Stories by Jason Castro

Scientists search for the neural basis of an enigmatic experience

Research suggests that the course of a pregnancy may be shaped by a man’s odor

Scientists used light to evoke an odor directly in a mouse brain—no nose involved

How neuroscientists can call up and change a memory

A fascinating new neuroscience experiment probes an ancient philosophical question—and hints that you might want to get out more

Hunger is affected by how much you think you ate

New concepts don’t replace incorrect ones: they just learn to live together

Slumber may loosen the links that undergird knowledge, restoring the brain daily to a vibrant, flexible state

There is a deep connection between the way your brain and a swarm of bees arrives at a decision

Provocative experiments suggest that insects have something resembling emotions

Provocative experiments suggest that the insects have something like an emotional life

Our elected leaders are (probably) not distrusting jerks. Game theory suggests that cooperation is natural but that morality could undercut the tendency

Scientists monitor the brains of teens listening to songs and find the breakout hits tend to share certain neural signatures

New studies map the changing landscape of neurons as the brain masters a task

Push the pedal, and the brain is less able to rewire itself. Ease up and, perhaps, an old brain will turn young again

A mysterious substance in a woman's tears subtly affects the male sex drive

Scientists close in on the process that records -- and erases -- memories of terror

New research underlines the wisdom of being absorbed in what you do