Stories by Nikhil Swaminathan

Analysis of gender-based color preferences finds women favor pink (or purple)

The constant activity of an enzyme first produced during learning traps memories in our brains

A process known to kill adult nerve cells also halts stem cell growth, causing neurodegeneration

New study finds it's not just dopamine-producing cells, but likely ones that secrete norepinephrine, as well, that kick-start the movement disorder

The mechanism behind antidepressant drugs is unveiled, which could lead to better treatments for depression and anxiety disorders

An examination of over 5,000 teeth from early human ancestors shows that many of the first Europeans probably came from Asia

How the brain parses music—and pays attention

Deep-brain stimulation "jump-starts" a man's brain six years after he suffered a severe head trauma

Context clues and word shape also contribute to overall ability to tease out a sentence.

Gene variant (found in 30 percent of Caucasian population and 12 percent of African-Americans) leads to more vivid recollections of emotionally powerful episodes—both good and bad

Researchers pinpoint the neurons responsible for figuring out how things add up

It appears that some boys have as much as a 50 percent risk of developing the mysterious disorder

In feature-based attention, neurons form the search patterns we use to find familiar objects in unexplored places

New study links expectations of rewards to placebo effect

New study counteracts neurobiological dogma, which says inhibiting new protein formation in the brain causes memory loss

A mutation can dramatically increase the chances of developing the chronic form of diabetes

Conscious memory manipulation could aid in designing both clinical treatments and new drug targets for patients suffering from phobias and post-traumatic stress

New method prevents the transfer of antibiotic resistance (killing the stronger bacteria in the process)

In a word: No. But then, how did the rumor get started?

Discovery could lead to new treatments for the debilitating lung disorder