Drug Use
Heavy Cannabis Use Linked to Schizophrenia, Especially among Young Men
A huge Danish study shows that up to 30 percent of psychosis diagnoses in young men could have been prevented if these individuals hadn’t used marijuana heavily
Stories by Gary Stix
Behavior
How the Psychology of Silicon Valley Contributed to a Bank Collapse
Venture capitalists and start-ups don’t mind losing money, but dealing with a bank run is a whole different story
Neurology
A Neurologist Answers Questions Patients Might Have about the New Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab
What a patient and family members can expect from the recently approved drug lecanemab—and what more is needed to help stop Alzheimer’s dementia
Consciousness
This Year’s Most Thought-Provoking Brain Discoveries
Neural circuits that label experiences as “good” or “bad” and the emotional meaninglessness of facial expressions are some standouts among 2022’s mind and brain breakthroughs...
Mental Health
Many People with Bipolar Disorder Use Cannabis. It May Sometimes Help
Diminished risk-taking behaviors and other benefits may explain why many people with bipolar disorder keep consuming cannabis despite some dire downsides
Genetics
Quantum Tunneling Makes DNA More Unstable
The freaky physics phenomenon of quantum tunneling may mutate genes
Public Health
A Cure for Vaccine Hesitancy Could Start in Kindergarten
Teaching simple basics in school about masks, handwashing and ethics can stave off misconceptions in adulthood
Health Care
Abortion Access Allowed Us to Have a Happy, Healthy Family
Canceling Roe means that other parents with high-risk pregnancies will not have the options that we had
Neurology
How COVID Might Sow Chaos in the Brain
SARS-CoV-2 appears to travel widely across the cerebral cortex
Mental Health
COVID Expanded the Boundaries of Personal Space—Maybe for Good
Our physical safety perimeters have widened, a study suggests
Public Health
Pandemic Year One Saw a Dramatic Global Rise in Anxiety and Depression
In hindsight, 2020 witnessed a disproportionate mental health burden on women and young people
Mental Health
Experimental Brain Implant Could Personalize Depression Therapy
Symptoms subsided for one woman after a carefully targeted neural circuit was stimulated
Cognition
To the Brain, a Tool Is Just a Tool, Not a Hand Extension
Recent findings have implications for the design of prostheses. Care for a third thumb, anyone?
Evolution
Evolution Could Explain Why Psychotherapy May Work for Depression
Persistent rumination may be an attribute that lets us think our way out of despair—a process enhanced through talk therapy
Public Health
COVID Is on Track to Become the U.S.’s Leading Cause of Death—Yet Again
This winter the novel coronavirus may kill more people than heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s or diabetes
Culture
From Rapping Robots to Glowing Frogs: Our Favorite Fun Stories of 2020
It has been a tough year, but science still brought us some weird, cool and quirky findings
Public Health
Can My Blood Really Help COVID Patients?
I’m not certain the antibodies it contains are any more therapeutic than Trump’s favorite unproven drug, hydroxychloroquine
Public Health
COVID-19 Is Now the Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.
It kills more people than the flu, contrary to Trump’s claims, and also surpasses stroke, Alzheimer’s and diabetes
Computing
Watch a Robot AI Beat World-Class Curling Competitors
Artificial intelligence still needs to bridge the “sim-to-real” gap. Deep-learning techniques that are all the rage in AI log superlative performances in mastering cerebral games, including chess and Go, both of which can be played on a computer...
Behavior
Emotional Labor Is a Store Clerk Confronting a Maskless Customer
The preeminent sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild discusses the control over one’s feelings needed to go to work every day during a pandemic
