Features

• Verbal Bottleneck

  People who stutter sometimes suffer from mistaken notions about their intelligence or emotional balance, but the problem is the neurophysiological process of speaking itself

  Katrin Neumann   | October 1, 2006  |

• Don't Count on It

  A small Amazon tribe, the Pirah¿, have no number system. Is the reason neurological--they cannot count--or psychosocial--they just do not want to? An interview with Daniel L. Everett

  Annette Lessmoellmann   | October 1, 2006  |

• Detecting Autism Early

  New techniques could diagnose autism in babies, enabling more effective treatment while the brain is most malleable

  Ulrich Kraft   | October 1, 2006  |

• Gestures Offer Insight

  Hand and arm movements do much more than accent words; they provide context for understanding

  Ipke Wachsmuth   | October 1, 2006  |

• The Eureka Moment

  We've all had sudden, smart insights. How do they arise? And is there a way we can conjure them up at any time?

  Guenther Knoblich and Michael Oellinger   | October 1, 2006  | 1

• When the Nose Doesn't Know

  Loss of smell can be distressing and is associated with disorders such as depression. Smell training may help recover the sense

  Eleonore von Bothmer   | October 1, 2006  |

• A Look Tells All

  A person's face will always reveal his true feelings--if, like Paul Ekman, you are quick enough to recognize microexpressions

  Siri Schubert   | October 1, 2006  |

• Can We Talk?

  Dogs understand "fetch" and "leash," whereas apes can combine hand-signed words into short sentences. So what special skill did humans bring to the language game?

  Annette Lessmoellmann   | October 1, 2006  |

• Exposing Lies

  Inventors claim that new technologies can ferret out fibbers, but it is unclear what the gear actually reveals

  Thomas Metzinger   | October 1, 2006  |

• The Electrical Brain

  Most nerve cells use messenger chemicals to communicate. Now science is learning more about the brain's rarer, lightning-fast electrical signaling

  Rolf Dermietzel   | October 1, 2006  |