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On Boylston Street
(First published on BrainFacts.org ) The last time I was on Boylston Street it was to give a lecture in November at a scientific meeting in the Weston Hotel. Today, Sunday, I’m looking out onto an empty street, barricaded. An eerie modern-day ghost town festooned with yellow police tape rippling in the cold Boston wind. …
Read MoreRecognizing the Face of a Murder
The test subjects were able to suss out the murders on appearance alone, even though the photos were tightly cropped to reveal nothing but the parts of the human face that communicates emotion and internal states–eyes, nose, and mouth.
Read MoreSt. Patrick’s Day Hangover Doubles Risk of Brain Stroke
For many non-Irish, who are not exactly sure what St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to commemorate (and for many Irish who presumably do know the roots of the holiday), St. Patty’s is best celebrated at the local pub overindulging Jamison’s and Guinness with green-haired fun loving mates…
Read MoreBrain Cells that Communicate without Electricity: Calcium Waves in Glia
Glia are brain cells that cannot generate electrical impulses. As a consequence glia were thought to have no function in information processing or transmission. In fact glia were communicating with themselves and with neurons all along, but without using electricity. For a century neuroscientists were deaf to glial communication as they passionately studied neurons, because…
Read MoreTake a Break–How Your Brain Decides When to “Take Five”
Whether you are an athlete or a desk jockey, success in your endeavor hinges on allocating your effort and rest periods optimally. In the extreme, this decision can be perilous.
Read MoreJust Itching to Know
What is an itch? That insistent tickle demanding that you cease whatever you are doing and claw with your fingernails at a particular spot on your skin. It can come from anywhere—the top of your head to the soles of your feet–inside your ear to your eyeballs. NOTHING will…
Read MoreWhy does a Southern Drawl Sound Uneducated to Some?
Mark Twain’s Classic Huckleberry Finn begins with an explanation to readers: “In this book a number of dialects are used, to wit: the Missouri negro dialect ; the extremest form of the backwoods South-Western dialect ; the ordinary “Pike-Country” dialect ; and four modified varieties of this last… I make this explanation for the reason…
Read MoreThe Impact of Digital Publishing on Science
Most people are aware of the negative effects of the profound changes in newspaper and magazine publishing in the digital age, but fewer are aware of the effects the same forces are having on science. An article on the front page of yesterday’s Washington Post (November 24, 2012) concerned the corruptive influence drug companies can have on published…
Read MoreThe Power of Music: Mind control by rhythmic sound
Rhythmic sound not only affects motor function like toe-tapping, it controls how the brain takes in and processes information.
Read MoreHow to Measure Propensity for Aggression with a 6-Inch Ruler
Palm reading to measure personality? How can that be?
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