Mind & Brain
Can General Anesthesia Trigger Dementia?
Scientists try to untangle the relationship between a temporary effect and a permanent condition
Stories by Roni Jacobson
Mind & Brain
MIND Reviews: How We Learn
Books and recommendations from Scientific American MIND
Mental Health
Turn On, Tune In, Get Better: Psychedelic Drugs Hold Medical Promise
Psychedelic drugs are poised to be the next major breakthrough in mental health care
Mind & Brain
Kids' False Memories Reveal Quirks of Learning
The way kids learn causes them to generate more false memories than adults
Mental Health
Should You Tell Your Boss about a Mental Illness?
Discrimination and stigma are concerns, but coming out can be a boon to your career—if the conditions are right
Mind & Brain
Robin Williams: Depression Alone Rarely Causes Suicide
Several factors, such as severity of symptoms, family history, substance abuse and a “mixed” depressive and manic state may combine to increase the risk for suicide
Health
Common Prescription Drugs Alter Blood’s Flow
Medicines can get the blood going, but some side effects remain unclear
Health
What Happens When an Amoeba “Eats” Your Brain?
Infections from Naegleria fowleri, the so-called brain-eating amoeba, may be on the rise--here’s what you should know about the deadly organism
Mind & Brain
SSRIs May Help Us See the Glass Half Full
Common antidepressants may also affect learning and digestion
Mind & Brain
Psychotropic Drugs Affect Men and Women Differently
Prescription painkillers, antidepressants and other brain drugs have gender-specific effects
Health
Dispute over Stem Cells: A Timeline
For more than 40 years government officials have grappled with how to regulate and fund the controversial research
Technology
Nobody Is Neutral When It Comes to Net Neutrality
The FCC has asked for comment on whether the Internet should be reclassified as a public utility to preserve net neutrality—but the motion faces political and legal hurdles
African Nations Aim to Address Scarcity of Scientists
Africa has the lowest scientific output of any continent, despite being the second most populous. Combined, its 54 nations generate approximately the same amount of scientific research as the Netherlands...
Environment
World’s Largest Solar Array Set to Crank Out 290 Megawatts of Sunshine Power
Megaplants like Agua Caliente in Arizona herald a new efficiency in solar-sourced electricity
Behavior
Build Your Own Family
Not all families have two deeply committed parents. For everyone else, here are the essentials for raising kids right
First-born Girls Most Likely to Succeed
Bossy, know-it-all older sisters everywhere now have something else to lord over their younger siblings: Researchers have found that firstborn girls are the most ambitious and successful children in their families...
Biology
New Drug for Stomach Cancer Starves Tumors of Blood
The medication could offer a way to fight other cancers as well
Medicine
Medical Marijuana: How the Evidence Stacks Up
For many conditions, marijuana's effectiveness remains uncertain
Behavior
Targeting Drunk Women Accounts for Sexual Aggression, Not "Blurred Lines"
Crossed signals from alcohol-impaired perception do not cause unwanted come-ons, new research suggests. Instead, aggressors simply target women who appear inebriated
Pharmaceuticals
Should Children Take Antipsychotic Drugs?
Prescriptions are on the rise, but evidence for the drugs' safety and effectiveness is mixed
