Mind & Brain

Colorful rectangular lenses lined up in a row with colors going from pink, orange, yellow, green, blue to purple. Illustration by DTAN Studio

ConsciousnessSeptember 15, 2026

What if ‘consciousness’ isn’t real?

Our understanding of consciousness could be fundamentally wrong

Tim Bayne

A school of fish as seen from above swirling in the water

NeuroscienceSeptember 13, 2026

How our sense of beauty takes shape in the brain

A new study tries to map why humans can experience beauty collectively

Deniz Vantansever, Emmanuel A. Stamatakis, Xinyu Liang, The Conversation

New Issue: Science’s Impossible Questions. Read Now

Man lying back in long grass enjoying the sunshine

MindfulnessSeptember 12, 2026

Why doing nothing is good for your brain

The case for not filling up every minute of your day

Michael Craig, The Conversation

A low-polygon human brain dissolves from top to bottom, visually representing the progression of memory loss.

NeuroscienceSeptember 8, 2026

Something unique seems to be happening to the brain in menopause

A new study finds sharp contrasts between brain changes in menopause and those during pregnancy and puberty

Claire Cameron

Three Galah Cockatoos with red bodies and gray/white wings perched on a feeding dish.

AnimalsSeptember 8, 2026

Do birds enjoy flying? Scientists asked cockatoos

Flying leads to positive emotions and optimism in Galahs

Clarissa Brincat

A model of a brain wrapped in a tangle of glowing lights.

StressSeptember 7, 2026

Music helps soothe the brain when we are stressed

Music doesn’t just mask stress; it guides our brains back to a calm state

Payal Dhar

Blue illustration of a face with numbers, implying math and AI.

Artificial IntelligenceSeptember 7, 2026

How introverted or extroverted you are may influence how you use AI

How people interact with their inner and outer worlds may shape how they approach generative AI

Paul Jones, The Conversation US

This digitally generated image shows a glowing purple brain on a black background. The abstract brain looks like it’s dissolving to suggest neurodegeneration.

GeneticsSeptember 5, 2026

New brain scan tool could help expose a devastating and incurable genetic condition

Huntington’s disease is an inherited condition that gradually robs people of their ability to move, speak and even think clearly—there is no cure

Claudia Metzler-Baddeley, The Conversation

A small raccoon reaches up from sand into a humanmade space, perhaps an open car.

AnimalsSeptember 3, 2026

This tiny raccoon turned trash into toys—and taught her family how, too

The endangered animals displayed a first in raccoons and their kin

Isabel Gil

Cover of the Healthy Brain special edition issue of Scientific American against a yellow background.

Mind & BrainSeptember 1, 2026

The brain, solved

The human brain has upward of 86 billion neurons, connected by some 100 trillion synapses

Andrea Gawrylewski

EducationAugust 31, 2026

The backlash against screens in schools is escalating

School districts are banning AI, states are limiting educational technology in classrooms, and Meta will set new “school mode” restrictions—here’s what to know

Allison Parshall

Conceptual illustration of a person standing in a room with a couch and decor looking out of a passageway in the shape of a human head leading outside

MindfulnessAugust 30, 2026

Why obsessing over self-improvement could be sabotaging your brain

Our obsession with ‘maxxing’ every aspect of our lives could actually be stressing us out

Jennifer Donnelly, The Conversation US