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Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy: 10 Other Ways Alex Karev Could Have Left The Show – Screen Rant

We recently saw an episode of Grey's Anatomy where we said goodbye to Alex Karev, and fans were not happy with the outcome. He ended up writing letters to several of his colleagues, and even his wife, letting them all know he had run away with Izzie Stevens. It turns out that she had birthed their two children and he was now happily living in the countryside with his new family.

RELATED:Every Sizzling Season Of Grey's Anatomy So Far, Ranked

Fans felt it was a stab in the back to Joe, his wife, as she didn't deserve to be left in this manner and Karev was a better man than that. There have been several recommendations for other ways in which he could have left, and we have decided to list a few. Keep reading to learn about 10 other ways Alex Karev could have left the show!

The most common answer for removing characters from the series is an emotional and dramatic death. He could have been hit by a car, fell from a building, or so many other absurd things could have happened.

This is what fans had expected would happen when it was announced that he would not be making a return to the series, and many still wish it would have ended in this way. It would have broken our hearts, but at least he wouldn't have been a jerk to Joe in a simple letter.

Karev could easily have left for Switzerland to aid Dr. Cristina Yang after his hospital was closed down. Fans could have accepted this as Joe had every right to go with him, and it would help explain his lack of contact.

Yang runs such a huge operation overseas that more bodies would always be a welcome sight where she is working. Karev could have continued to research procedures and tools to help his pediatric patients while working closely with a mind as excellent as Yang's.

It is no secret that his mother has had her fair share of issues in the past, as her illness helped to shape Karev's future. We could understand if he left once again to care for her, and Joe would have understood and possibly even moved with him.

Fans knew his mother was doing better as she was rejoining the workforce and working with a medical team, but this was not the direction the writers decided to take. Karev had a big heart that would have done anything for his family, but in the end, it wasn't enough for him to stay with Joe.

Karev could have simply disappeared without another word a trace as police classifyhim as a missing person. It would leave everyone in the dark, as we all wonder what could have happened to him, but it would be better than the ending they gave us.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 5 Characters Who Have Grown A Lot (& 5 Who Haven't)

Joe would eventually have to move on as no information is found on his whereabouts. It could have been as simple as a walk in the park that went wrong or a quick trip to the corner store that ended in him being gone forever. Fans didn't need a whole explanation, although, some hope that he might one day return was better than nothing.

It doesn't really fit with Karev's persona, but then again, running off with Izzie didn't either. He could have simply joined the military after his position was vanquished at the other hospital. It would have left the door wide open and it would explain why he was never in the show as he was deployed overseas.

They could have eventually killed him or created a falling out between him and Joe as he revealed his true calling was to never come back home. It would have been heartbreaking, although, we wouldn't have been left with an Izzie-sized stain on his image.

We know from earlier seasons that Karev was faced with the decision totake a fellowship at John Hopkins Hospital across the country. When his position was terminated at Pac North, they could have offered him another opportunity to work at their hospital.

They have an excellent pediatrics program that many strive to be accepted into, and he would be a perfect fit even years after the fellowship opportunity. It would have been a dream come true and Joe would have pushed him to pursue it, even though it would take him far away from her.

This one seems unlikely, but perhaps Karev became addicted to drugs after he was laid off from Pac North. It would be easy for a doctor like himself to obtain the substances, and his less-than-perfect background could have led him to this life.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: Top 10 Fan Favorite Characters, Ranked

This wouldn't be one we would personally choose for him as he made such great strides to better himself, although, it was definitely a possibility. We saw so many things go wrong before his departure between Joe's mental illness and the loss of his job that he could have turned to a new outlet to release his feelings.

Karev has always had a temper and has taken it out on several people throughout his time on the show. They could have used this angle to have him sent away for good. This is another unlikely outcome as he seems happy and able to control his own emotions, but something could have triggered his severe anger. It could cause him to beat up the wrong person and end with his license stripped and his presence seemingly out of the show for good.

Weirder things have happened and Karev himself could have become a vegetable or sent into a coma due to some unforeseen traumatic brain injury. This wouldn't kill him, but he also wouldn't be able to do anything as he lies in a bed for months and years until he finally wakes.

We don't know if Joe would have pulled the plug, but it wouldn't be hard to stash a fake body or create some fake scenes where he is lying motionless on a bed. The only issue is that Joe probably would have stuck by his side, but we could also see her moving on after so much time had passed.

Karev's mother suffered fromschizophrenia, so it wouldn't be strange for Karev to develop mental illness later in life. We already know they are pursuing this storyline with Andrew DeLuca, but it would show a quick exit for Karev from the show as he is permanently admitted to a psychiatric ward.

He could have developed a weird brain disease that causes him to enter this quick downward spiral and we could routinely hear reports from Joe on the progression. It wouldn't be ideal, but neither was Karev leaving everything behind to pursue a life with Izzie.

NEXT:Grey's Anatomy: All Of Alex Karev's Relationships, Ranked

NextThe Big Bang Theory: 10 Reasons Why Bernadette Got Worse & Worse

Rebecca O'Neill is a reader and writer based in Ohio, near the heart of the CLE. She enjoys starting fires in her kitchen and collecting pins when she's not writing for Valnet, Inc. as an Organic List Writer. She writes for her blog, Creative Measures, and works towards the completion of her fantasy novel.

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Grey's Anatomy: 10 Other Ways Alex Karev Could Have Left The Show - Screen Rant

Anatomy

Skeletal Figures Conjure the Uncanny in Anatomical Paintings by Artist Jason Limon – Colossal

Art#anatomy#painting#skeleton#skulls

90 ML (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches. All images Jason Limon, shared with permission

In an effort to make his otherworldy works more accessible, San Antonio-based artist Jason Limon began creating a substantial collection of small paintings in 2008. Today, Limon continues to add to his Fragments series, which centers on skeletal figures and anatomical forms that often feature stripes, polka dots, and other intricate patterns. His anthropomorphic works indicate movement, like a tube of bone cream that oozes out a skeleton or another character who drives a metal spear through a cracked heart.

With a focused color palette of muted jewel tones and neutrals, Limons uncanny projects largely consider how history pervades daily life. Within the elements that surround us every day are bits of someone elsea record of thoughts made up of color, typography and symbols marked onto paper and metal to represent products throughout time, he said in a statement.

The artist tells Colossal that Fragments feels especially personal and serves as an exploration of ideas that often turn into larger projects. I will sometimes have some of these smaller pieces in gallery shows, but for the most part they are a direct connection between me and the collectors, he says. I often hear them tell me that the piece struck a chord on how they are feeling or how it relates to their past.

Limon offers some originals and prints in hisshop, and shares more of paintings that consider whats left behind after death on Instagram.(via Booooooom)

Puncture (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches

Bubble Love (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches

Left: Enclose (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches. Right: Vivid Dream (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches

Cant Find the Words (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches

Doom Tube (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches

Left: Succumb (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches. Right: The View From Here (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches

House of Cards (2020), acrylic on panel, 6 x 8 inches

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets.

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Skeletal Figures Conjure the Uncanny in Anatomical Paintings by Artist Jason Limon - Colossal

Embryology

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom offers distance learning videos – The Rock River Times

Staff Report

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Illinois families doing their part to social distance during school and restaurant closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic can add additional agriculture educational activities to the digital resources at their fingertips.

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) and the state agriculture education system are offering online lessons and resources to help educators, parents and students, especially while schools statewide are closed.

An IAITC video lesson is a new addition to the programs selection of online ag-related lessons and resources. IAITC plans to provide videos at noon Monday through Friday featuring simple lesson demonstrations that link to a worksheet, website and other resources. A milk lesson video was first in the new lineup.

We think many schools are looking to find alternative activities or e-learning activities, said Kevin Daugherty, Illinois Center for Agricultural Engagement director. Along with providing teachers and students another educational option, this helps integrate agriculture into curriculum, said Daugherty.

Second in the IAITC lineup is a 10 a.m. Monday through Friday poultry embryology activity featuring chickens being hatched.

Information and resources may be found on IAITCs website or Facebook page. County literacy coordinators will also share information through social media.

Video lesson one Where does my milk come from? can be accessed here.

Video lesson two Illinois eggs in the classroom can be accessed here.

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Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom offers distance learning videos - The Rock River Times

Embryology

My husband and I cant agree on our future after IVF. How do we move on? – The Guardian

My husband and I both have fertility issues and underwent IVF. We were lucky to conceive our child (who is now one) on the first attempt; it was a complicated, high-risk pregnancy. After the birth I had some health issues, including postnatal depression (PND), but have now recovered. I think my husband found this much more stressful than I did.

We originally wanted two or three children. Before beginning IVF, we agreed to use all the embryos from the cycle. However, he now says that he thought we agreed to use all the embryos until we had a child, then decide what to do with any that were left (I believe this may be a genuine miscommunication).

We have one frozen embryo remaining, which I am desperate to use. I understand its unlikely to work, but the grief in that event would be better for me than the uncertainty of leaving it. My husband doesnt want the stress of another pregnancy, although specialists have said its unlikely to be as much of a problem a second time. He also sees the embryo as just cells, not our potential child.

Added to this, we agreed to move to his home country for five or six years once we had children. He is keen to leave soon but I feel too mama bear about our embryo to even think about it. I can accept not having a second child, but hate the idea of never giving this embryo a chance. How can we get through this impasse?

Congratulations on the birth of your baby. Im sorry to hear you had such a rough time. It must have been hard on you and your husband. While attention rightly went to you, I do think partners (and their trauma) are often overlooked after difficult pregnancies and births. This may be at the heart of your husbands resistance to try again. He may want to protect and cherish what he has and not, as he perceives it, risk it.

I consulted couples and family therapist Armele Philpotts (bacp.co.uk). She felt there were three issues you disagree about: how many children you both ultimately want; what to do with the final embryo; and where you end up living. Its important to focus on each issue separately and not lump them together. Because discussions around the embryo, for example, probably touch on core values such as ethics and beliefs, Philpotts suggested, while the moving is more about practicalities.

She pointed out that, when you originally discussed how many children you wanted and moving abroad, your world was different. Now you have been through a difficult pregnancy and PND, youre sleep-deprived and trying to make space for these conversations while being new parents. In other words, you need to start these conversations afresh, based on where you are now. You also need to allow yourselves a bit of time. I know you are keen to get on but, with a one-year-old, youre still very much in newparent territory, with all that brings.

Philpotts suggested making proper time for these conversations: find a babysitter, put a date in the diary and create space to talk about the issues individually. She also thought that you and your husband were focused on, and avoiding, different things. You are focused on the embryo, but minimising the difficulties before and after birth. He is distancing himself from the embryo and focusing on the problems surrounding the pregnancy and birth. It might help to acknowledge this, because you need actively to listen to each others fears and not bat them away in attempting to justify your own points.

You might think you know what these fears are but its important to voice them. If you can open up a space where you can talk safely and explore the way you feel, there might be room for a bit of give and take. You might decide, for example, that you will move abroad if you try for another child. Compromise is the best way forward. Otherwise, you end up with one person getting what they want and the other not, which is a breeding ground for resentment. Can you put the move on hold to buy more time?

Alternatively, you can leave the country and come back for the embryo make sure your clinic has your new details, or take the embryo with you with the help of your UK clinic. The Human Fertility and Embryology Authority website has information on importing and exporting embryos and the conditions that need to be met.

Send your problem to annalisa.barbieri@mac.com. Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure the discussion remains on the topics raised by the article. Please be aware that there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.

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My husband and I cant agree on our future after IVF. How do we move on? - The Guardian

Embryology

Women told NOT to have IVF amid the coronavirus outbreak by fertility watchdog – Infosurhoy

Women are being urged not to have IVF amid the coronavirus outbreak over fears the virus negatively affects pregnancy.

A statement issued by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology says all couples considering fertility treatment should avoid becoming pregnant at this time.

It advised those who are already having IVF to consider freezing their eggs or the embryos they have created for a pregnancy until the pandemic is halted.

Meanwhile a mother-to-be is concerned hospitals will be overwhelmed when she is due to give birth next month.

Natalie Lyons, from Derby, is due to give birth to her second child in a month. She says she is doing her best not to panic, but is concerned about hospitals becoming overwhelmed and has struggled to get hold of supplies such as nappies.

The 33-year-old mother-of-one has followed the Governments advice and yesterday stopped her job as a hairdresser to start maternity leave three weeks early.

Im trying not to panic but when you have a baby you need all these supplies, and how are we meant to get them if were advised to stay inside?

ESHRE says all those considering or planning treatment to have a baby should put it on hold as a precautionary measure.

But many of the 68,000 women who choose to have IVF every year in the UK are in their late thirties and have little time to delay.

It comes following reports of women infected with coronavirus giving birth to premature babies in China.

However ESHRE which provides guidance for fertility clinics across Europe and in the UK notes the reports are based on limited data with no strong evidence.

In its statement, ESHRE said: As a precautionary measure and in line with the position of other scientific societies in reproductive medicine we advise that all fertility patients considering or planning treatment, even if they do not meet the diagnostic criteria for Covid-19 infection, should avoid becoming pregnant at this time.

The NHS today revealed it would send pregnant staff to lower risk hospitals in areas with few cases of the virus as the crisis escalates over fears for their safety.

And mothers-to-be are strongly advised to follow social distancing measures such as avoiding public transport, socialising in groups or going to the cinema or reataruants.

Despite this, the Royal College of Midwives yesterday urged them to attend antenatal appointments.

The UKs chief medical adviser, Professor Chris Whitty, said there is currently no evidence to suggest any coronavirus-related complications in pregnancy.

But he added the UK was still very early in what we know about this, stating: Infections and pregnancy are not a good combination in general and that is why we have taken the very precautionary measure while we try and find out more.

Yesterday the Prime Minister said millions of the elderly and most vulnerable will need to shield themselves from social contact and stay at home for three months.

But theadvice stopped short of defining explicitly who needs to stay at home.

Pregnant women in the UK are expected to be among those told in the coming days to self-isolate for 12 weeks and avoid non-essential contact with others.

Boris Johnson acknowledged that drastic action was required to quell the spread of the deadly coronavirus which has killed 55 and infected more than 1,500 throughout the country.

By the weekend, those with the most serious conditions will be advised to take steps to ensure they are largely shielded from social contact for around 12 weeks.

It comes afterNHS hospitals were told tocancel operations for three months in a bid to free up 30,000 beds in preparation for a surge in coronavirus patients.

In a call to arms letter sent to hospital bosses today, NHS Englandsaid trusts should cancel all non-urgent surgeries starting from April 15 for at least 12 weeks.

It is hoped the measure could free up a third of the 100,000 hospital beds in England so the health service is not overwhelmed by the pandemic.

Staff who have family members self-isolating at home will also be offered to stay in a hotel for free so they can continue working and not have to join them in quarantine.

The letter, which laid out the health services coronavirus battle plan, also called for all inpatients who are medically fit to be discharged immediately.

It stated that staff must take part in special training for dealing with a high number of patients on ventilators andbegin work setting up makeshift intensive care wards.

The call to arms comes after the UK suffered 407 more coronavirus infections and two more deaths.It means there are now officially 1,950 people with the disease and 71 have succumbed to it.

Any cancer operations and patients needing emergency treatment will not be affected by the new measures.

The letter from NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: The operational aim is to expand critical care capacity to the maximum; free up 30,000 (or more) of the English NHSs 100,000 general and acute beds.

Assume that you will need to postpone all non-urgent elective operations from 15 April at the latest, for a period of at least three months.

However you also have full local discretion to wind down elective activity over the next 30 days as you see best, so as to free up staff for refresher training, beds for Covid-19 patients, and theatres/recovery facilities for adaptation work.

In the meantime hospitals were told to do as much elective surgery, such as hip operations and knee replacements, as possible so that by mid-April there are thousands more free beds.

Sir Simon warned frontline staff that dealing with the outbreak was going to be a very difficult time.

He said those required to self-isolate because a family member has symptoms or has tested positive will be offered to stay in a hotel.

The letter adds: For those staff affected by PHEs 14 day household isolation policy, staff should on an entirely voluntary basis be offered the alternative option of staying in NHS-reimbursed hotel accommodation while they continue to work.

Pregnant, elderly and staff with underlying conditions will either be moved to lower risk hospitals in areas with few cases, according to the document.

Clinicians who fall under this category will be able to do online or video consultations from home.

As well as keeping staff healthy, Sir Simon said it was vital NHS staff were trained about how to care for ventilated patients.

He gave trusts two weeks to put all clinical and patient facing staff through refresher training.

Sir Simon added that patients who did not need to be in hospital should be discharged as quickly as possible adding: Community health providers must take immediate full responsibility for urgent discharge of all eligible patients identified by acute providers on a discharge list.

For those needing social care, emergency legislation before Parliament this week will ensure that eligibility assessments do not delay discharge.

This could potentially free up to 15,000 acute beds currently occupied by patients awaiting discharge or with lengths of stay over 21 days.

The letter confirmed that recently retired staff would be asked to return to the health service during the crisis and that medical students would be fast tracked into the NHS.

As the NHS ramped up its coronavirus efforts, the governments chief scientific adviser today revealed there are likely to be as many as 55,000 cases of coronavirusin the UK.

Sir Patrick Vallance said modelling of the spread of the disease in Britain showed that for every death there was likely to be 1,000 positive cases.

Latest official statistics put the death toll at 55 which means it is a reasonable sort of ballpark to think there are now more than 50,000 cases nationwide, he said.

Last week the government estimated the number of cases was likely to be between 5-10,000.

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Women told NOT to have IVF amid the coronavirus outbreak by fertility watchdog - Infosurhoy

Human Behavior

Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same – The Conversation US

The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?

As a behavioral neuroscientist who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them.

The word hoarding might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call hoarding disorder, keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment.

But hoarding is actually a totally normal and adaptive behavior that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards.

Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to fill root cellars so a family could last through a long, cold winter and still many died.

Similarly, squirrels work all fall to hide nuts to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert hide seeds the few times it rains and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clarks nutcracker can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds per fall and even remember where it put them.

Similarities between human behavior and these animals are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a deeply felt drive to feel safer.

My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into get hoarding mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But if its weight starts to drop, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage.

Kangaroo rats will also increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches the only safe place.

People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects want to take more stuff home with them afterward.

Demonstrating this shared inheritance, the same brain areas are active when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires.

Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop borrowing others cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items or ones that feel necessary.

So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you feel safer, less stressed, and actually protects you in an emergency.

At the same time theyre organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; its a version of the tragedy of the commons, wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but peoples tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone.

By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have employed shaming even punishment for millennia to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group.

And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under investigation for price gouging. Who wouldnt pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching?

People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run.

But thats cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend.

One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not charging $400 for a mask. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also offering aid wherever they can. Thats how the human species evolved, to get through challenges like this together.

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Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same - The Conversation US

Human Behavior

Gene mutation enhances cognitive flexibility in mice – National Institutes of Health

News Release

Friday, March 27, 2020

Findings may have implications for understanding epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered in mice what they believe is the first known genetic mutation to improve cognitive flexibilitythe ability to adapt to changing situations. The gene, KCND2, codes for a protein that regulates potassium channels, which control electrical signals that travel along neurons. The electrical signals stimulate chemical messengers that jump from neuron to neuron. The researchers were led by Dax Hoffman, Ph.D., chief of the Section on Neurophysiology at NIHs Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). It appears in Nature Communications.

The KCND2 protein, when modified by an enzyme, slows the generation of electrical impulses in neurons. The researchers found that altering a single base pair in the KCND2 gene enhanced the ability of the protein to dampen nerve impulses. Mice with this mutation performed better than mice without the mutation in a cognitive task. The task involved finding and swimming to a slightly submerged platform that had been moved to a new location. Mice with the mutation found the relocated platform much faster than their counterparts without the mutation.

The researchers plan to investigate whether the mutation will affect neural networks in the animals brains. They added that studying the gene and its protein may ultimately lead to insights on the nature of cognitive flexibility in people. It also may help improve understanding of epilepsy, schizophrenia, Fragile X syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder, which all have been associated with other mutations in KCND2.

Dax Hoffman, Ph.D., chief of the NICHD Section on Neurophysiology, is available for comment.

Hu, JH, et al. Activity-dependent isomerization of Kv4.2 by Pin1 regulates cognitive flexibility. Nature Communications.2020.

This media availability describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research.

About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): NICHD leads research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. For more information, visit https://www.nichd.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

###

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Gene mutation enhances cognitive flexibility in mice - National Institutes of Health

Human Behavior

The Conversation: Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same – Pocono Record

The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?

As a behavioral neuroscientist who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them.

Stockpiling provisions

The word "hoarding" might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call "hoarding disorder," keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment.

But hoarding is actually a totally normal and adaptive behavior that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards.

Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to fill root cellars so a family could last through a long, cold winter and still many died.

Similarly, squirrels work all fall to hide nuts to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert hide seeds the few times it rains and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clark's nutcracker can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds per fall and even remember where it put them.

Similarities between human behavior and these animals' are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a deeply felt drive to feel safer.

My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into "get hoarding" mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But if its weight starts to drop, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage.

Kangaroo rats will also increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches the only safe place.

People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects want to take more stuff home with them afterward.

Demonstrating this shared inheritance, the same brain areas are active when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires.

Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop "borrowing" others' cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items or ones that feel necessary.

So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you feel safer, less stressed, and actually protects you in an emergency.

More than a fair share

At the same time they're organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; it's a version of the "tragedy of the commons," wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but people's tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone.

By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have employed shaming even punishment for millennia to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group.

And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under investigation for price gouging. Who wouldn't pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching?

People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run.

But that's cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend.

One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not charging $400 for a mask. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also offering aid wherever they can. That's how the human species evolved, to get through challenges like this together.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts and is distributed by the Associated Press.

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The Conversation: Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same - Pocono Record

Human Behavior

Experts weigh in on COVID-19 pandemic – Daily Illini

Photo Courtesy of Dr. Sandra Darfour-Oduro

Dr. Sandra Darfour-Oduro poses for a photo in a local park. She encourages people to remain calm and follow preventative measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Sandra Darfour-Oduro teaches the CHLH 274: Introduction to Epidemiology course within the College of AHS. In this class, she talks to her students about the patterns of diseases, health services administration and health policy. With COVID-19 dramatically affecting the lives of every student at the University, the subject of this class seems more important than ever.

Darfour-Oduro has a background in infectious diseases. Her research focuses on the impact of social environments on disease outcomes and how human behavior could expose people to disease in general. With COVID-19, many people have turned to panicking, which she said is not good for handling the disease.

It is a novel disease, so we dont know much, Darfour-Oduro said. When theres something new and we dont know much about it, theres always a panic.

Scientists and doctors have learned the disease is spread through droplets. If an infected person sneezes or coughs and they are interacting with someone else, it could spread the disease further. However, she says research into treatments is still ongoing.

Darfour-Oduro encourages people to follow the preventative measures put in place by officials.

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, she said. If you have access to hand sanitizer, use the hand sanitizer. Try not to touch your face, the old and immunocompromised should try to stay at home. All these preventative measures are going to be helpful in minimizing the spread of the virus.

She commended on Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order he enacted on Friday. The fact that he spoke with expert epidemiologists and other professionals to inform his policies was encouraging to Darfour-Oduro.

These measures to stop the spread of the virus will be helpful, according to Darfour-Oduro. They will eventually reduce the number of new cases if people follow these orders.

As an expert on the social aspect of diseases, Darfour-Oduro also emphasized the importance of not panicking. She said while those who are immunocompromised may want to stock up on some supplies to minimize the number of times they have to leave their house, others at lower risk do not need to hoard toilet paper.

I dont think its a good idea to stockpile some of the essentials. If you have them, its okay, but you have to think about your neighbor, Darfour-Oduro said.

She encouraged people to remain calm and follow preventative measures. If someone feels sick, they should call their doctor about their symptoms. It will not help to get scared.

Professor Christopher Brooke is an assistant professor of microbiology whose research also focuses on infectious diseases.

He said he appreciates the efforts the University has gone through to handle this crisis. Putting classes online and limiting meetings and gatherings in a timely manner was an important action. They have taken the issue very seriously and moved rapidly to protect their students and staff.

Above all else, Brooke emphasized the importance of social distancing and quarantine. A vaccine will not be produced for several more months, he said, and we do not have licensed therapeutics that can be utilized in the near future.

Social distancing is the only tool we have in making the difference between responding to this very effectively and aggressively where everyone takes this seriously and does what theyre supposed to that gives the healthcare system a chance to adapt to the surge of cases, he said.

If people treat this with a cavalier attitude, they will continue to spread the virus. It will overwhelm the healthcare system, leading to a lack of essential equipment, such as beds or ventilators.

Brooke said it is everyones responsibility to do what they can to protect their community. Even young people who were not strongly affected by the disease (though he said in Europe and the United States, that is not the case; young people are battling the infection as well) must consider the impact of their actions on the elderly and immunocompromised.

One fact he wanted people to know was we are not helpless in this.

We do have the power to affect the outcomes here, Brooke said.

People can either listen to the recommendations from experts and limit the death and suffering, or they can disregard the facts and create a total catastrophe, he said.

Darfour-Oduro also stressed the importance of recognizing misinformation, as the number of those infected with the disease will continue to rise if people do not pay attention and do not respect the advice of experts.

Its helpful to get the right information to protect your health and your family, she said.

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Experts weigh in on COVID-19 pandemic - Daily Illini

Human Behavior

Pearl Jam’s first album in seven years gives us reason to rock on – New York Post

Its been seven years since Pearl Jams last studio album, Lightning Bolt, and the music world has missed them. Eddie Vedder and his grunge gang were one of the first major bands to postpone a tour due to the coronavirus crisis they were supposed to be playing Madison Square Garden on Monday. But at least we have their new LP, Gigaton, out Friday, to give us good reason to rock on right now. Here are six highlights that will have you breaking out your flannel again.

The chugging guitars crank up a beast of a rocker featuring a primal vocal by Vedder. When he sings, Dont allow for hopelessness, focus on your focusness/Ive been hoping that our hope does last, it feels eerily prescient at this moment.

On this moody meditation, Vedder is a voice of comfort to the isolated: Its all right to be alone/To listen for a heartbeat, its your own/Its all right to quiet up/To disappear in thin air, its your own.

Unleashing the kind of fury a lot us are feeling now, this stomping tirade with Vedder raging about the disease of confusion, stripped of our grace will have you headbanging all around your home.

This blistering track could well describe the long road Pearl Jam took to making Gigaton. But when Vedder sings, I always take the long way that leads me back to you, you get the feeling that an eventual return was never in doubt.

Some of the best moments on any PJ album are always the quieter ones. And Vedder, in tender troubadour mode, gives you all the feels on this folky ballad. Could all use a savior from human behavior sometimes, he sings as if he already knew something was about to go down.

The Gigaton closer will have you wading in emotions as the ever-earnest Vedder brings the album to an evocative end. Theres solace to be found in the lyrics: Wide awake through this deepest night/Still waiting on the sun/As the hours seem to multiply/Find a star to soldier on.

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Pearl Jam's first album in seven years gives us reason to rock on - New York Post