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Illustration of a human brain shaped puzzle on a pink background. An electroencephalogram recording is depicted on top of the brain.
How the Brain Selects What Experiences to Keep
A brain rhythm in the hippocampus tags events for replaying during sleep, revealing a potential mechanism for selecting experiences for long-term storage. 
How the Brain Selects What Experiences to Keep
How the Brain Selects What Experiences to Keep

A brain rhythm in the hippocampus tags events for replaying during sleep, revealing a potential mechanism for selecting experiences for long-term storage. 

A brain rhythm in the hippocampus tags events for replaying during sleep, revealing a potential mechanism for selecting experiences for long-term storage. 

Brain activity

In this transgenic ant pupa surrounded by wild type pupae, green fluorescence on top reveals olfactory sensory neurons. On the bottom, the expression of red fluorescent protein shows throughout the ant pupa body.
Spying on Transgenic Ants Reveals How Their Brains Respond to Alarm Odors
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jul 7, 2023 | 2 min read
By successfully creating transgenic ants for the first time, researchers discovered that danger-signaling pheromones activate a sensory hub in the ants’ brains.
Colorful dots, representing small pieces of plastic, on a blue background
Nanoplastic Ingestion Causes Neurological Deficits
Shelby Bradford, PhD | May 31, 2023 | 3 min read
Small plastic particulates can induce inflammatory responses in the gut and brain, but removing them reverses this damage.
a hand reaches towards a pack of cigarettes
Newly Identified Neural Signature of Drug Craving Could Predict Drug Use
Katherine Irving | Jan 11, 2023 | 4 min read
The signature could one day be used to improve treatment planning for people with substance abuse disorders.
Book cover of The Phantom God by John C. Wathey
Opinion: Neuroscience Could Help Demystify Religious Experience
John C. Wathey | Jan 2, 2023 | 4 min read
If we ask the right questions, modern tools could help researchers solve mysteries such as why many people believe in a God that both provides unconditional love and levies eternal damnation.
A tetraplegic patient navigates a thought-controlled wheelchair
Tetraplegic Patients Take Mind-Controlled Wheelchair for a Spin
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Nov 18, 2022 | 2 min read
The mobility device interprets its paralyzed user’s thoughts to steer through cluttered spaces, a study reports.
woman entering MRI machine on platform
Researchers Report Decoding Thoughts from fMRI Data
Grace van Deelen | Oct 20, 2022 | 5 min read
A method appears to be the first to noninvasively reconstruct language from brain activity.
Artistic representation of a brain depicted as a clock on a background with one half in dark blue with yellow stars and one half in light blue with clouds.
Which Neurons Go to Sleep First in Humans? fMRI Can Tell
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Aug 9, 2022 | 3 min read
By linking blood flow patterns to bioelectric signals in the brains of sleeping volunteers, scientists are studying the order in which brain regions fall asleep and wake up.
Illustration of brain activity
Same Parts of the Brain Control Processing of Dozens of Languages
Andy Carstens | Jul 21, 2022 | 4 min read
While much is known about how the brains of English speakers process language, research has neglected people who speak other languages. The Scientist spoke with one of the authors of a study that seeks to change that.
illustration of brain with DNA strand coming out the top
Genetic Underpinnings of Brain Activity May Differ in Autism
Emily Harris, Spectrum | Jul 19, 2022 | 3 min read
A study finds that expression levels of certain genes that track with brain activity—particularly those involved in brain development—vary between people with autism and their non-autistic peers.
gray mouse drinking from water bottle in cage
“Feel-Good” Neurons Steer Mice Toward Hydration-Boosting Liquids
Shafaq Zia | Jul 19, 2022 | 3 min read
The cells signal to the brain how hydrating particular beverages are, but it’s not yet clear whether they play a similar role in humans.
Grey and white stones on a wooden plank
Eight Weeks of Meditation Doesn’t Change the Brain, Study Finds
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 20, 2022 | 4 min read
Study finds that, contrary to what other research has found, a popular meditation course does not appear to alter brain structure.
Electrode array, with needle-like electrodes facing upward
Brain Implant Allows Completely Paralyzed Patient to Communicate
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 24, 2022 | 4 min read
The patient, who has ALS, is able to communicate in complete sentences by deliberately altering his brain’s activity.
The head of a tadpole is pictured. Its eye is black, but the rest of its head is various shades of green
Scientists Use Photosynthesis to Power an Animal’s Brain
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 13, 2021 | 3 min read
Injecting oxygen-generating algae into tadpoles allows brain activity to continue in the absence of oxygen, researchers find.
Conceptual image of numbers
Is Your Brain Wired for Numbers?
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Our perception of quantity, separate from counting or estimation of magnitude more generally, is foundational to human cognition, according to some neuroscientists.
Illustration of a Macaque viewing patterns of dots on a screen
Infographic: Single-Cell Recordings Identify “Number Neurons”
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2021 | 1 min read
Some nerve cells in the brains of macaques respond selectively to particular numbers, hinting at a specialized pathway for extracting information about numerical quantity.
Photograph of a mouse covering his face with his paw.
Bless You: Mouse Model Reveals Molecular Pathway Behind Sneezing
Amanda Heidt | Oct 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Researchers have identified specific cells and neuropeptides involved in mediating the sneeze response in mice exposed to allergens or chemical irritants such as capsaicin.
Power of thinking, abstract imagination, world, universe inside your mind, watercolor painting
The Link Between Wandering and Sleeping Minds
Annie Melchor | Oct 1, 2021 | 5 min read
Researchers discover that when the mind wanders or goes blank, some parts of the brain behave as they do during sleep.
Illustration showing how a mouse study identifies the brain regions and specific signaling factors that regulate the sneeze response.
Infographic: The Neural Pathway of Sneezing
Amanda Heidt | Oct 1, 2021 | 1 min read
A mouse study identifies the brain regions and specific signaling factors that regulate the sneeze response.
A series of brain scans on a black background
How Scientists Are Tackling Brain Imaging’s Replication Problem
Angie Voyles Askham, Spectrum | Jul 9, 2021 | 6 min read
Researchers who spoke with Spectrum say that while brain imaging tools have their limitations, they still hold promise in helping to unlock the brain’s secrets. 
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