How the 1784 mesmerism investigation demonstrated the placebo effect

Expectation explained the effects of mesmerism

A group investigating mesmerism tested people without telling them what was really happening. They found that the supposed effects appeared when people expected them. The tests became an early major example of the placebo effect.

Electric fish stack thousands of cells into living batteries

Some electric fish arrange thousands of modified muscle or nerve cells into electric organs. The cells work together like a stack of tiny batteries. The fish can use the resulting electricity to stun prey or sense nearby objects.

Bronze Age migration transformed Iberia's male ancestry

Ancient DNA reveals a major population change in the Iberian Peninsula during the Bronze Age. People carrying steppe-related ancestry contributed substantially to later populations, while previously common Y-chromosome lineages were largely replaced in the sampled populations. The difference between overall ancestry and paternal lineages suggests a strongly sex-biased demographic process.

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How the 1784 mesmerism investigation demonstrated the placebo effect

Expectation explained the effects of mesmerism

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