Breaking down the brain for everyone to understand
Why is the human brain wrinkled, rather than smooth like the brain of a mouse? Explore how evolution solved a space problem by folding the cerebral cortex, creating the ridges and grooves that help make human thought possible.
Staying healthy is about more than just eating from every food group on the food pyramid. Your diet may also play a role in your long-term brain health, including your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Why does the same drug act so differently depending on the dose? The brain does not always respond in a simple “more drug, stronger effect” way. Neuroscientists have recently begun to explore that a micro-dose of a drug, in comparison to a high dose of the same drug, can produce a different but not necessarily milder effect on the brain. Understanding these distinct dose-dependent effects is a new approach to help shape strategies for treating psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Have you ever caught yourself reminiscing over a fond memory and felt a sudden rush of emotions? Keep reading to learn more about what (and where) in your brain contributes to this experience and the unexpected benefits!
Your brain does not fall asleep all at once, but rather different brain regions fall asleep at different times. That’s why you forget parts of that TV show you watched last night as you were falling asleep; your memory clocked out early.
Ever had a stubborn cough? Wonder why it won’t just go away? Cure your curiosity and learn about why we cough, how the brain is involved, and how cough remedies work.
Why do your limbs go numb or “fall asleep” after sitting in the wrong position?
Tool use is often seen as a defining human trait, but animals from chimpanzees to crows also use tools. Explore how diverse species use tools and what that may reveal about intelligence across the animal kingdom.
What can rats playing hide-and-seek tell us about the brain?
Have you ever walked into a room, been momentarily distracted, and then completely forgotten why you went into that room in the first place? You may be surprised that a seemingly small part of your brain is responsible for derailing your train of thought.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Find out how our brain may be operating in the background to mediate our physical endurance.
Most neurons communicate by releasing chemicals across a small gap. But newly discovered tube-like structures are causing neuroscientists to reconsider whether direct connections between neurons may play a more important role than previously thought.
Age-related memory loss and cognitive decline are increasingly prevalent in our rapidly aging population. However, some “SuperAgers” seem to escape developing these deficits–but how? Studying the brains of SuperAgers is helping neuroscientists learn even more about our brains and how they age.
People have lived in fear of rabies for thousands of years, but it’s only recently we’ve started to learn how it works.
A group of brain chemicals that play a role in promoting happiness have earned the nickname the “happy hormones”, but there’s much more to them than that! Let’s dive into their diverse biological functions.
Ever wondered why sometimes a full stomach makes you sleepy? One new paper has a compelling answer!
What if the voice in our heads had the potential to revolutionize communication for people with paralysis or progressive disease that affected their ability to speak? Recent research shows that inner speech can be decoded from brain activity, opening doors for more accessible communication technology, while also surfacing important concerns about protecting our private thoughts.
What would it be like to see through the eyes of another animal? Learn how different animals see the world.
To function properly, neurons need supplies- but how do all these supplies make it from one end of a neuron to another? This article explores the incredible protein that gets the job done, aptly nicknamed your neuron’s marathon runner, and what happens when it malfunctions.
You might think mind control is the stuff of science fiction, but for many fungi it’s just what they do. Explore how parasitic fungi control the insects they infect.
We’ve all heard stories detailing the Salem Witch Trials, but nobody can really explain where the symptoms shown by “victims of witchcraft” came from. Here, we unpack how popular medical explanations for this behavior affect the brain.
Our writers share what got them excited about neuroscience in 2025.
Popular culture loves the idea that men and women think differently, but the science is far less dramatic. Here’s what the research shows about cognitive ability and brain differences between the sexes.
The idea that women are naturally predisposed to mental and emotional disturbances during “that time of month” dates back centuries. Is it biology or baloney? PMS or BS?
T cells are a type of immune cell that defend your body against disease. While these mighty cells normally serve to protect you from foreign invaders, what happens if they turn on you?
Ever wonder what delivering drugs to the brain and Greek mythology have in common? If so, come check out this article on Trojan Horses in science!
How do we decide what we like and what we don’t? Discover how the brain forms these judgments and how they can flip after just one bad experience.
The conversation around autism and vaccines has become an increasingly hot topic of late (to put it mildly), but did you know that this debate began over 25 years ago? Here is a brief overview of the history and the science around whether vaccines increase the risk of autism.
How can we use neuroscience to encourage environmentally-friendly decisions?
Neuroscientists can now record from many parts of the mouse brain at once, helping us see how millions of neurons work together to guide behavior.
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