Brain/Neuroscience
Defining death: Does cessation of consciousness or the failure of key organs mark the end of life?
Where is the line between life and death? Does the answer change if the person asking is not a philosopher ...
The serotonin effect: Here’s an intriguing explanation for the mystery of long COVID
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania suggest that serotonin reduction is triggered by remnants of the virus lingering in the ...
It’s become axiomatic that the ability to eat meat helped spur development of intelligence in early humans. Let’s reassess
Modern man is a born meat eater, they reason, as a glance at human history shows. What's more, the mastery ...
Serotonin-boosting foods and fatty acids that can lift your mood
One in four Americans currently suffers from anxiety or depression, correlating directly to serotonin levels found in the body. Normal serotonin levels ...
Biotechnology timeline: Humans have manipulated genes since the ‘dawn of civilization’
The history of biotechnology shows how humans have been manipulating nature for our benefit for a long time—and how modern ...
Why is it easy for our brains to estimate four things, but not five or more?
Your Brain: Humans can size up a grouping of four or fewer items in an instant, but larger quantities pose ...
It’s Halloween horror movie time. Why do some people love to be scared while others are squeamish?
Scary play lets people—and other animals—rehearse coping skills for disturbing challenges in the real world ...
How brainless jellyfish are capable of learning
Cnidarians -- the animal group which includes jellyfish, sea anemones and coral -- are brainless, instead getting by with a ...
Why do we love to eat rich, fatty foods?
Rich, high-fat foods such as ice cream are loved not only for their taste, but also for the physical sensations they ...
6th sense? The mystery of tasting salt is so indecipherable, scientists say we have two separate systems to decode it
We’ve all heard of the five tastes our tongues can detect — sweet, sour, bitter, savory-umami and salty. But the ...
Growing number of chaplains who help support the vulnerable exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy
Research on the therapeutic use of psychedelics is underway at several universities, and data continues to accumulate on how they may help ...
Brain atlas: First large-scale map of more than 3,000 human brain cells opens door to personalized medicine
We’re closer than ever to mapping the entire brain to the microscopic level. Hundreds of neuroscientists across the world recently ...
COVID vaccine rejectionism and IQ: Swedish study concludes that people with higher cognitive ability are more likely to embrace vaccinations
We examine the relationship between cognitive ability and prompt COVID-19 vaccination using individual-level data on more than 700,000 individuals in ...
Brain-computer interface: Elon Musk’s Neuralink venture hopes to dramatically increase communication. What’s he up to?
Elon Musk claimed that sticking electrodes in people’s heads is going to lead to a huge increase in the rate ...
1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder: Lab-grown mini-brains are helping scientists unlock the mystery of neurodiversity
In a recent study published in Nature, a global team of researchers utilized advanced methods to probe the developmental intricacies of autism ...
Viewpoint: 6-week brain hack — ‘Simple, everyday changes to our lives can alter our brains and change how they work’
There's good reason to want to boost our brain – an increasing number of studies suggest it can play a role in delaying ...
Viewpoint: Antidepressants and obesity medications work — but we don’t know why. Here’s why that’s a problem
We like to think we understand the drugs we take, especially after rigorous trials have proved their efficacy and safety ...
Podcast: The science and history behind the term “placebo effect”
Henry Beecher’s paper paved the way for sounder drug trials and pushed scientists to better understand how we process painSloppy ...
Are ‘forgotten’ memories lost forever?
Forgetting is a fact of life—one that many people find frustrating. But mounting evidence pushes back at the notion that ...
On the edge of life and death: CPR patients report vivid near-death experiences
NYU researchers measured signals of brain activity and collected stories from patients on the edge of death ...
Poverty, food and brain health: Lack of nutritious food leaves multi-generational impact on our bodies and minds
You are what you eat, according to the adage. But it’s not just the body that’s impacted. According to research ...
Video: Communication of the future? Brain implant allows paralyzed woman to speak through an AI avatar
After Ann Johnson suffered a stroke 18 years ago, she became paralyzed and lost the ability to speak. Now, with ...
Viewpoint: Blame Big Tobacco for helping create junk food industry
For decades, tobacco companies hooked people on cigarettes by making their products more addictive. Now, a new study suggests that tobacco ...
Elon Musk says no monkeys died after Neuralink implant tests — but new information suggests a dozen monkeys were euthanized
Fresh allegations of potential securities fraud have been leveled at Elon Musk over statements he recently made regarding the deaths ...
‘Unlocking creative potential’: Why the first 10 minutes of sleep are so important
There is a stage of sleep where we still have a toe in the waking world — remaining able to ...
Measuring the addictive potential of ‘ultra-processed foods’
Given the option, most rats will choose sugar instead of cocaine. Their lust for the carbohydrate is so intense that they ...
Brain-computer implants restore some speaking ability to paralyzed patients
Pat Bennett takes part in a research session, using a brain-computer interface that helps translate her thoughts into speech ...
