Science

How Your Brain “Takes Out The Trash” While You Sleep

For centuries, sleep has been more of a mystery to evolution than the duckbill platypus. Yet despite its weirdness, like every animal, even the platypus needs its zzz’s. Considering this unconscious function has been conserved across species and the fact that our brains are just as active during sleep

Coming to Terms With Fear

What is fear? Most people think of “fear” as the conscious feeling they get when in danger. I feel afraid when I’m standing on top of a mountain ledge. I’m scared when I hear a noise in an old building. Spiders of all sizes are frightening, and uncertainty is terrifying.

The Influence of Disgust on Morality

Morality is thought to rely on emotions, and disgust is one of them. In a legal system where guilt is not only determined by the existence of hard evidence but also by one’s intention to do harm, emotional persuasion weighs heavily on all parties. In court, moral decisions abound from the moment

Looking Toward The New Year: How Do Our Brains Simulate the Future?

Nearly half of Americans are said to make a New Year’s resolution. Among the top commitments are to save dollars, be a better person and exercise more. These generic vows of self-improvement yield the same old stories about motivation and happiness year after year. I could go that route, or

Does Running With Music Make A Difference?

I’m no marathon runner by traditional standards. I can’t run 26 miles in a day. I’ve never even tried. But I’ve been known to do it in a week. Marathoner or not, I consider myself a part of the running community. I crave runs. I go crazy without them, and I know the difference between a good and a bad run.

Man’s Best Friend For 32,000 Years (and Counting)

Dogs and humans share a mutual desperation for each other’s attention. According to a study in Nature Communications, scientists estimate that dogs and humans have been best friends for quite some time; they’re talking, 32,000 years! By sequencing the genomes of our hairy best friends – dogs – and comparing them with their even hairier ancient ancestors – grey wolves

In Search of Memory: The Neuroscientist Eric Kandel

“In Search of Memory” is a cinematographic homage to one of the greatest researchers of our generation — Eric Kandel. He is an 83 year-young, Nobel Prize-winning and game-changing neuroscientist who also happens to possess a witty, sentimental and loving persona. In the 95-minute film by Petra Seeger, we get

To Bed, To Sleep, Too Bad!

I’ve had a problem with sleep throughout most of my life. Fed up, I went to a sleep clinic a few years back. After being hooked up to an ungodly amount of wires to monitor my sleep, I was left there to spend the night.

THE BLUE BRAIN PROJECT

This image shows the three-dimensional configuration of 10,000 simulated neurons that constitute a single neocortical column-an anatomical unit barely wider than the head of a pin. Here we see the…

DECREASING RF EXPOSURE

Even though the evidence for a link between cell phone radiation and brain tumors is not incredibly strong, it might still be best to minimize your exposure, as nobody has…

Brains Plus Money: Newt Gingrich’s Health Care Reform

In a recent debate, GOP Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich shared his 3-point plan for health care reform. Point #3 proposes a brain science initiative in which we “invest in brain research and accelerate knowledge getting from the laboratory to the patient.” In a recent interview with Judy Woodruff of PBS, Gingrich said

Sex and the Human Brain

Do women think differently than men? From the battle of the sexes to clashes between cultures, it’s always been a politically explosive topic. Only very recently, however, have we begun to understand that there are important sex distinctions in the brain. Investigating these differences could lead to more effective

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We believe that neuroscience is the next great scientific frontier, and that advances in understanding the nature of the brain, consciousness, behavior, and health will transform human life in this century.

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