Hunger Affects What We See
When our body needs something, like food, the brain tends to open a fast track for perceiving that specific thing. Christie Nicholson reports
Cognition3891 articles archived since 1845
This Is What a Scientist Looks Like
A new Web site attempts to dispel a pervasive stereotype
Caffeine Disrupts Sleep for Morning People, but Not Night Owls
The researchers said this is the first study to link caffeine intake with "chronotype," which classifies people by the time of day they are most alert and active
Your Sexual Brain
The Evolution of Sex, Sexual Circuitry, Relationships & Sex Crimes
Structured Unlearning: Marijuana May Impair Memory via the Brain's Non-Firing Cells
A new study suggests that pot makes users forgetful by binding not to neurons but to the brain's supporting glial cells called astrocytes
You Have a Hive Mind
There is a deep connection between the way your brain and a swarm of bees arrives at a decision
Teen Brain Takes Biggest Sports Hits
The teen brain suffers more long-term damage from concussions than does the child or adult brain. Katherine Harmon reports
How Exercise Jogs the Brain
Physical activity boosts cognition by improving neurons' power supply
Making Sense of the World, Several Senses at a Time
Sensory cross talk helps us navigate the world
What Doctors Don't Understand about Anesthesia
Researchers suggest a theory of "neural inertia" to explain a puzzle about how patients emerge from unconsciousness
Subtle Multisensory Clues Reveal Other People's Emotions
Good social skills depend on picking up on other people's moods--a feat the brain performs by combining numerous sensory clues
Dehydration Affects Women's Moods
Two recent studies find that dehydration not only affects your body but your mood as well. Christie Nicholson reports
Recommended: The Age of Insight
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
New Driver Style Predicts Crash Risk
New drivers with more "g-force events," like quick turns and sudden braking, had more crashes and near hits. Amy Kraft reports
Does Overeating Cause Memory Impairment as We Age?
Researchers are in the early stages of linking caloric intake to mild cognitive impairment, the stage between normal age-related memory loss and early Alzheimer's disease
The Neglect of Mental Illness Exacts a Huge Toll, Human and Economic
By letting mental afflictions go untreated, we consign millions of Americans to misery and put a drag on our economy
$1.3B 'Brain in a Box' Project Faces Skepticism
Swiss Academy of Sciences members are uneasy about a project to simulate the entire brain and explore how neural circuits give rise to behavior and cognition
Experts Tell the Truth about Pot
Marijuana use can be problematic but only rarely leads to addiction
Alex the Parrot's Posthumous Paper Shows His Mathematical Genius
Alex and a chimpanzee named Sheba are the only nonhumans that have so far been shown to represent the numerical value of a summed set, an ability once thought to depend on language
