Brain/Neuroscience
Humans sleep away ⅓ of their lives, but it’s a lot less than other primates. Here’s why
Research has shown that people in non-industrial societies — the closest thing to the kind of setting our species evolved ...
‘It’s a slog’: Cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s proving elusive, and we don’t know why
We see headlines that declare a “Cure Breakthrough” and “Reversing Dementia in Mice,” but still, if you get sick, there ...
Male and female brains are different in key ways — and that could explain sex disparities in incidences of autism and Alzheimer’s
Scientists have long had of evidence linking immune activity to brain differences and disorders, but the science that sex adds ...
Disentangling the links between diet, genes and dementia
Dementia, like most chronic diseases, is the result of a complex interplay of genes, lifestyle and environment that researchers don’t ...
How growing up in a poor neighborhood can damage a child’s developing brain
Children growing up in more disadvantaged neighborhoods — meaning those with poor housing quality, more poverty, and lower levels of ...
How family issues, discrimination, and other social stressors age our immune systems and impact health
Social stress such as discrimination and family problems, along with job and money problems, can contribute to premature aging of ...
‘Special skills’: How dyslexia helped the human race survive
People with dyslexia have special skills that enabled our species to survive. They are better at solving problems and adapting ...
Human and octopus brains share key similarities
The octopus and human brain share similar transposons, or “jumping genes” – a type of genes that can move from ...
Comparing primate intelligence: What’s so unique about the human brain that makes us so smart?
Humans are unrivalled in the area of cognition. After all, no other species has sent probes to other planets, produced ...
Single AI-informed brain scan can detect early Alzheimer’s
British scientists announced [June 20] that they have developed a machine-learning algorithm that can determine, with 98% accuracy, whether Alzheimer’s ...
Transitioning transgender teenagers are not new. This Dutch clinic has been helping them for decades
Relationships between and physicians last a long time at Amsterdam’s Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria. Some of today’s adult ...
Headaches and genetics: If migraines are hereditary, what are possible solutions?
Chances are that you or someone you know experiences migraine—it is one of the most common health disorders in the ...
Should an AI chatbot robot have rights? A now-suspended Google engineer thinks so
Google suspended an engineer who contended that an artificial-intelligence chatbot the company developed had become sentient, telling him that he ...
Can the body exist without the brain? Is the human mind nothing more than a parasite?
Take a deep breath. Can you feel your lungs filling with air? Now look at your hand. Can you see ...
‘Neurological roots of politics’: Are Democrat and Republican brains wired differently?
Emerging research has begun investigating the neural underpinnings of the biological and psychological differences that drive political ideology, attitudes and ...
Do dogs ponder the future? Here’s what we can learn from animal dreams
Other animals may not ponder deep, existential questions, but the fact that they dream proves that they possess formidable memories ...
‘Dark personalities’: When are destructive traits like narcissism and psychopathy most likely to appear?
Stories about insufferable teenagers, selfish college students, or inconsiderate older adults have one thing in common: They attribute the presence ...
‘We just clicked’: Is there a chemical basis to ‘love at first sight’?
Finding true love may actually be due to how well your body synch’s up with your partner, according to researchers ...
Proline and mental health: Link found between common protein and depression
Depression is a common mental health issue for many people around the world today. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates ...
Here’s what we still don’t understand about consciousness
The mind-body problem addresses one of the fundamental questions of science and humanity. How is consciousness related to the body ...
These 8 risk factors can cause Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Here’s how you can minimize them
Eight modifiable risk factors were linked to more than one in three cases of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia in ...
Edible metamaterials: The world’s most ‘perfect chocolate’ was 3-D printed
Think about biting into a piece of chocolate. What makes it enjoyable? Is it the sweetness? The way it melts ...
What unique characteristics of the human brain distinguish us from other animals?
The brains of human beings are different from those of every other species of animal, because all species’ brains have ...
Sexsomnia, sleepwalking and sleep terrors: 3 misunderstood disorders reveal hidden secrets of the brain
Currently, little is known about the origin or neurobiology of sleeping disorders. Recent research has revealed that sleepwalking, night terrors, ...
‘Factory reset’: Binge drinking and other anxiety-related disorders could be treated with gene editing, animal study shows
Gene editing may be a potential treatment for anxiety and alcohol use disorder in adults who were exposed to binge ...
Audio: This controversial psychologist and author argues that anxiety is good for you
Anxiety is an unpleasant emotion, but can it be useful? NPR's A Martinez talks to clinical psychologist and author Tracy ...
Brain-recording earbuds? High-tech headphones record neural data — and could unlock the mysteries of the mind
After acting as the scanner-in-chief for the company that invented the eFit, [Konstantin] Borodin is now the lead ear spelunker ...