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Brain Scan Can Reveal How Much School Work You’ve Done
Much like the age of a fish can be determined by the number of rings on its scales, a new study shows that the number of years a person has studied in school can be seen on a brain scan decades later by measuring the growth in certain brain regions. …
Read MoreNeuroscience
I was stopped at a red light. Through my rear view mirror I saw the car speeding toward me. The driver was looking down operating a cell phone in his lap. I considered putting my car in park because the rapid acceleration in a crash is what damages, but I did not want to…
Read MoreThe Collapse of Science, Not Housing, Ended the American Dream
(First published on Huffington Post Science) The job of a scientist is to predict the future and get there first. We do this by looking for patterns in subtle clues; organizing the fragments thoughtfully to project their likely trajectory. It is this process that moves me to write this essay; in essence an epitaph from…
Read MoreErasing Memory: No Longer Science Fiction
The fact is, there is no convincing evidence that the memory of specific experience (called declarative memory) can be erased in humans–until now.
Read MoreOn 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…
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