Features

Is Your Brain Wired for Numbers?
Infographics

Infographic: Single-Cell Recordings Identify “Number Neurons”
Some nerve cells in the brains of macaques respond selectively to particular numbers, hinting at a specialized pathway for extracting information about numerical quantity.

Infographic: Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases with Yeast
Conservation of structures and functions between single-celled fungi and human cells allow researchers to probe the brain.

Numerosity Around the Animal Kingdom
Research in recent decades has explored how animals other than humans perceive different numbers of objects

Infographic: The Neural Pathway of Sneezing
A mouse study identifies the brain regions and specific signaling factors that regulate the sneeze response.
Notebook

The Link Between Wandering and Sleeping Minds
Researchers discover that when the mind wanders or goes blank, some parts of the brain behave as they do during sleep.

Experiment Gone Awry Suggests Novel Way to Combat Hypoxia
While exploring suspended animation in mice, scientists discover how an enzyme can protect the brain from dangerously low levels of oxygen.
Bio Business

Microglia as Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Pharmaceutical companies ramp up efforts to get the brain’s immune cells to help treat Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions, but not everyone agrees the approach will be effective.
The Literature

Bless You: Mouse Model Reveals Molecular Pathway Behind Sneezing
Researchers have identified specific cells and neuropeptides involved in mediating the sneeze response in mice exposed to allergens or chemical irritants such as capsaicin.

Human “Time Cells” Encode, Process Flow of Time
Neurons in the hippocampus store information on the timing of experiences in addition to their content, helping to mediate sequential memory recall, a new study shows.

Neurons Simplify Visual Signals by Responding to Only One Retina
Mice have neurons that connect to both eyes but only propagate the signal from one or the other, simplifying the information sent to the cerebral cortex.
Scientist to Watch

Bianca Jones Marlin Traces How Sensory Inputs Shape the Brain
The Columbia University neuroscientist researches the biology behind some of our most human experiences, including building family relationships.
Foundations

Falling Water, Rising Rocks, 1834
Intrigued by an optical illusion he experienced while traveling in Scotland, Robert Addams wrote what is now considered one of the definitive observational accounts of so-called motion aftereffects.
Critic at Large

Opinion: Neuroscientists Need to Think about Sex (Bias)
The myth of female variability is shaping what we know about our brains.
Reading Frames

Opinion: Plastic Pollution May Endanger Brains
Plastic waste pervades every ecosystem on Earth and is likely affecting neurobiology as well.
Editorial

Our Aching Brains
COVID-19 has killed more than 4 million people around the globe and has sickened many millions more. The neurological toll on those of us continuing to live through the pandemic may stretch years or decades into the uncertain future.
Speaking of Science

Ten Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.
Contributors

Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the October 2021 issue of The Scientist.