Podcast
Satellites for human rights, a sprinter's anatomical advantage, the face of aggression, and newborns with accents.
Sleep Deprivation
Researchers discover how to reverse the cognitive effects of sleep deprivation in mice.
Election Testosterone
The 2008 presidential election affected male voters' testosterone levels.
Parental Lies
New research suggests that parents lie to their children much more often than previously thought.
Comfort Food Fallacy
Peoples' tastes may turn toward the exotic during times of emotional upheaval in their lives.
Podcast
Rescuing the brain from sleep deprivation, too much light can be depressing, sobering news in the treatment of chronic illness, and an installment of our new series, Reality Check.
Brain to Brain Interface
Scientists have successfully transmitted information from one brain to another.
Podcast
Lies parents tell their children. Is comfort food a fallacy? Imitating the dog's nose. And computer-facilitated brain-to-brain communication.
Corporate Apologies
Dissatisfied customers may respond better to an apology than a cash rebate.
Podcast
Debunking 2012 doomsday hype, developing a better rocket fuel, vegetarian spiders, and the genetics of aggression in Africanized bees.
Facial Contrast
Cosmetics enhance facial contrast, a quality that makes faces appear more feminine.
Podcast
How Monarch butterflies navigate their way to Mexico, do honeybees really die when they sting you, why apologies are better than cash, and brain scans that reconstruct what you were just looking at.
Social Insects Roundup
Fruit flies and humans share some of the same genes for learning; and one ant species lacks males entirely.
Ancient Fibers
Ancient flax fibers found in a cave suggests humans may have been turning the plant into clothing or rope as far back as 36,000 years ago.
Nicotine & Memory
Nicotine strengthens brain connections that associate memories with the urge to light up.
Podcast
An ancient hominid skeleton revises human evolution, the MESSENGER spacecraft makes its final flyby of the planet Mercury, facial contrasts and the use of cosmetics, and why your shower isn't as clean as you thought.
Scary Kafka Roundup
Reading disturbing, surrealistic stories may make you smarter than reading stories with straightforward plots.
Tortured Memories
Using torture to extract information from suspects may have the opposite of the intended effect.
Podcast
Torture gets a failing grade from neuroscience, a new benthic rover explores the ocean floor, how surrealism makes you smarter, and putting full moon folklore to the test.
Nostril Rivalry
Our two nostrils may constantly take turns sending different information to our brain.
Melatonin and Jet Lag
A listener asks: Can melatonin really help decrease jet lag?
Walking in Circles
People really do walk in circles when they get lost – if there's no way for them to get their bearings.
Reading in Dim Light
In this episode our new series Reality Check: Does reading in dim light ruin your eyes?