People Use Same Brain Regions to Read Alphabetic and Logographic Languages
Whether reading Chinese characters or French words written alphabetically, the same areas light up in our brains, an insight that could inform learning strategies for literacy
Brain Scans of Rappers Shed Light on Creativity
A relaxation of "executive functions" during rapping allows for more natural de-focused attention and uncensored processes to occur--possibly the hallmark of creativity, a researcher says
Shape Science: The Bouba-Kiki Effect
An audible activity from Science Buddies
Pop Music Became More Moody in Past 50 Years
Number crunching decades of top 40 music for psychological insight
Speaking Science: Why People Don’t Hear What You Say
A lesson in communication from Scientific American
Elephant Never Forgets to Say "Hi"
An elephant in a Korean zoo has developed a way to vocalize a handful of recognizable words in the Korean language. Sophie Bushwick reports
Whale Mimics Human Speech
A captive beluga whale has altered his normal songs to more closely approximate human pitch and rhythms. Christopher Intagliata reports
How We Process Horrible Sounds
Researchers develop a model for how we find certain sounds, like nails on a chalkboard, unbearable. Christie Nicholson reports
Captive Beluga Whale Imitated Human Voices
The mimicry of the whale, now deceased, was no match for that of a parrot, but is an example of vocal learning, nonetheless
Brain Connectivity Predicts Reading Skills
Children could benefit from personalized lessons based on brain scans
The Connectome Debate: Is Mapping the Mind of a Worm Worth It?
Scientists have mapped a tiny roundworm's entire nervous system. Did it teach them anything about its behavior?
When We Hear a Sound
We tend to notice sounds that appear much more often and accurately than sounds that vanish. Christie Nicholson reports