Neuroscience

Neuroscience

color combinations
Independent of cultural background, people seem to share a sense of what makes certain color combinations aesthetically pleasing.
The ability is tied to mental health, consciousness, and memory in humans.
Democrat elephant faces the Republican donkey
People underestimate their opponent’s capacity to feel basic human sensations. We can short-circuit this impulse through moral reframing and perspective taking.
“We didn’t build anything face-ish into our network [but] managed to segregate themselves without being given a face-specific nudge.”
swearing
Profanity offers surprising benefits. But why?
Can electrical stimulation meaningfully substitute for natural touch during a complex task in the real world? We think so.
Plants are very sensitive to touch, with research showing that touching a plant can change its genome and launch a cascade of plant hormones.
Bruce Willis has announced he is stepping away from acting.
Studies show that feelings of ease and comfort in a given situation are tied to feelings of authenticity.
zombie
An emerging field studies parasites that take over the nervous system of a host.
Older adults who napped at least once or for more than an hour a day had a 40% higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s than those who napped less.
Successful romantic relationships require desire, but that desire doesn't have to be sexual.
The Human Genome Project put together 92% of our DNA blueprint. Here's what it took to complete the rest.
If we are wreaking havoc on ourselves and the world, it is because we have become mesmerized by a mechanistic, reductionist way of thinking.
The results of a 2021 study suggest that the world's most powerful psychedelic may be an underutilized peace-building tool.
The study shows that it’s possible to map the wildly subjective psychedelic experiences to specific brain regions.
Revolutionary techniques for understanding brain functions in animals could soon help us understand how emotions guide our lives.
More than 200 years ago, scientists tried to figure out how bats navigate in the dark (or without eyes). This set in motion a series of events that led to the development of ultrasound as a form of psychotherapy.
Even though the brain is only 2% of our total body mass, it consumes up to 25% of our energy.
Anesthesia causes animals and humans to lose consciousness. A study found it has a similar effect on Venus flytraps.
michio kaku
Michio Kaku predicts, among other things, how we'll build cities on Mars and why cancer will one day be like the common cold.
dizzy standing
Scientists find two 30-second techniques that prevent dizziness upon standing.
learned helplessness
Helplessness isn't learned — it's an instinctual response that can be overcome.
Salk scientists studied complex decision-making capabilities in a worm with just 302 neurons and a mouth full of teeth. It's smarter than you would think.
We imagine and debate the inner lives of literary characters, knowing there can be no truth about their real motives or beliefs. Could our own inner lives also be works of fiction?
Side view X-ray image of a human head and brain in shades of purple, shown against a solid purple background, highlighting the serene focus often seen in meditators.
3mins
Psychologist Daniel Goleman shares what he learned by studying the brain waves of Olympic-level meditators, and his findings are unprecedented.
John Templeton Foundation