Skip to main content

Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

Post a Comment

How Long Do Neurons Continue To Form In The Human Brain?

For decades, scientists believed that once we reach adulthood, our brains stop growing new neurons. This belief shaped our understanding of brain function, aging, and even mental health. But a new study published in the prestigious journal Science has turned this idea on its head.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now provided solid evidence that new neurons continue to form in the hippocampus of adult humans — even into old age. This stunning discovery reshapes our knowledge of the human brain and opens exciting doors for treating neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, depression, and even age-related memory loss.

The Hippocampus: The Brain’s Memory Engine

Before diving into the study, it’s essential to understand the hippocampus. This small, seahorse-shaped structure deep within the brain plays a central role in:

  • Learning

  • Memory formation

  • Spatial navigation

  • Emotional regulation

Damage to the hippocampus is linked to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, PTSD, and major depression.

Traditionally, scientists thought the hippocampus developed only during early life. The idea that it could keep producing new neurons into adulthood was controversial and largely unproven — until now.

The Background: A Long-Standing Scientific Mystery

In 2013, Dr. Jonas Frisén and his team at Karolinska Institutet showed that new neurons could be generated in adult brains, using an innovative method that measured carbon-14 levels in DNA from brain tissues.

But while their findings were exciting, many experts remained skeptical. The big question was: Where do these new neurons come from? Are there truly neural progenitor cells — immature brain cells that can become neurons — in adult brains?

Until this latest study, the existence, identity, and activity of these cells in adult humans had not been clearly confirmed.

The New Study: Proof That Neurons Keep Growing

Led once again by Professor Jonas Frisén, the new research team has now successfully:

✅ Identified neural progenitor cells in adult human hippocampus
✅ Tracked their development from stem cells to immature neurons
✅ Confirmed active neurogenesis (new neuron formation) in adults — even up to age 78
✅ Pinpointed the specific location where this happens: the dentate gyrus

This discovery is not just important — it’s historic.

Advanced Tools Uncover Hidden Neuron Growth

To achieve these findings, the scientists used cutting-edge tools:

  1. Single-Nucleus RNA Sequencing

    • Analyzes gene activity in the nucleus of individual brain cells

    • Helps identify what stage of development each cell is in

  2. Flow Cytometry

    • Measures cell size, structure, and properties

    • Allows researchers to study thousands of cells at once

  3. Machine Learning Algorithms

    • Sorted the cells into categories based on developmental stage

    • Helped track the journey from stem cell to neuron

  4. RNAscope & Xenium Imaging Techniques

    • Visualize exactly where in the brain tissue specific genes are active

    • Confirmed that neurogenesis occurs in the dentate gyrus, a crucial memory region

Together, these methods gave researchers an unprecedented view into the hidden world of adult brain growth.

What Makes This Study So Special?

This is the first study to combine molecular biology, advanced imaging, and AI-driven analysis to prove the presence and activity of neural progenitor cells in the adult human brain.

It’s also one of the few studies to examine donated brain tissue from people aged 0 to 78, giving a wide view of how brain development continues through life.

Another surprising finding? There’s huge variation between individuals. Some adults had a high number of neural progenitor cells, while others had very few.

This variability could explain why some people retain sharp memory into old age — and why others don’t.

Why Does Adult Neurogenesis Matter?

The formation of new neurons in adulthood is more than a scientific curiosity — it has real-world implications for health and healing.

Here’s why this matters:

🧠 1. Memory and Learning

New neurons help process and store new information. This could be crucial for maintaining memory as we age.

💊 2. Mental Health Treatment

Low levels of neurogenesis are linked to depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Boosting neurogenesis could lead to better treatments.

🧬 3. Brain Repair

Stimulating neuron growth could help repair brain damage caused by injury, stroke, or neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

👵 4. Healthy Aging

Understanding how some adults keep producing neurons could lead to personalized therapies for cognitive decline.

Neurogenesis in Humans vs. Animals

The study also compared adult human neurogenesis to that in mice, monkeys, and pigs — animals often used in lab experiments. It found:

  • The process is similar, but with some gene differences

  • Human brains appear to have unique patterns of gene activity during neuron growth

This suggests that animal models may not fully capture how human neurogenesis works, which could change how future brain research is conducted.

The Role of Genes: Some People Have More Neural Progenitor Cells

One key observation from the study is that not all adult brains are the same. Some individuals have:

  • A large pool of neural progenitor cells

  • Active neuron division well into late adulthood

Others have very few.

Why? It could be due to:

  • Genetic differences

  • Lifestyle factors (like exercise, sleep, or diet)

  • Environmental influences

  • Chronic stress or disease

This opens the door to exploring how personal habits and treatments might influence neurogenesis — and whether we can boost it.

Could We One Day Stimulate Our Own Brain to Grow New Neurons?

That’s the dream.

Professor Frisén’s team believes their research could lead to regenerative therapies that stimulate the brain to heal itself — just like the liver or skin.

Already, scientists are exploring how to activate dormant neural stem cells using:

  • Medication

  • Brain stimulation

  • Gene therapy

  • Lifestyle interventions (like aerobic exercise or cognitive training)

Challenges and Next Steps

While the results are promising, there’s still much to learn:

  • How do these new neurons connect with existing brain circuits?

  • Do they really improve memory or emotional health?

  • Can we safely enhance neurogenesis in people with brain disorders?

Future research will focus on answering these questions and turning this discovery into practical treatments.

Quotes from the Lead Researchers

🗣️ Professor Jonas Frisén, Lead Researcher

“We’ve finally found the cells of origin — the proof that adult humans do continue to grow new neurons. This changes how we understand the brain and offers real hope for future therapies.”

🗣️ Dr. Ionut Dumitru, Co-author

“It’s amazing how much activity is still going on in the adult brain. This is just the beginning of a new era in neuroscience.”

Collaboration Behind the Breakthrough

This groundbreaking study was the result of a multi-institutional effort, involving:

  • Karolinska Institutet

  • Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden)

  • International biobanks and research centers

Such large-scale collaboration allowed access to rare human brain samples and combined expertise in molecular biology, neuroscience, AI, and imaging.

Conclusion: A New Hope for the Aging Brain

The discovery that adult humans can continue to grow new neurons — even in their 70s — is one of the most exciting breakthroughs in modern neuroscience.

It proves that the brain is not a static organ, but a dynamic, regenerating system, even in later life.

This study gives hope to millions suffering from memory loss, brain injury, and mental illness. It also offers a bold new vision of what’s possible: a future where we can repair, renew, and even enhance the brain using the body’s own tools.

Key Takeaways

🧠 Neurogenesis in adults is real — New neurons form in the hippocampus even into old age
🔬 Neural progenitor cells identified — The “seeds” of new brain cells exist and divide in adult humans
🧬 Gene activity and brain growth vary — Some people have more active neuron formation than others
💡 Therapeutic potential — Findings could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s, depression, and brain injury
🧪 Advanced tech made it possible — RNA sequencing, AI, and imaging uncovered hidden brain activity

Further Reading

  • Dumitru I. et al. “Identification of proliferating neural progenitors in the adult human hippocampus.” Science, 2025. DOI: 10.1126/science.adu9575

  • Quiniou M. et al. “Sequenced evidence.” Science, 2025. DOI: 10.1126/science.ady8328

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

For years, scientists believed that adding even one qubit (a unit of quantum information) to a black hole needed energy. This was based on the idea that a black hole’s entropy must increase with more information, which means it must gain energy. But a new study by Jonah Kudler-Flam and Geoff Penington changes that thinking. They found that quantum information can be teleported into a black hole without adding energy or increasing entropy . This works through a process called black hole decoherence , where “soft” radiation — very low-energy signals — carry information into the black hole. In their method, the qubit enters the black hole while a new pair of entangled particles (like Hawking radiation) is created. This keeps the total information balanced, so there's no violation of the laws of physics. The energy cost only shows up when information is erased from the outside — these are called zerobits . According to Landauer’s principle, erasing information always needs energy. But ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Black Holes That Never Dies

Black holes are powerful objects in space with gravity so strong that nothing can escape them. In the 1970s, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes can slowly lose energy by giving off tiny particles. This process is called Hawking radiation . Over time, the black hole gets smaller and hotter, and in the end, it disappears completely. But new research by Menezes and his team shows something different. Using a theory called Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) , they studied black holes with quantum corrections. In their model, the black hole does not vanish completely. Instead, it stops shrinking when it reaches a very small size. This leftover is called a black hole remnant . They also studied something called grey-body factors , which affect how much energy escapes from a black hole. Their findings show that the black hole cools down and stops losing mass once it reaches a minimum mass . This new model removes the idea of a “singularity” at the center of the black hole and gives us a better ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Planetary Movements Might Explain Sunspot Cycles and Solar Phenomena

Sunspots, dark patches on the Sun's surface, follow a cycle of increasing and decreasing activity every 11 years. For years, scientists have relied on the dynamo model to explain this cycle. According to this model, the Sun's magnetic field is generated by the movement of plasma and the Sun's rotation. However, this model does not fully explain why the sunspot cycle is sometimes unpredictable. Lauri Jetsu, a researcher, has proposed a new approach. Jetsu’s analysis, using a method called the Discrete Chi-square Method (DCM), suggests that planetary movements, especially those of Earth, Jupiter, and Mercury, play a key role in driving the sunspot cycle. His theory focuses on Flux Transfer Events (FTEs), where the magnetic fields of these planets interact with the Sun’s magnetic field. These interactions could create the sunspots and explain other solar phenomena like the Sun’s magnetic polarity reversing every 11 years. The Sun, our closest star, has been a subject of scient...
Post a Comment
Read more