MaineHealth Institute for Research Community

  The Most Beautiful Science of the Year Insights from  Nautilus  in 2024. By Nautilus Editors   December 27, 2024 As ever, our writers and scientists this year took you to places where splendor and surprise abound, and shaped their discoveries into stories that allow you to experience the world anew. Enjoy these passages below. “There’s information,”  the librarian said , “and then there’s the right information.” By making documentaries that allowed people on their couches into the underwater world, Donald Nelson began to change people’s minds about sharks. A deadly, despised predator with a face full of teeth began to seem vulnerable, even elegant, a critical  choreographer of the ocean ecosystem . Contemporary scientists may cast aspersions on spells, mythical tales, and powers of divination. Not so for the early modern thinkers who laid the foundations of modern science. To them, the world teemed with the uncanny:  witches, unicorns, mermaids, star...

  Does Life’s Happiness Have a Shape? How we feel about life as we age is not as universal as we thought. By Alice Sun   December 30, 2024 It’s long been assumed that happiness across the lifespan shows a distinct “U” shape. When we’re young, and in relatively good health, we have high levels of happiness. In mid-life, happiness slumps as people grapple with the demands of adulthood and responsibilities of family life. As those responsibilities lessen with age, and as people gain more wisdom and perspective, their levels of happiness rise again.  Decades of research  had borne this out. U-shaped happiness curves seemed to be integral to the human experience. One  study  even reported that the pattern held in nonhuman primates in captivity, including chimpanzees and orangutans. But new research points out that most of the popular studies in humans (and in fact, even the nonhuman primate study) were done in well-resourced countries and regions, such as the Un...

Follow this link to read the COBRE in Metabolic Networks 2024 end of year report  (best viewed in full-screen format). COBRE-affiliated researchers, staff, trainees, and advisors have been very productive. This is a celebration of all of your hard work. Any omissions are unintentional. I would especially like to thank our external advisors, Drs. Evan Rosen, Jacqueline Stephens, and Emily Oken, and our MaineHealth advisors, Drs. Joe Nadeau and Doug Sawyer for their continued support and advice. 

Thanks to Calvin Vary for this contribution! From the NY Times For a Happier New Year, Focus on Your Loved Ones  Experts share how shifting from self-focused goals to thinking about others can have a positive impact on the year ahead. By Holly Burns Dec. 26, 2024 My New Year’s resolutions have always had one thing in common: They’ve been all about me. Some years I’ve vowed to pick up my high school French again; some years I’ve sworn off impulse shopping; and some years (OK, every year) I’ve promised myself I’d go to bed earlier. The goal, though, has always been the same: to become a better, happier version of myself. But while there’s nothing wrong with self-improvement, experts say that focusing on our relationships with the people around us may go a long way to making us happier. “Our society has treated happiness as a highly individualistic pursuit — the idea being that it’s something that you make for yourself, that you get for yourself, and you do it all alone,” said Stephan...

 This video was taken on the street in Arcadia, CA, home of  the  Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden . The garden is home to Indian Peafowl, who casually roam the neighborhoods...

 From Granted, by Adam Grant Your Favorite Ideas of 2024 Many people get goosebumps when enjoying beautiful music or art—they’re called aesthetic chills. I get them most often when I come across new insights and evidence that can enrich our lives. It’s clear from your comments that many of you do too. Looking back on 2024, here are the articles that captured your attention and the conversations that stimulated your imagination: Top articles: 1.  No, You Don’t Owe Me a Favor Generosity is not a loan to repay or a debt to settle. It's a gift to appreciate. 2.  There’s a Place for Everyone Why many people struggle to find their niche—and where yours might be hiding. 3.  Writer Math A short, hilarious take on writer’s block, procrastination, and looming deadlines. 4.  Chicken Littles are Ruining America Spreading doom and gloom is a self-fulfilling prophecy. 5.  I Was Wrong About the Olympics I used to think the ideal state of the world was transcending borders...