Understanding how our brain interprets social hierarchy or facial emotions may be key to advancing our knowledge of anxiety and mood disorders. This is the aim of the project led by researcher Maya Visser at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló, which studies the role of the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) in the brain network that gives meaning to social and emotional concepts.

The anterior temporal lobe (ATL) has traditionally been understudied due to the geometric distortions produced in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which have hindered accurate analysis of this region. However, previous studies by the NFN group at the Universitat Jaume I have used specific techniques to overcome these limitations and have demonstrated the ATL’s involvement in processing meaning and in making social and emotional decisions.

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that Neanderthals living in two nearby caves in northern Israel—butchered their food in noticeably different ways. Despite using the same tools and hunting the same prey, groups in Amud and Kebara caves left behind distinct patterns of cut-marks on animal bones, suggesting that food preparation techniques may have been culturally specific and passed down through generations. These differences cannot be explained by tool type, skill, or available resources, and may reflect practices such as drying or aging meat before butchering. The findings provide rare insight into the social and cultural complexity of Neanderthal communities.

A study by The University of Osaka and the National Institute for Environmental Studies aimed to understand how different rewards influence citizen contributions to biodiversity data. Using the Biome app, 830 users joined a one-week experiment offering either cash, donation-based, or no incentives for posting nature photos. Cash increased total posts, while donations encouraged sharing of rare species. The study reveals how tailoring incentives can improve both the quantity and quality of biodiversity data collected through citizen science.

Kyoto, Japan -- Many people tend to trust dogs' instincts regarding humans. If dogs gravitate towards you, dog lovers will likely see you as safe and trustworthy, but if dogs are apprehensive around you, some may begin to question your character. Yet how and even if dogs socially evaluate people remains a mystery.

Studies have demonstrated that cognitively complex and social animal species -- such as chimpanzees -- can form reputations of humans either through direct interaction or by observing third-party interactions. The historically intimate relationship dogs have with humans has also made them the focus of considerable research, but findings have proven inconsistent.

Previous research conducted at the Wolf Science Center in Austria found that pack-living dogs and wolves did not form reputations of individual humans after both direct and indirect experience with them. This nonjudgmental attitude may be due to the animals' limited experience interacting with humans, so further study required the participation of more experienced dogs.

A new study adds to evidence suggesting that people’s perceptions of others’ tears as sincere or manipulative likely depends on a variety of contextual factors. The findings suggest tears may be perceived as more honest when shed in non-manipulative social situations and by people who are less expected to cry. Monika Wróbel of the University of Lodz, Poland, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on July 16, 2025.