Gary Stix, formerly senior editor of mind and brain topics at Scientific American, edited and reported on emerging advances that have propelled brain science to the forefront of the biological sciences. Stix has edited or written cover stories, feature articles and news on diverse topics, ranging from what happens in the brain when a person is immersed in thought to the impact of brain implant technology that alleviates mood disorders such as depression. Before taking over the neuroscience beat, Stix, as Scientific American's special projects editor, was responsible for the magazine's annual single-topic special issues, conceiving of and producing issues on Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, climate change and nanotechnology. One special issue he oversaw on the topic of time in all of its manifestations won a National Magazine Award. With his wife Miriam Lacob, Stix is co-author of a technology primer called Who Gives a Gigabyte? A Survival Guide for the Technologically Perplexed.
Remembering A Great Science Educator
Seventeen years ago, Phil Yam, then news editor (now managing editor, online), was looking for a rent-a-kid to test out the newly opening physics playground at the New York Hall of Science.
Why Language and Thought Resemble Russian Dolls
Michael Corballis is a professor emeritus at the University of Auckland, who has written extensively on the evolution of language and the origins of thought.
What's Special, Or Not, About Human Brain Anatomy
As a teenager, Chet Sherwood, a biological anthropologist at George Washington University, did not know he was destined to become a scientist.
Can Acupuncture Curb Killer Immune Reactions?
A needle-based technique has been shown to switch on nerves that tamp down sepsis
Free, High-Quality Medical Care in Sudan
A prominent Italian heart surgeon talks about his plan to build free, state-of-the-art hospitals in Africa
Just 1 Rock Concert or Football Game May Cause Permanent Hearing Damage
A single exposure to loud but not deafening noise may be enough to precipitate irreparable harm to nerves in the auditory system. This is the take-home from a new line of research that may help explain why many people, particularly as they age, have difficulty in picking out a conversation from the wall of background [...]
My Brain Made Me Pull the Trigger
Neuroscience-based defenses are flooding the courtroom
Working Memory and the Movies Streaming In Our Heads
Peter Carruthers began his career studying philosophy as an undergraduate at the University of Leeds, an outpost for Wittgenstein scholarship.
Statistical Flaw Punctuates Brain Research in Elite Journals
Neuroscientists need a statistics refresher. That is the message of a new analysis in Nature Neuroscience that shows that more than half of 314 articles on neuroscience in elite journals during an 18-month period failed to take adequate measures to ensure that statistically significant study results were not, in fact, erroneous.
Early Trial of Doctor’s Office Test to Predict Dementia Before First Symptoms
Until very recently, the only way to provide a firm diagnosis of Alzheimer’s was through a brain autopsy. Things are starting to change.
Can Acupuncture Reverse Killer Inflammation?
The ST36 Zusanli () acupuncture point is located just below the knee joint. This spot in mice--and it is hoped perhaps in humans--may be a critical entryway to gaining control over the often fatal inflammatory reactions that accompany systemic infections.
A Look under the Hood: A New Tool Set for Neuroscientists [Video]
Technology that can image and switch brain circuits on and off is what will take neuroscience to the next level
The Nazis’ Biowarfare Program at Dachau
Hitler decided against Germany’s officially establishing a biological warfare program for reasons that are not entirely clear. Speculation has centered on his experience of being gassed in World War I and on a personal phobia about microbes.
The Riddle of What Is Killing Thousands of Central American Cane Workers
Why the Silence Comandante Ortega? That paraphrasing of a headline from the great Spanish daily El Pais introduced a story in the paper on the difficulties that Nicaragua has faced in coming to grips with the death and disability wrought by a still-unexplained kidney disease epidemic.
What It Means to Have An Extraordinary Memory for Past Events [Video]
Some people recollect what happened 10 or 20 years ago as if it were the day before yesterday
World-Class (and Free) Heart Surgery in the Sudan. An Interview With Gino Strada
When Italys populist Five Star Movement held an online poll last year to probe who might make the best presidential candidate, surgeon Gino Strada came in second.
Fooling Brain Defenses To Deliver an Alzheimer’s Drug
The blood-brain barrier is the Berlin Wall of human anatomy and physiology Its closely packed cells shield neurons and the like from toxins and pathogens, while letting pass glucose and other essential chemicals for brain metabolism (caffeine?).
The Unconscious Rules [Video]
Thought, emotion and perception below the level of conscious awareness holds sway over our waking lives
Sleeps Role in Obesity, Schizophrenia, Diabetes...Everything
Is sleep good for everything? Scientists hate giving unqualified answers. But the more sleep researchers look, the more the answer seems to be tending toward a resounding affirmative.
A Blind Person Understands The Way A Sighted Friend “Sees” The World
Trendiness in the brain sciences often has an obscure, esoteric quality that belies the prominence accorded neuro in both academia and popular culture.
Neural Workaround Makes for More Practical Bionic Limbs
The secret to building brain-controlled prostheses may be to ignore the brain entirely
My Brain Made Me Pull the Trigger
The emerging academic discipline of neuroethics has been driven, in part, by the recognition that introducing brain scans as legal evidence is fraught with peril. Most neuroscientists think that a brain scan is unable to provide an accurate representation of the state of mind of a defendant or determine whether his frontal lobes predispose to some wanton [...]
Is Mindfulness Good for Everything? Maybe Not for Learning to Ride a Bike
Searching the keyword “mindfulness” on Google News turns up more than 9,000 results posted over the last few weeks. The vast majority of headlines arrive in your browser resonating with hyperbolic overtones: “Pioneering Lee School uses mindfulness for pupils to beat stress and boost exams” “How to Manage Your 40,000 Thoughts A Day and Keep [...]
Could Civilian Drones Become Lethal Projectiles? [Video]
An experiment demonstrates the radio-controlled hijacking of a drone