Your Brain, Free Will and the Law
Stanford University neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky talks about human behavior, the penal system and the question of free will.
Neuroscience2768 articles archived since 1845
What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about the Brain
A close brush can leave a lasting mental legacy—and may tell us about how the mind functions under extreme conditions
Blind People Could ‘See’ Letters That Scientists Drew on Their Brains with Electricity
Scientists stimulated the brain using electrodes implanted on its surface
Marijuana May Not Lower Your IQ
Rigorous new studies should be able to settle the matter
Virus-Infected Bees Practice Social Distancing
Bees infected with a virus cut back on interactions within their hive but find it easier to get past sentries at neighboring hives.
Five Types of Research, Underexplored until Recently, Could Produce Alzheimer’s Treatments
Research into the brain’s protein-disposal systems, electrical activity and three other areas looks promising
Red-Winged Blackbirds Understand Yellow Warbler Alarms
Researchers studying yellow warbler responses to the parasitic cowbird realized that red-winged blackbirds were eavesdropping on the calls and reacting to them, too.
“Event” Cells in the Brain Help Organize Memory into Meaningful Segments
Neurons in the hippocampus categorize what we experience into abstract, discrete events, such as taking a walk versus having lunch
The Loneliness of the “Social Distancer” Triggers Brain Cravings Akin to Hunger
A study on isolation’s neural underpinnings implies many may feel literally “starved” for contact amid the COVID-19 pandemic
City Birds: Big-Brained with Few Offspring or Small-Brained with a Lot
To make it in urban areas, birds tend to be either large-brained and able to produce few offspring or small-brained and extremely fertile. In natural habitats, most birds brains are of average size...
Unwavering Waves
A prizewinning new variant on an illusory classic
Can Science Explain Deja Vu?
Most of us have experienced deja vu—that sensation when new events feel eerily familiar. Could this "glitch in the Matrix" be a brain short-circuit?
Constant Shifts between Mental States Mark a Signature of Consciousness
Both of two essential brain networks that switch roles—one is on when the other is off—shut down in unresponsive individuals
The Brain Learns in Unexpected Ways
White matter, the insulation around our neural wiring, plays a critical role in acquiring knowledge
Born Ready: Babies Are Prewired to Perceive the World
A study in infants adds to the debate about whether we come into the world prepped for higher cognitive abilities such as face recognition
White Noise Helps Mice Distinguish Similar Tones
Understanding a surprising effect may eventually improve human hearing
Fight-or-Flight Nerves Make Mice Go Gray
A new study in mice concludes stress can cause gray hair—and credits overactive nerves with the change in hue. Karen Hopkin reports.
Is an Antidepressant Right for You? Ask Your Brain Waves
EEGs successfully picked out which depressed individuals got better on the drug Zoloft
How Does a Mammalian Brain Forget?
A mouse study shows immune cells gobbling up the connections between memory-associated neurons
“Mini Brains” Are Not like the Real Thing
Snags hinder efforts to create small cellular models of the human cortex
