1. On behalf of your baby's brain: Do not smoke while you're pregnant.

I guess "don't smoke while pregnant" is not really surprising news per se: We know it can lead to all kinds of fuck-ups for your baby. But recently scientists have added a little more to the pile of bad consequences of this Marlboro Gold. Early nicotine exposure leads to some widespread and long-lasting genetic changes which in turn affect formation and stability of connections between nerve cells long after birth. In simple words: Nicotin before birth = screwed up connections in your brain all the way into adulthood. So, what happens when you connections are impaired this way? The study shows that, as a result of the prenatal nicotine exposure, (mice) babies were more likely to develop ADHD-similar symptoms during their development (and keep them during their adulthood). However, after the researchers identified and turned off the genetic mechanism that went wrong in the first place, mice became calmer and less distractible! It is pretty exciting to find a direct link between nicotine and gene expression leading to behavioural changes, so yeah! You go, science!

2. Teenage brain and social media

Next time your teenager asks you for twenty Euro (22.43 USD; you're welcome, Americans!) for movies or whatever teenagers are into these days, just press "like" on their Instagram selfie from twenty different accounts and show them how popular they are. According to a new study, a large number of likes on social media activated same regions in the teenagers' brains as eating chocolate or receiving money. Researchers showed the teens different pictures including those submitted by each of them along with the number of likes each pictures received. When the teens saw their own pic being liked by many people their brain activated a region belonging to what is called the "reward system" -- Nucleus Accumbens. Normally, the reward system encourages you to pursue the activities that keep you healthy, well fed, and in top mating form. Basically, it makes us feel good when we engage in behaviours that are necessary for our survival. Apparently, in the age of the social media, internet popularity is essential for our well-being (especially when you're a teenager longing for attention from your peers). I feel you, teenagers: my Nucleus Accumbens lights up every time I have a new subscriber.

Another thing this study found was how influential peer pressure is, even if the peers in question are just virtual strangers. When the teens saw a pic with a large number of likes they were much more likely to like it themselves, thus succumbing to the public opinion.