Brain/Neuroscience
Why does physical damage sometimes increase cognitive abilities?
As it turns out, there are reliable reports in the medical literature of—yes—bullet wounds to the head, stroke, concussion, meningitis, ...
Why do some people have great memories? It’s in the genes
Researchers have identified more than 100 genes important for memory in people. The study is the first to identify correlations ...
‘High quality diet’ likely source of primate brain growth — not social nature, study finds
In the past two million years, humans have experienced a massive increase in brain size, one not seen in any ...
Brain, ovarian cancers linked to new gene mutations in two studies
Genetic changes and variants linked to the development of brain and ovarian cancers have been discovered in two new studies ...
Born killer or normal mind? Genes, brain scans and mental health
What's a normal mind? Do brain scans provide any insight? The answer is stranger than you think ...
How humans got smart: Rush of blood to the head
[Editor's note: Roger Seymour is professor emeritus of physiology at the University of Adelaide.] The blood flow to the cognitive part ...
Animal cyborgs: 6 nature-inspired robots that could revolutionize science, medicine and farming
1. Light-controlled dragonflies In January, R&D company Draper and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced a partnership aimed at turning ...
4 human genetics organizations that put ideology ahead of science
There are legitimate concerns about the rapid pace of genetics research. But some of the most well known groups seen ...
Human skin, brain and bone cells grown on plants offer path for tissue implants
To grow clusters of human stem cells that mimic organs in the lab and might be used someday in tissue ...
Evolutionary survival mechanism ‘gone-awry’ likely source of sleep walking
Recent research from Stanford University shows that up to 4 per cent of adults might have [walked in their sleep] ...
Half our brain’s neurons are in cerebellum but its region’s role in consciousness unclear
One of the best-known regions of the brain, the cerebellum accounts for just 10 percent of the organ's total volume, ...
How brain ages may depend on genetic variant linked to Alzheimer’s risk
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have discovered a common genetic variant that greatly impacts normal brain aging, starting at ...
Can a specific exercise make you smarter: Sprinting, jogging or weightlifting?
Exercise...augments adult neurogenesis, which is the creation of new brain cells in an already mature brain...[R]esearchers at the University of ...
Gentle touch: Premature babies’ brain development may benefit from physical contact
A gentle touch can make all the difference. Premature babies – who miss out on the sensory experiences of late ...
Social anxiety, phobia may stem from gene linked to suppressing emotions
People with social anxiety avoid situations in which they are exposed to judgment by others. Those affected also lead a ...
Losing too many brain cells? Even adults can make more, study says
Many people think that their adult brain is not capable of generating new cells...[However,] the reality is much more complex ...
Criminal intent: Brain scans could show whether someone meant to do bad
What if lawyers could prove that a person knowingly committed a crime by looking at scans of his or her ...
Life after death? Brain activity sometimes mimics ‘deep sleep’
When the heart stops, the body is declared dead, but this isn't always absolute...New research has now added another piece to the ...
Casting a wider net: Expanded carrier screening recommended for cystic fibrosis, other genetic diseases
All prospective parents should have carrier screening for a range of genetic disorders, according to new recommendations by the American ...
When loud noises interrupt conversations, your brain fills in the blanks
Noise is everywhere, but that’s OK. Your brain can still keep track of a conversation in the face of revving ...
Plants may experience consciousness — but in a different way than humans
Like us, plants possess receptors, microtubules and sophisticated intercellular systems that likely facilitate a degree of spatio-temporal consciousness. Instead of ...
Too much knowledge? Should you sequence your baby’s genome?
Is there such a thing as having too much information about the health of your newborn? With the cost of ...
Genetic Literacy Project’s Top 6 Stories for the Week, March 13, 2017
From this past week, here are the #GLPTop6 among many great stories on human and agriculture genetics around the world ...
Early warning: Alzheimer’s risk could be identified sooner through ‘jumping genes’
Duke University scientists have identified a mechanism in the molecular machinery of the cell that could help explain how neurons ...
Psychotherapy revival: Can “talk” therapy change our brains and genes?
"Talk therapy" has fallen out of fashion as being more art than science. But new research suggests that psychotherapy may ...
Ignorance and the brain: Why people are so quick to believe falsehoods
How can so many people believe things that are demonstrably false? The question has taken on new urgency as the ...
Quest for a cure: Gene therapy offers hope for children with rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
A couple strives to help their daughter, who was born with a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a muscle-wasting disease that ...