Departments
- How Light Deprivation Causes Depression
- Socializing with Youth Improves the Elderly's Health, Life Span
- Squeaky Mice Reveal Emotion, Self-Expression in the Brain
- Scientists Create a Map of Smell Similarity Based on Neural Activity
- Seeing is Hearing: New Type of Synesthesia Discovered
- A Natural Log: Our Innate Sense of Numbers is Logarithmic, Not Linear
- Incense May Act As a Psychoactive Drug during Religious Ceremony
- Avian Cooperation: Rooks Work Together to Solve Puzzle for Food
- Treating Anxiety in Alcoholics may Reduce Cravings
- Does Herpes Cause Brain Cancer?
- Unconscious Decisions
- Word Problems
- Call Me Sleepless
- Polling Places' Surprising Sway
Features
Depressingly Easy
We nuke prepared dishes rather than growing our own food and machine-wash ready-made clothes rather than sewing and scrubbing. Such conveniences may be contributing to rising rates of depression by depriving our brains of their hard-earned rewards
By Kelly Lambert
Sleep on It: How Snoozing Makes You Smarter
During slumber, our brain engages in data analysis, from strengthening memories to solving problems
By Robert Stickgold and Jeffrey M. Ellenbogen
Minding Mistakes: How the Brain Monitors Errors and Learns from Goofs
Brain scientists have identified nerve cells that monitor performance, detect errors and govern the ability to learn from misfortunes
By Markus Ullsperger
The Hidden Power of Scent
Far from being a weak and unimportant sense, our odor-detecting ability is surprisingly acute and shapes our social interactions in ways we do not consciously realize
By Josie Glausiusz
Animal Intelligence and the Evolution of the Human Mind
Subtle refinements in brain architecture, rather than large-scale alterations, make us smarter than other animals
By Ursula Dicke and Gerard Roth
High-Aptitude Minds: The Neurological Roots of Genius
Researchers are finding clues to the basis of brilliance in the brain
By Christian Hoppe and Jelena Stojanovic
Gifted Children: How to Bring Out Their Potential
Enrichment activities can provide for very bright kids
By Christian Fischer
The Secrets of Storytelling: Why We Love a Good Yarn
Our love for telling tales reveals the workings of the mind
By Jeremy Hsu
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Slideshows
Why do human testicles hang like that?
Researchers Try to Solve the Mystery of HIV Carriers Who Don't Contract AIDS
Getting It Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn
Fight to protect California condors from lead ammunition moves to Arizona
Circulation of LHC Beams Could Resume in Earnest over the Weekend
Measuring Up: New NIST Director, Plus Big Budget Put Measurement Science in Public Eye
How Long Can a Nuclear Reactor Last?
What to Do About Endocrine Disruptors? A Q&A with Linda Birnbaum