An intriguing editorial in the Psychedelics journal announces an expanded focus beyond traditional psychedelic compounds to include the full spectrum of consciousness-altering substances. Editor-in-Chief Dr. Julio Licinio frames this approach as part of humanity's ongoing quest to transcend our inherent incompleteness.

A new study published in The American Naturalist links grazing halo patterns in coral reefs, as well as those in other patchy habitats, to the spatial patterns of the shelter habitat itself. The researchers found that grazing halos are distinct when the coral is clustered but merge into each other when the coral is dispersed. According to the lead author, "...gaining a better understanding of how halo patterns reflect reef community dynamics may be useful in reef conservation efforts."

A team of engineers at UC San Diego is making it easier for researchers from a broad range of backgrounds to understand how different species are evolutionarily related, and support the transformative biological and medical applications that rely on these species trees. The researchers developed a scalable, automated and user-friendly tool called ROADIES that allows scientists to infer species trees directly from raw genome data, with less reliance on the domain expertise and computational resources currently required.

Neuroscientists are developing methods to map the brain systems that allow us to recognize and get around our world.

Friendship comes with complex pros and cons – possibly explaining why some individuals are less sociable, according to a new study of gorillas.