Scientific American Mind


June 2008
 

Features


The New Genetics of Mental Illness
Life's experiences add molecular switches to the genes that control our brain activity, affecting how susceptible we are to depression, anxiety and drug addiction
By Edmund S. Higgins

Unmasking Memory Genes
Molecules that expose our genes may also revive our recollections and our ability to learn
By Amir Levine

Your Inner Spam Filter
What makes you so smart? Might be your lizard brain
By Andrew W. McCollough and Edward K. Vogel

Spheres of Influence
Split-brain patients—whose two hemispheres are separated surgically—provide fascinating clues to how a unitary sense of consciousness emerges from the furious activity of billions of brain cells
By Michael S. Gazzaniga

How to Unleash Your Creativity
Experts discuss tips and tricks to let loose your inner ingenuity
By Mariette DiChristina

Addicted to Starvation: The Neurological Roots of Anorexia
Anorexia may represent a profound psychiatric disorder that spawns an addiction to deprivation
By Trisha Gura

Chronic Itching: Causes and Cures
How to get relief from the insatiable need to scratch
By Uwe Gieler and Bertram Walter

Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom
Homosexual behavior is common in nature, and it plays an important role in survival
By Emily V. Driscoll


 




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  • Adapting to the Freshwater CrisisForward-thinking experts are getting a better handle on the growing global water shortage and coming up with innovative approaches to ensuring the security, safety and sustainability of this resource

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