University of Arizona

Scientists at the University of Arizona have proposed a new understanding of cognitive aging, arguing that the brain's gradual shift away from precise memory toward accumulated wisdom may be an adaptive developmental stage rather than simple decline. The adaptive aging hypothesis, published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, suggests that aging brains rebalance activity between the hippocampus and frontal cortex to prioritize the sharing of stored expertise and social relationships over the retention of every detail.

A team led by astronomer Brittany Miles of the University of Arizona has confirmed that the coldest known brown dwarf, WISE 0855, hosts water ice clouds in its atmosphere. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers settled a decade-long debate over the nature of the object's spectral signature, revealing a dynamic world with patchy clouds and deep churning gases.