Science Update
Sharing Science | Satisfying Curiosity | Debunking BS
BRAINS & BEHAVIOR - How the brain quickly overcomes arachnophobia. Why psychopaths' brains are different. And how the stress of great-grandparents is visited upon their great-grandchildren. Also: paralyzed rats walk again, and a robotic arm controlled by thoughts.
Researchers are using novel methods to make paralyzed rats walk again.
Descendants of “The Mutiny on the Bounty” are providing new clues to the genetics of migraine headaches.
Peoples’ brain activity changes permanently when they overcome a phobia.
The link between touch and hearing. And, why bilinguals hear better in noisy environments. Also: new brain research could illuminate why we’re willing to share so much personal information on social networking sites. And, how much money would it take for you to give someone an electric shock? The answer may surprise you.
Two patients with near-total paralysis have learned to control a robotic arm with their thoughts.
The great-grandchildren of rats given a fungicide were more stressed-out and anxious than other rats.
Specific brain abnormalities distinguish true psychopaths from other violent criminals.
Does speaking a second language change the way your brain works?
The antidepressant Zoloft affects cell membranes in yeast, which lack the brain chemical the drug targets.
How the brain's reward system makes sharing personal information on social media so compelling.
SOUND SCIENCE - Can sounds influence dreams? Emotional similarities between music and speech. Does a deeper voice lead people to vote for a political candidate? Baboons that recognize words. And baby goats with accents.
Researchers have figured out why naked mole rats are resistant to stroke.
EVOLUTION & EXTINCTION - What really happened to Australia's missing megafauna, how carnivores lost their sweet tooth, why lovelorn fruit flies resort to alcohol, strategic miscarriages in monkeys, and a new frog species is discovered in plain sight.
ALL ABOUT LANGUAGE - Neuroscientists are beginning to reconstruct what we've heard by listening to brainwaves, how scientists measure language delays around the world, using technology to keep endangered languages vibrant, and a musical instrument that allows you to sing...with your hands, Also: decoding the secret language of worms.
Scientists are beginning to reconstruct the words people hear based on electrical activity in their brains.
Playing certain types of video games can improve the vision of people who were born with cataracts.
Researchers have captured images of single brain cells in a live animal.
A fruit fly study clearly links biological clock disruption to neurodegeneration and early death.
Some spiders' brains are so big they spill over into their legs.
