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‘Car Talk’ Host’s Death Illuminates Alzheimer’s
“Turns out he wasn’t kidding,” said Ray. “He really couldn’t remember last week’s puzzler.” (1) On Monday Tom Magliozzi, co-host of NPR’s ‘Car Talk’ died of Alzheimer’s disease. For his many fans the dreaded disorder suddenly became personal. For many, it comes as a shock to learn that the mind-robbing disease can be fatal. The…
Read MoreThe Brain’s White Matter–Learning beyond Synapses
Recently scientists have been exploring part of the brain that has been relatively unexplored in learning–white matter, comprising half of the human brain. Here new research is detecting cellular changes during learning that are entirely different from the synaptic changes between neurons in gray matter. A new study shows that learning a new motor skill…
Read MoreEbloa on the Brain
This article describes how the Ebola virus affects the brain.
Read MoreSharks Use ESP
As beachgoers flock to the ocean over Labor Day, thoughts of “jaws” will inevitably surface. A shark’s ability to home in on the scent of blood is legendary, but many people are surprised to learn that sharks have a stealthy sixth sense to find prey and explore the world around them. Sharks have the ability…
Read MoreLucy Movie Review and Neuro Fact Check
The premise for the movie Lucy is that 90% of human cerebral capacity goes unused, but that’s only the start of the neuroscience bloopers in this new film. After becoming an unwilling drug mule Lucy is suddenly able to access the full potential of the human brain when a surgically implanted packet of a new…
Read MoreWhy Girls Like Guys Who Kayak
She’s checking out your on-line profile. “I am a scientist who enjoys bird watching and canoeing.” “Interesting!” she thinks. Then she scrolls to the next profile; also a scientist: “I enjoy white water kayaking, and I study alligators in the wild.” She passes on you with your canoe, and in eager anticipation sends the kayaker…
Read MoreThe Lone Wolf Delusion
Anguish grips the country with news of another horrific mass murder. From local police to the Secret Service, law enforcement worry about the “lone wolf.” These are individuals with no criminal record, feeling alienated and angry, plotting spectacular murder and violence in secret. “Experts” lament that there is no way to track lone wolf killers,…
Read MoreCerebral Storms
I awoke this morning to a ferocious lightning storm. The house shook from thunderous booms. The predawn darkness blanched in blazing white flashes. Lightning is impressive; especially in contrast to the feeble bioelectricity generated by the body’s nerve cells. Or is that just an illusion? Neuroscientist Michael Persinger has done some back-of-the-envelope calculations that may…
Read MoreLadies out of Luck: FDA Blocks “Female Viagra”
Guys who need it have Viagra; Ladies with the similar needs have nothing now that the FDA has denied approval of a new drug, flibanserin, which would treat sexual dysfunction in women. What’s interesting from a neuroscience perspective is how the drug works. What’s interesting from a social perspective is how difficult it is to…
Read More23andGUVMT– Health and Safety or What? An Antiestablishment Perspective
Is the recent FDA action blocking access to the personal gene analysis services of the company 23andMe really about health and safety? This controversy may instead be more about fear of the future and protecting special interests. What we could be seeing is the usual Luddite paranoia arising at every historic advance in technology, but…
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