Brain/Neuroscience
Fighting depression: Drugs stimulating growth of new brain cells may be key
Depression is something of a black box. Its underlying causes aren't completely understood, nor why particular medications work for some ...
Built for success: Nigerian football players benefit vastly from their genes, culture, brains
[In the eyes of Bobby Burton, who has been covering college football recruiting for more than 20 years, Nigerian players ...
Virtual reality: Avatars help amputees control their prosthetics
People who have had amputations can control a virtual avatar using their imagination alone, thanks to a system that uses ...
Being forgetful can actually help your brain make better decisions
Most of us think “perfect” memory means never forgetting, but maybe forgetting actually helps us navigate a world that is ...
Eye tech: Synthetic iris may revolutionize human eye repair
An artificial iris can open and close in response to sunlight without any other outside control, just like the ones ...
CMV birth defects may be prevented by drug typically used to treat anxiety
An anxiety drug could prevent a common virus from causing birth defects and deafness, a study in newborn mice suggests ...
Spicy foods may speed up bowel movements by triggering taste buds in the gut
Have you ever needed to hurry to the toilet during times of stress or after eating a spicy meal? This ...
No longer ‘dead’: Our bones communicate through hormones with brain, other organs
In addition to providing structural support, the skeleton is a versatile conversationalist. Bones make hormones that chat with other organs ...
Epileptic mystery: Could micro-genes explain why some people have seizures and others don’t?
Seizures in epilepsy can be caused by genetic factors or they can be triggered by injury. While we know that ...
Reversing Huntington’s? Brain shown to heal itself after disease source edited out — in mice
The potential of genome-editing techniques, such as CRISPR/Cas9, to alleviate disease burden has ignited the imagination for thousands of researchers ...
Can ‘mindful’ meditation, tai chi lower genetic risks of heart attack, cancer?
Meditation and tai chi don’t just calm the mind – they seem to affect our DNA too. There’s evidence that ...
Does power corrupt? Leaders often lose ability to empathize linked to brain impairment
If power were a prescription drug, it would come with a long list of known side effects. It can intoxicate ...
Eyeborg: Man has video camera inserted to replace damaged eye
Rob Spence, a documentary filmmaker from Canada, has a prosthetic eye that doubles as a video camera. Spence, who is ...
Genetic Literacy Project’s Top 6 Stories for the Week – June 19, 2017
WHO’s IARC under fire for ignoring exculpatory data on glyphosate: Should it be reformed or abolished? | Alan Boobis & Angelo ...
LSD to lift your mood or performance? Microdosing could become commonplace
Janet Lai Chang is one of many who have added a pinch of psychedelic drugs to their daily routine in ...
Our brains have 11 dimensions
Scientists studying the brain have discovered that the organ operates on up to 11 different dimensions, creating multiverse-like structures that ...
Moroccan fossils: New thinking on human evolution shaped by technological advancements
In recent years, we have witnessed an acceleration of discoveries related to the evolution of humanity. This is due to ...
Multiple sclerosis research boosted by modeled brain cells
Researchers at The Salk Institute have developed a way to grow vital brain cells called astrocytes from stem cells, a potential breakthrough ...
Is human sexuality determined by testosterone’s effect on the brain?
[Early experiments have shown] that the Y chromosome is essential for the formation of a testis, and it is the ...
Starving brain tumors by blocking enzyme could aid treatment
Cancer tumors, like other living cells, need to consume nutrients and oxygen to sustain themselves. However, as they often live ...
Heroin vaccine could neutralize drug high using body’s immune system
As heroin-related deaths soar in the United States, a group of researchers said they may be one step closer to ...
Modern people making Stone Age tools offers glimpse into evolution of intelligence
The brain networks we rely on for complex tasks were likely evolving around 1.8 million years ago--allowing our ancestors to ...
Life hacking: Gene editing won’t solve all of society’s problems
Science is threatening a new era of “market-based eugenics,” whereby gene editing in combination with in vitro fertilization techniques will ...
Even moderate drinking may damage your brain and memory function
While it’s widely accepted that drinking too much is bad for you, conventional wisdom...says that alcohol can be consumed in ...
Brain registers no fear: How rock climber conquered El Capitan without safety gear
You may have already heard about Alex Honnold, who climbed the mighty El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any ...
Epileptic seizures could be reduced by boosting micro-gene
[Epileptic] seizures can have genetic causes or can be triggered by different kinds of neural injury. All brains are prone ...
Discovery of 315,000-year old human fossils may rewrite history of our ancestors
[B]ones of the former occupants [of a Moroccan cave called Jebel Irhoud] have been recently unearthed by an international team ...
