Kinder, Gentler Monkeys
Rhesus macaque monkeys become kinder after inhaling the hormone oxytocin.
Violin Confusion
The Stradivarius is the violin by which all others are judged. But does it deserve its reputation?
Podcast for 20 January 2012
ANIMALS & PEOPLE - Levitating flies, what dogs and babies have in common, how oxytocin makes kinder, gentler monkeys, a fish that mimics an octopus that mimics a fish, and how bats hear with both sides of the brain.
Toddler Naps
New evidence suggests that napping helps young children regulate their emotions and take pleasure in their activities.
Podcast for 13 January 2012
SOUNDS & SENSES - Researchers replay some of the first audio recordings ever made. Chimpanzees, like humans, associate certain sounds with certain colors. Can your posture affect how you perceive numbers? Pigeons that learn to count. And spiders with brainy legs.
Sounds & Colors
Like humans, chimpanzees associate high-pitched sounds with bright colors and low-pitched sounds with dark colors.
Antidepressant Drug Test
A blood test reveals how well a patient may respond to a particular antidepressant.
The Oldest Oldies
Some of the first sound recordings ever made are finally being heard again.
Podcast for 30 December 2011
DRUGS & ROCK 'N ROLL - Predicting drug side-effects before they can harm patients. A blood test for antidepressant effectiveness. Is 27 really an unlucky number for famous musicians? Are collecting and hoarding related? And why babies favor vigilante justice.
Video Game Brains
Violent video games can affect brain activity well after the games are over.
Collecting & Hoarding
A listener asks why some people become collectors and hoarders.
Eye-Witness Accuracy
Tracking witnesses’ eye movements may help reveal what they’ve really seen.
Old Brains
Preserved brains from the early 20th century may shed light on mental illness.
Podcast for 23 December 2011
CHANGING BRAINS - Why London taxi drivers have bigger brains, how eye movements reveal what we've really seen, and why emulating the eye movements of experts produces better surgeons. And, what long-dead brains can tell us about mental illness. Also: how violent video games could be changing young men's brains.
Infantile Justice
Eight-month-old babies seem to favor rewarding good behavior and punishing bad.
Eye Training for Surgeons
Surgeons, like athletes, may benefit from learning to use their eyes like experts.
Taxi Driver Brains
The brains of would-be London taxi drivers get bigger during their multi-year training for the job.
Depression Prevention Training
Researchers hope to stave off depression by training kids to gravitate toward positive images.
Starving Fat Cells
A drug that cuts of the blood supply to fat cells resulted in significant weight loss in obese monkeys.
Wasp Face Processing
Paper wasps, which can recognize each other, seem to process faces in ways similar to humans.
Placebos & Pain
Can the placebo effect be harnessed to help people with chronic pain?
Dreams & Emotions
REM sleep, in which dreams occur, also may help take the edge off painful memories.
Podcast for 2 December 2011
THE BRAIN, MOOD & BEHAVIOR - Could dreaming help heal emotional wounds? The relationship between the placebo effect and chronic pain. New research into the genetics of empathy. Also: a computer program to help prevent depression in girls, and exploring sex differences in mood disorders.