Behavior
Neuroscience and Psychology Suggest No Surprise Victory for Trump This Time
His inflammatory appeals are less likely to activate the same decision-making circuits as in 2016
Stories by R. Douglas Fields
Cognition
The Brain Learns in Unexpected Ways
White matter, the insulation around our neural wiring, plays a critical role in acquiring knowledge
Policy
Mind Reading and Mind Control Technologies Are Coming
We need to figure out the ethical implications before they arrive
Neuroscience
Deeper Insights Emerge into How Memories Form
Forming lasting memories appears to depend on an interaction between glial cells and brain waves that are produced during sleep
Neuroscience
The Roots of Human Aggression
Experiments in humans and animals have started to identify how violent behaviors begin in the brain
Policy
The Cuban "Sonic Attack" and Journalistic Ethics
A session at a recent scientific meeting exposed the dangers not of mythical high-tech weapons but of the heedless rush to sensationalize
Behavior
Humans Are Still Mating with Neandertals
A Valentine’s Day meditation on why bright women sometimes gravitate to not-so-bright men
How Scientific American Helps Shape the English Language
The magazine is more widely cited than the Bible by the Oxford English Dictionary
Neuroscience
Do Brain Waves Conduct Neural Activity Like a Symphony?
A dispute at a big neuroscience meeting erupts over whether the field needs new thinking about the way clusters of neurons process information
Behavior
A Gunman's Regret
Science can help society grapple with the horrors of modern gun violence
Biotech
Wristband Lets the Brain Control a Computer with a Thought and a Twitch
An electronic bracelet is being readied for mental control of computers, prosthetics and other devices—all without the need to drill a hole in your head
Policy
“Sonic Weapon Attacks” on U.S. Embassy Don’t Add Up—for Anyone
Cuban scientists and a new American report both shoot down a list of bizarre theories
Neuroscience
Beyond the Cuckoo’s Nest: The Quest for Why Shock Therapy Can Work
Nearly 90 years old, electroconvulsive therapy can rescue some people, but not others, from depression, bipolar and other mental disorders
Mental Health
Link between Adolescent Pot Smoking and Psychosis Strengthens
Research presented at a Berlin psychiatric conference shows teenage cannabis use hastens onset of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals
Fitness
Survivors of the Gas Attack in Syria Face Long-Term Illness
Sarin's lethality is well known, but the lingering effects on victims who don't succumb are less familiar
Neuroscience
Wireless Brain Implant Allows “Locked-In” Woman to Communicate
Experts call the technology a “significant achievement,” but critics say the risks may not be justified
Behavior
Trump's Victory and the Neuroscience of Rage
To understand this election you must understand the brain’s threat detection mechanism
Cognition
Learning When No One Is Watching
We gain most of our knowledge without any instruction. Now science is unraveling how our brain pulls off this everyday miracle
Public Health
9/11's Most Innocent Victims
Maternal stress in the wake of the attacks might have led to selective miscarriage of male fetuses
Mind & Brain
Obscure Nerve in the Head May Be Important to Arousal
Might a little-known cranial nerve be the route by which human pheromones turn us on?
