This week in news from The Debrief, researchers bombarded mouse neurons with lasers to uncover how the brain generates illusions, offering fresh insights into schizophrenia. Elsewhere, a study suggests that if alien civilizations exist in the Milky Way, they are likely exceedingly rare and far older than humanity. Meanwhile, in orbit, U.S. Navy scientists have trained a zero-gravity Astrobee robot to fly autonomously without human input, marking a leap forward in space robotics. And in South Africa, cannabis waste has yielded a new class of rare compounds, flavoalkaloids, which may hold promise for future medical treatments. Here’s a look at all the top stories we’re covering right now at The Debrief…