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culture, neuroscience

A Neuroscientist’s Journey Through Madness
Barbara Lipska with Elaine McArdle | Apr 1, 2018 | 3 min read
After I was diagnosed with brain cancer and started to lose my mental health, the importance of my job came into clear focus.
Book Excerpt from Swearing is Good for You
Emma Byrne | Jan 23, 2018 | 5 min read
In chapter 1, “The Bad Language Brain: Neuroscience and Swearing,” author Emma Byrne sets the scene for her book by telling the story of the hapless and potty-mouthed Phineas Gage.
Why Swearing and Pain Go Hand in Hand
Emma Byrne | Jan 1, 2018 | 3 min read
Screaming obscenities when you stub your toe makes perfect biological sense.
Contributors
Jef Akst and Katarina Zimmer | Jan 1, 2018 | 3 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the January 2018 issue of The Scientist.
Sense, Sensibility, and Neuroscience
Wendy Jones | Dec 1, 2017 | 3 min read
Jane Austen can teach us a lot about how our brains handle uncertainty.
Book Excerpt from Jane on the Brain
Wendy Jones | Nov 30, 2017 | 5 min read
In chapter 3, “The Sense of Sensibility,” author Wendy Jones uses scenes from one of Jane Austen’s most celebrated novels to illustrate the functioning of the body’s stress response system.
The Benefits of Trepidation
Abigail Marsh | Nov 1, 2017 | 3 min read
While wiping fear from our brains may seem attractive, the emotion is an essential part of our behavioral repertoire.
How Moral Disgust Can Simultaneously Protect and Endanger Humanity
Robert Sapolsky | Jun 1, 2017 | 3 min read
The human brain’s insular cortex is adept at registering distaste for everything from rotten fruit to unfamiliar cultures.
Book Excerpt from Behave
Robert Sapolsky | May 31, 2017 | 5 min read
In the book’s introduction, author and neuroendocrinologist Robert Sapolsky explains his fascination with the biology of violence and other dark parts of human behavior.
Singing Through Tone Deafness
The Scientist | Mar 16, 2017 | 1 min read
Author Tim Falconer didn't take his congenital amusia lying down. With the help of neuroscientists and vocal coaches, he tried to teach himself to sing against all odds.
Social Media Accelerates Science
Ben Andrew Henry | Nov 1, 2016 | 6 min read
How researchers are taking advantage of Twitter and other forums to do, share, and discuss research
How Art Can Inform Brain Science, and Vice Versa
Eric Kandel | Sep 1, 2016 | 3 min read
Reductionism may be the key to bridging the gap between the humanities and the sciences.
This is Your Brain on Art
The Scientist | Aug 31, 2016 | 1 min read
Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel talks about how our brains perceive and understand works of art.
Book Excerpt from Reductionism in Art and Brain Science
Bob Grant | Aug 31, 2016 | 4 min read
In Chapter 13, “Why Is Reductionism Successful in Art?” author Eric Kandel explores what about abstract art challenges the human brain.
Book Excerpt from Wondrous Truths
J.D. Trout | May 31, 2016 | 4 min read
In Chapter 2 author J.D. Trout highlights the dividing line between truth and scientific “fact.”
In Your Dreams
David Gelernter | Mar 1, 2016 | 3 min read
Understanding the sleeping brain may be the key to unlocking the secrets of the human mind.
Capsule Reviews
Bob Grant | Dec 1, 2015 | 3 min read
Welcome to the Microbiome, The Paradox of Evolution, Newton's Apple, and Dawn of the Neuron.
Capsule Reviews
Bob Grant | Jul 1, 2015 | 3 min read
Stoned, Anxious, The Deeper Genome, and Testosterone
Capsule Reviews
Bob Grant | May 1, 2015 | 3 min read
The Genealogy of a Gene, On the Move, The Chimp and the River, and Domesticated
Capsule Reviews
Bob Grant | Feb 1, 2015 | 3 min read
Touch, The Altruistic Brain, Is Shame Necessary?, and Future Arctic
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