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September 1, 2018Evolution
The Cultural Origins of Language: What makes language distinctly human; Christine Kenneally; Scientific American Volume 319, Issue 3; 10.1038/scientificamerican0918-54; Originally published as "Talking through Time" in Scientific American Volume 319, Issue 3

June 21, 2017Culture
To Counteract Propaganda, We Should Look to Lessons from Advertising: The goal should not be conversion but doubt; Krystal D'Costa

July 17, 2011Mind & Brain
Confirmation Bias and Art: By now, our overwhelming tendency to look for what confirms our beliefs and ignore what contradicts our beliefs is well documented. Psychologists refer to this as confirmation bias, and its ubiquity is observed in both academia and in our everyday lives: Republicans watch Fox while Democrats watch MSNB; creationists see fossils as evidence of God, evolutionary biologists see fossils as evidence of evolution; doomsayers see signs of the end of the world, and the rest of us see just another day...; Samuel McNerney

April 26, 2011Mind & Brain
Why Doctors Should Be More Empathetic--But Not Too Much More: Research is revealing what goes on in the brains of health care workers when they see patients as objects; Omar Sultan Haque and Adam Waytz

November 1, 2016Mind & Brain
Why Math Education in the U.S. Doesn't Add Up: Research shows that an emphasis on memorization, rote procedures and speed impairs learning and achievement; Jo Boaler and Pablo Zoido; Scientific American Mind Volume 27, Issue 6; 10.1038/scientificamericanmind1116-18; Originally published as "Why Math Education in the U.S. Doesn't Add Up" in Scientific American Mind Volume 27, Issue 6

July 20, 2017Biology
Sensing with Your Feet!: A feel-good science project; Science Buddies and Svenja Lohner

May 1, 2008Mind & Brain
Seeing Is Believing: 2-D or not 2-D, that is the question: test yourself to learn what shapes formed by shading reveal about the brain; Diane Rogers-Ramachandran and Vilayanur s. Ramachandran; 105 Mind-Bending Illusions; 10.1038/scientificamerican0508-26sp

November 25, 2021Psychology
‘Constructive Arguing’ Can Help Keep the Peace at Your Thanksgiving Table: People with different perspectives don’t have to butt heads; James M. Honeycutt and The Conversation US

June 24, 2014
Brainomics: Hacking the Brain (and Autism) with Gene Machines: What if you could trace brain circuits as if you were sequencing genes? A scientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory thinks you can.; Gary Stix

July 1, 2012Mind & Brain
When Nice Guys Finish First: Pleasant people enjoy many advantages in life and, with some effort, can even make it to the top; Daisy Grewal; Scientific American Mind Volume 23, Issue 3; 10.1038/scientificamericanmind0712-62

July 14, 2011
Ketamine and Major Depressive Disorder: Is it Better with Special K?: Most people have heard of ketamine. Originally invented in 1962 to be used as an anesthetic, it is still used for children and in some topical anesthetics, but mostly when you hear of ketamine used clinically now, it's actually used in combination with xylazine as a veterinary anesthetic (side note: SciCat coming to after a visit to the vet from a Ketamine/Xylazine combo is...hilarious...; Scicurious

October 3, 2011Health
Half Dead: Men and the "Midlife Crisis": If you ask a person when “middle age” begins, the answer, not surprisingly, depends on the age of that respondent. American college-aged students are convinced that one fits soundly into the middle-age category at 35...

September 11, 2012
This Is Your Brain on the Internet (Maybe): Headlines like “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” or “Is the Internet Making Us Dumber?” quite clearly show that people are concerned about what the Internet is doing to our cognition.; Kyle Hill

December 5, 2011
Will You Live Forever or until Your Next Software Release by Uploading Your Brain into a Computer?: Neurons of the retina Ray Kurzweil and other so-called transhumanists have promised that in coming decades we will be able to transfer a digital copy of the trillions of connections among nerve cells in our brains into a computer...; Gary Stix

January 25, 2019
When Lyme Disease Strikes an Unborn Child: A mom can pass the pathogen to her fetus—but the World Health Organization has removed “congenital Lyme disease” from its definitive diagnostic reference; Mary Beth Pfeiffer

September 1, 2013Cross-Check
Why Optogenetics Doesn’t Light Me Up: The Sequel: When asked about my style of journalism, I sometimes say that my goal isn’t necessarily to get people to agree with me. It’s to provoke readers into reconsidering some issue...; John Horgan

March 8, 2012
Our Storytelling Minds: Do We Ever Really Know What's Going on Inside?: W.J. was a veteran of World War II. He was gregarious, charming, and witty. He also happed to suffer from a debilitating form of epilepsy—so incapacitating that, in 1960, he elected to have a drastic form of brain surgery: his corpus collosum—the connecting fabric between the left and right hemispheres of the brain that allows the two halves to communicate—would be severed...; Maria Konnikova

September 1, 2011Mind & Brain
The Eyes Have It: Eye gaze is critically important to social primates such as humans. Maybe that is why illusions involving eyes are so compelling; Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik; September / October 2011; 10.1038/scientificamericanmind0911-18; Originally published as "Illusions: The Eyes Have It" in September / October 2011

June 1, 2007Mind & Brain
Kids on Meds -- Trouble Ahead: Antidepressants, designed for adults, may be altering the brains of kids who take them; Paul Raeburn; June/July 2007; 10.1038/scientificamericanmind0607-34; Originally published as "Kids on Meds: Trouble Ahead?" in June/July 2007

September 4, 2019Neuroscience
Studying the Superhuman: An examination of sixth fingers hints at what our body—and mind—is capable of; Ryan P. Dalton and Tom Roseberry

The Cultural Origins of Language