Access), Alfred W. T. Lo explores how global fandoms, from Squid Game to K-pop, reveal a deeper process of cultural movement. In the GenAI age, where human imagination intersects with algorithmic production, transculturing offers a hopeful vision of creativity as a shared human - machine dialogue rather than a competition.
This Halloween, scientists from Kobe University have revealed that pumpkins and zucchini might be hiding more than just seeds inside their bright orange skins. The team discovered that certain varieties of these gourds draw toxic chemicals - like dioxins and dieldrin - straight from the soil and into their edible parts. At the heart of this unsettling ability lies a microscopic trick: a protein that decides whether the plant becomes a natural filter or a silent carrier of poison.
