Brain/Neuroscience
Why human-like robots are creepy
The robot revolution is on the horizon...One report says that they’ll be commonplace by 2025. In another case, a professor claims ...
Feeling tired? Easy cure? Unfortunately, ‘sleep science’ consumed by hype
Nutrition science is notoriously unreliable. The reason is because a substantial proportion of research in the field is conducted using ...
Mirroring reality: Neuron activity reflects how and what we see
Scientists are a step closer to unraveling the mystery of sight now that they have revealed part of the process ...
Reversing traumatic brain injury: Memory-enhancing drug might help
[T]raumatic brain injury can be permanent. There are no drugs to reverse the cognitive decline and memory loss, and any ...
Hunting for DNA: Piecing together autism’s genetic puzzle
It’s been 10 years since Michael Wigler had a breakthrough revelation in autism genetics...[when he] reported that ‘de novo’ mutations — those that ...
How connecting our brain to a computer could restore lost sight or hearing
Matt Angle’s claim might have sounded eccentric before: for years, he insisted that the key to solving one of neuroscience’s ...
Smoking and health: Genetic revolution transforming medical marijuana and tobacco
Our increased understanding of plant genetics has potential to help smokers quit and provide patients with the medicinal benefits of ...
Addictions: Are overeating and drug use hardwired in the brain’s ‘reward circuit’?
Neuroscientists have found that food and recreational drugs have a common target in the “reward circuit” of the brain, and ...
Say that again? Drug treatment could help older brains distinguish sounds
Have you noticed that learning languages or musical instruments becomes harder as you get older? It may be because your ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...