Autism Vocal Screen
A new voice-analysis technique may help doctors screen young children for signs of autism.
Podcast
SCIENCE OF SOUND: Male penguins attract females by the sound of their voice, tropical wrens sing duets, and there's a new screening test for autism that analyzes speech patterns. Also: exposing "facilitated communication".
*Image originally appeared in: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0020406
Facilitated Miscommunication
Wishful, rather than scientific thinking led health care professionals to believe that that a man in a persistent vegetative state was writing elaborate messages to them.
Tanning Oil
Using tanning oil to get a speedier tan can damage skin more quickly.
Brain Structure Roundup
The size of different brain structures is related to how neurotic, outgoing or friendly we are.
Podcast
Deciphering orangutan gestures, ancient bite marks, our innate sense of direction, and why Archaeopteryx might not have been able to fly.
Mating Psychology Roundup
Research suggests that we're more attracted to people when others find them attractive.
Mating Psychology Roundup
Research suggests that we're more attracted to people when others find them attractive.
Smoking Vaccine
Researchers are testing a vaccine that could block the pleasurable effects of smoking.
Schizophrenia & Creativity
The brains of healthy creative people share some similarities with those of schizophrenia patients.
Post-Partum Depression in Men
Post-partum depression affects men as well as women.
Podcast
Researchers test a smoking vaccine, the relationship between schizophrenia and creativity, and post-partum depression in men.
Music Intelligence Roundup
Can listening to Mozart really make you smarter?
Near-Miss Gambling
For problem gamblers, near misses are almost as exciting as hitting the jackpot.
Brain Master Switch
Scientists have identified a protein that serves as the brain's master switch.
Podcast
Why near misses keep problem gamblers coming back for more, doing good could make you stronger, an artificial pancreas to control diabetes, debunking the "Mozart" effect, and the brain's master switch.
Chronic Pain
People with chronic pain experience pain differently than other people.
Pigeon Leadership
Pigeons use a loose hierarchy to determine which way they flock.
Knuckle Cracking
A 60-year-long experiment shows that knuckle cracking does not cause arthritis.
Podcast
THE BRAIN: Empathy and aggression share the same neural circuitry, chronic pain sufferers process acute pain differently, how a brain implant made of silk could help epilepsy patients, the effects of pre-natal air pollution exposure on children's cognitive performance, and the psychology behind the Ouija board.