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The Taste of Thanksgiving
I took a sip of sugary Coke and was struck by a hideous intense blast of aluminum. I rushed to the sink and spit out the tainted drink. Poison! What’s wrong with this Coke! I took another tentative sip. I was slammed again by the overwhelming metallic taste. I spat out the poison by rapid…
Read MoreToxin in Dungeness Crab Causes Brain Damage
Commercial Crab Fishermen, Pillar Point, CA The California Fish and Game Commission has banned crab fishing until further notice after detecting high levels of a neurotoxin in Dungeness and rock crabs. The toxin, domoic acid, is produced by certain types of planktonic algae, and it becomes concentrated in tissue of crabs and other marine organisms…
Read More“You Don’t Have Time to Think.” Heroic Veteran Capt. Florent Groberg’s Selfless Action
Today it was announced that Army Capt. Florent Groberg will receive the Medal of Honor for instantly tackling a suicide bomber in a split-second reaction of self-sacrifice to save the lives of his comrades. “You don’t have time to think. You react,” he explains. But how is that possible? As we honor Capt. Groberg with…
Read MoreThe Neuroscience of Witches
Toads, spells, potions, flying brooms, and witch’s brews–witchcraft is all about neuroscience.
Read MoreNew discovery explains why binge drinking leads to alcohol dependence and suggests new treatments
“Why can’t you stop drinking?” This week at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago announced a new finding that provides a fresh answer to this persistent question that plagues people addicted to alcohol. The discovery offers an entirely new approach to treatment. Neuroscientist,…
Read MoreWhat’s in Your Nightmares? The Top 5 Recurring Dreams of Adults and Kids
Dreams that reoccur are especially disturbing, and nearly everyone has experienced them.
Read MoreAlzheimer’s Disease—America’s Tsunami
Political foes uniting to fund the fight of Alzheimer’s disease
Read MoreWhy no one helped
On Saturday, July 4, 2015, a horrifying bloodbath erupted before the eyes of passengers on the Red Line Metro subway train heading to Fourth of July festivities in Washington, DC. Wide-spread criticism in the press and social media erupted over the “apathetic” response of onlookers who reportedly said or did nothing to help the victim.…
Read MoreTo Flee or Freeze? Neural Circuits of Threat Detection Identified
Suddenly something streaks into your peripheral vision. Instantly, you jump back and raise your arms defensively. “What was that!” You exclaim in shock. Only then do you realize that the blurred streak you just dodged was a wayward basketball zinging like a missile on a collision course for your face. A rush of adrenaline flushes…
Read MoreBruce Jenner and Changing Your Brain’s Sex
The debut of Bruce Jenner’s sex change on the cover of Vanity Fair was stunning, but superficial. A deeper question than her new-found beauty is: What about her brain? Just like the anatomy of nearly every other part of the human body, the brains of guys and gals are slightly different. The biggest differences are…
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