Shrinking Brains
Our brains shrink by up to 15% over our lifetimes, but those of chimpanzees do not.
Podcast for 26 August 2011
FEAR, LIES & SHRINKING BRAINS - Why our brains shrink, but chimps' don't, why computers are better at spotting lies than we are, and an enzyme for fear. Also, medical electronics that resemble tattoos, and how organic chicken farms could be a boon to public health.
Sizing Up Vowels
New research suggests that different vowel sounds cue babies in to the size of objects.
Rocking Sleep
Rocking helps adults fall asleep faster and enter deeper sleep.
Soccer Goalies
Soccer goalies tend to dive toward the right when their team is behind.
Beauty & Brains
One area of the brain becomes active when we experience beauty.
Tiny Chip Roundup
The tiniest camera in the world can record the firing of single neurons.
Happy Face Genetics
Differences in a gene influence how much time we spend looking at happy faces.
Stop Smoking Texts
Encouraging text messages help smokers kick the habit.
Podcast for 22 July 2011
THE BRAIN & SOCIETY: How the brain experiences beauty, what soccer reveals about the mind, and why lazing around in a hammock could benefit your memory. Also, how your cell phone could help you kick the habit.
Podcast for 15 July 2011
THE SCIENCE OF FACES: when pigeons look at us, and the genes behind how we look at faces. Also: what causes hot flashes, determining your age from your DNA, and the hormone behind stress eating.
Appliance Roundup
Some of the world’s most forbidding environments occur right in our own homes, but microorganisms are finding a way to colonize them.
Podcast for 1 July 2011
A failing grade for fat substitutes, a master regulator gene for fat, a brainwave that helps control memory, and turning skin cells into brain cells.
Neanderthal Hands
Evidence from ancient teeth suggests that most Neanderthals were right-handed, like us.
Barbie Effect
To study how we perceive our environment, scientists created the illusion of being either Barbie doll-sized or gigantic.
Sleep-Deprived Brains
A brain chemical called adenosine plays a major role in symptoms of sleep deprivation.
Healthy Handshakes
A new study investigates whether shaking hands spreads germs.
Movie Star Marriages
Even movie stars tend to choose spouses with similar education levels.
Gender-Biased Children’s Books
Children’s books are dominated by male characters.
Podcast for 27 May 2011
Why sleep deprivation clouds thinking, what the brainwaves of sleeping teenagers reveal, and how a video game helps sick kids strengthen their lungs. Also, why a team of epidemiological sleuths invaded school graduations across Maryland last year. And, new study reveals extreme gender bias in children’s books.
Psychology Roundup
States with the highest reported levels of happiness also have high suicide rates.
The Embarrassed Brain
Researchers have identified the region of the brain responsible for humiliation.
Podcast for 13 May 2011 – Neuropsychology
Researchers erase sea snail memories, the brain's sarcasm detector, why a lack of embarrassment could be a sign of dementia, and schizophrenia in a petri dish.