Crows settle a visual choice in roughly half the time primates need
Two carrion crows at the University of Tübingen learned to judge whether dots on a screen were mostly drifting left or right, answering by pecking a target. They averaged 235 milliseconds per decision with near-perfect accuracy on clear patterns, and recordings from a key associative brain area showed direction signals separating as early as 70 milliseconds after the dots appeared. The authors read this as evidence that a differently built bird brain can follow similar decision-making principles to primates, only faster.
Source: Phys.org — https://phys.org/news/2026-10-crows-decisions-fast-humans-monkeys.html
Fish oil got into the brain but did not improve memory in a two-year trial
In a double-blind trial, 365 adults aged 55 to 80 who rarely ate fish and faced elevated Alzheimer's risk took either 2,000 mg of DHA daily or a placebo for two years. After six months, DHA in spinal fluid had risen 17% in the supplement group, showing the nutrient reached the central nervous system, yet after two years the supplement group scored no better on memory and thinking tests and showed no less shrinkage of the memory-related hippocampus than the placebo group.
Source: ScienceDaily — https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261020085427.htm
More weekly movement tracked with slower Parkinson's decline over seven years
Researchers followed 294 people with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease, average age 66, for up to seven years, grouping them by self-reported weekly activity. Those active more than eight hours a week showed almost no yearly drop on a 30-point thinking and memory test and a slight yearly improvement on a movement-symptom scale, while those active four hours or less declined on both measures. Because activity was self-reported and the design was observational, the study shows an association, not proof that movement itself slowed the disease.
Source: University of Cincinnati — https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2026/09/greater-physical-activity-slower-progression-in-parkinsons-uc-study.html