Neuroscience

Enlarge / A sketch drawn by study participant of visuals during their experience. People under the influence of a psychedelic brew known as ayahuasca frequently experience vivid visual and aural hallucinations and also report feeling as if they are in a dream. Now a new study published in Scientific Reports has shown that the drug…

Enlarge / A study participant has his brain waves recorded as he leaps from the Europa Bridge near Innsbruck, Austria, into a 630-foot abyss. Thank goodness for that bungee cord. Right before you work up the nerve to leap off a bungee-jumping platform and plummet toward the Earth, there will be a sharp, measurable increase…

Enlarge / The difference between modern human (left) and Neanderthal skulls means there must be some differences in how their brains develop. What are the key differences between modern humans and our closest relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans? For the Neanderthals, there doesn't look to be any sort of obvious difference. They used sophisticated tools,…

Enlarge / A real human brain suspended in liquid within a human silhouette carved into acrylic, on display at the Bristol Science Centre in England. New research finds more evidence that the brain operates near a critical point. Ben Birchall/PA Images/Getty Images The human brain doesn't seem like it would have much in common with…

When you’re stressed and anxious, you might feel your heart race. Is your heart racing because you’re afraid? Or does your speeding heart itself contribute to your anxiety? Both could be true, a new study in mice suggests. By artificially increasing the heart rates of mice, scientists were able to increase anxiety-like behaviors — ones…

The classical view of how the human brain controls voluntary movement might not tell the whole story. That map of the primary motor cortex — the motor homunculus — shows how this brain region is divided into sections assigned to each body part that can be controlled voluntarily (SN: 6/16/15). It puts your toes next…

Covid-19 Coverage View more stories Infection by SARS-CoV-2 causes a dizzying array of symptoms beyond the respiratory distress that is its most notable feature. These range from intestinal distress to blood clots to the loss of smell, and symptoms vary wildly from person to person. Figuring out exactly what the virus does inside the human…

Feeling & KnowingAntonio DamasioPantheon, $26 Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio believes that the link between brain and body is the key to understanding consciousness. In his latest book, Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious, he explains why. Consciousness is what gives an individual a sense of self; it helps one stay in the present, remember the past…

New findings in mice suggest yet another role for gut microbes, even before birth. The microbes residing in a female mouse’s gut help shape the wiring of her offspring’s brain, researchers report September 23 in Nature. While mouse and human development are worlds apart, the study hints at how a mother’s microbiome may have long-term…

Photo: fizkes (Shutterstock)As every parent knows, no two children are alike, and no one discipline strategy is guaranteed to work for every child. Given the diversity of personalities and temperaments, parenting requires adapting to an individual child’s needs, by finding the most effective ways to encourage certain behaviors and discourage others. The same is true…