Stories by Gary Stix

A scientist who studies aging describes how going without food for a time can make your brain cells healthier

Mass graves of border-crossers who died of dehydration or exhaustion are being exhumed to put names on anonymous case numbers

The ability to produce morphine—no poppies necessary—in a process akin to beer-making brings to the fore regulatory issues for a new biotechnology

A cluster of families in Colombia who carry a rare genetic mutation that causes the disease have become a focus of the search for a treatment

In 2011, Paul Tesar, a professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, worked with collaborators to come up with a method of producing massive numbers of mouse stem cells that are capable of turning into oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce myelin, the protective coating on nerve cells.

For many decades, scientists have tried to understand the past by doing as our forebears did. One important endeavor in what is called experimental archaeology involves moderns crafting Stone Age tools by chipping away at rocks.

The decades-long study of self-control has yielded insights into how we can overcome hardships

New drugs for Alzheimer's lag, but not for lack of trying

Drugs administered before symptoms appear could be key to combating the leading cause of dementia

One of the most intriguing new areas of research in neuroscience has to do with the discovery that proteins involved with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative illnesses can contort into the wrong shape.

Stimulator devices can tweak nervous system activity to turn down inflammation or treat other effects of disease

Books and recommendations from Scientific American

Everyone knows that ALS is a very bad disease, an awareness underscored by the recent Ice Bucket Challenge. The death of neurons that results in paralysis can be caused by specific genetic mutations.  But in most cases, single genes are not the culprit.

Deep-brain stimulation has shown potential to help the up to 20 percent of patients with major depression who don’t get relief from medication, psychotherapy or other means

Coinciding with Super Bowl week, the journal Neurology just came out with a study by Boston University researchers that looked at retired professional football players, comparing the cognitive functioning of players who had started tackle football before age 12 with others who hadn’t.

We are responsible for our own actions. Of course we are. Sure about that? “I think I can?” “I think I can’t?” All philosophizing aside, the assumption that we have free will has been called into question by research that suggests our brains are deciding for us before we become conscious of the decisions streamed [...]

It took awhile. But President Obama finally decided to take us up on the editorial we published last summer on making community college free.

Vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on this seminal question that has perplexed philosophers for millenia

Brain studies suggest new ways to improve reading, writing and arithmetic—and even social skills

Will a pill at breakfast improve concentration and memory—and will it do so without long-term detriment to your health?

Lists of the biggest challenges in brain science often start—or end—with consciousness. “End” because consciousness is considered so overwhelming a hack that it merits coming last on the list—the ultimate challenge.

Our site recently ran a great story about how brain training really doesn't endow you instantly with genius IQ. The games you play just make you better at playing those same games.

In 1989, I was working as an at editor at IEEE Spectrum when I was assigned to write a feature on Bhopal. The thirtieth anniversary of that industrial disaster that killed thousands is tonight.

One area of brain science that has drawn intense interest in recent years is the study of what psychologists call reconsolidation—a ponderous technical term that, once translated, means giving yourself a second chance.