Inside the Backrooms: The internet’s creepiest place is becoming a tourist attraction

The Backrooms began as a single eerie image of empty yellow rooms, but internet users transformed it into a vast fictional world that feels disturbingly real. Through videos, games, maps, survival guides and social media stories, audiences do more than watch the horror unfold. They help build and explore it. Researchers suggest this popularity reflects a new kind of digital tourism, where people emotionally enter imaginary places filled with mystery, nostalgia and unease.

from Relationships News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015254.htm

Brain activity under anesthesia challenges what we know about consciousness

The unconscious brain appears to be far more capable than scientists once believed. Researchers found that patients under general anesthesia could still process language at a sophisticated level, distinguishing nouns, verbs, and adjectives while listening to stories. Even more remarkably, neural activity showed signs of predicting upcoming words before they were heard. The results challenge traditional ideas about consciousness and hint at new possibilities for brain-computer interfaces.

from Relationships News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260624025514.htm

Scientists found an early depression clue hidden in children’s eyes

Depression appears to change what children notice in the faces around them, but the effect depends on family history. Kids with a higher inherited risk became more focused on sadness, while lower-risk children lost some of their natural attention to happy expressions.

from Relationships News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260616102214.htm

Scientists discover gut bacteria that may help protect against autism and ADHD

A major study suggests that some of the groundwork for brain development may be shaped before birth through a surprising partnership between a baby’s genes and gut microbes. Researchers found that epigenetic changes present at birth can influence how the gut microbiome develops during the first year of life, and certain combinations were linked to early signs of autism and ADHD by age three.

from Relationships News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260602021645.htm

Think you’re bad at languages? Experts say these 5 myths are to blame

Many people avoid learning a new language because they remember stressful grammar lessons or fear making mistakes. But language experts say communication, culture, and connection matter far more than perfection. Modern apps, entertainment, travel, and online communities have made learning easier, more social, and surprisingly fun.

from Relationships News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260521072412.htm

Artificial neurons successfully communicate with living brain cells

Engineers at Northwestern University have taken a striking leap toward merging machines with the human brain by printing artificial neurons that can actually communicate with real ones. These flexible, low-cost devices generate lifelike electrical signals capable of activating living brain cells, a breakthrough demonstrated in mouse brain tissue.

from Relationships News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260417225020.htm

Scientists link childhood stress to lifelong digestive issues

Early life stress may set the stage for long-term digestive problems by disrupting the gut-brain connection. Studies in both mice and thousands of children found links to symptoms like pain, constipation, and IBS. Scientists discovered that different biological pathways control different gut issues, hinting at more personalized treatments in the future. The research also highlights how a child’s early environment can have lasting physical effects—not just emotional ones.

from Relationships News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260317064444.htm