Brain/Neuroscience
Sci-Fi suspended animation: Not the same as cryonics but might save your life
Surgical research into hypothermia, long fodder for sci-fi movies, may yet reach the point of finding ways to preserve people ...
Micro device gives doctors peek into brain tissue during surgery
A dipstick inserted into the brain can check its energy levels, just like checking oil levels in a car. The ...
Mitochondrial dysfunction may play role in heart failure
While all cells in the body rely on metabolic pathways that take place within the mitochondria, the cells of some ...
Are plants sentient beings with rights? What would this mean for conservation and agriculture?
Plants are intelligent. Plants deserve rights. To most of us these statements may sound, at best, insupportable or, at worst, ...
Do major medical advances justify stem cell research with aborted fetuses?
Stem cell science is a big deal in California, thanks to the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a state agency that ...
Is there a genetic switch that causes ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)?
We don't know the causes of ALS in most patients, but about 10 percent of cases are thought to be ...
Digital reconstruction of mouse brain opens path to human experimentation
Six years might seem like a long time to spend piecing together the structure of a scrap of tissue vastly ...
Early life stress, gut bacteria affect later risk for anxiety and depression
Scientists continue to find more and more evidence of the significant influence gut bacteria has on mental health. Studies have linked gut ...
Dating startup uses controversial / questionable science to help you find your soul mate
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Nazuki Andoh, 37, and Jesse Gronwall, 30, received a small kit in the mail. It contained ...
What did the first humans to leave Africa look like?
The most comprehensive dataset ever assembled on our early human ancestors provides evidence that the first humans emerged in South ...
Water: California drought yet water bottles everywhere
Humanity's future depends on how we manage our interactions with water. This takes the form of how we package it, ...
Neuroscience of free will: Does reaching for beer with robotic arm mean free will doesn’t exist?
If we can predict a person’s intentions by picking up brain signals then how 'free' is our will and are ...
How some people can ‘see’ music in color
Suppose you’re at a concert with a friend who leans over and whispers in your ear, “What color was that ...
Synthetic biology created ‘living’ running shoes self-adjust to wearer’s foot
Proto-cell technology is a burgeoning science that in its own way mirrors Mary Shelley's literary masterpiece, Frankenstein. Just as her ...
How oxytocin, the ‘breastfeeding hormone,’ makes social interactions possible
Oxytocin, this molecule that’s classically associated with child birth and breastfeeding, is released in all kinds of settings in which ...
Should newborns have their genes sequenced to screen for congenital disorders?
For 51 years, newborn babies have gotten a heel-prick test in which their blood is screened for dozens of congenital ...
Artificial DNA acts just like the real thing. Does that mean we should we make it?
We know we can create 'artificial DNA'. The real questions are: Should we? and To What end? Should there be ...
Epigenetic ‘eraser’ can reset behavior, disease vulnerability and life experiences
Many epigenetic changes that occur in humans in genetic response to the environment are erased within the embryo. Certain diseases, ...
Brain confusion: Why it’s so difficult to find cures for mental disorders
Many mental illnesses still defy treatment. The problem may be that we do not "know" how the brain functions very ...
Understanding the biology of addictive behavior
Once, addictions were viewed as failures of character and morals, and society responded to drunks and junkies with shaming, scolding ...
Chimera alert? Myths and facts of human-non-human animal hybrids in medicine
Science is making leaps and bounds creating part human and part non-human animal tissues and organs. The applications are medical, ...
Do men and women experience pain the same way?
Do women and men experience chronic pain differently? A new study suggests there may be sex differences when it comes ...
Human ‘organs-on-chips’ could accelerate personalized medicine, eliminate animal testing
Tiny tubes emerge from a small transparent block, pumping imperceptible amounts of fluid and air to and fro. It looks ...
How your gut microbiome may affect your brain and emotions
Bacteria in the gut produce vitamins and break down our food; their presence or absence has been linked to obesity, ...
Despite continuing mainstream popularity, ‘Grain Brain’ author finds little support from medical experts
In recent months, the media has become increasingly impatient with high-profile health advocates who dispense unsubstantiated medical advice. Among the ...
Does your brain’s memory have a max storage capacity?
Each day you accumulate fresh memories—kissing new people, acquiring different phone numbers and (possibly) competing in pi-memorizing championships (we would ...
Is the infinite universe of Internet pornography a danger, or an asset to sexuality?
‘The widespread use of internet porn is one of the fastest-moving global experiments ever unconsciously conducted,’ the U.S. science writer ...
