Our ability to learn new information and retain lifelong memories appears to lie in the minute junctions where nerve cells communicate, according to a new study conducted by NYU Langone Medicine Center researchers and published online this week in the journal Nature.

The scientists, led by Wen-Biao Gan, PhD, associate professor of physiology and neuroscience at NYU School of Medicine, discovered that a delicate balancing act occurs in the brain where neuronal connections are continually being formed, eliminated, and maintained. This feat allows the brain to integrate new information without jeopardizing already established memories.

An international team of scientists has developed a new method of measuring CO2 absorption by the oceans and mapped CO2 uptake for the entire North Atlantic for the first time.

Appearing tomorrow in the journal Science, the study could greatly improve our understanding of the natural ocean 'sinks' and enable more accurate predictions about how the global climate is changing.

The new technique could also lead to the development of an 'early-warning system' to detect any weakening of the ocean sinks – seen by some scientists as the first sign of more pronounced climate change.