Brain

Brain

Seeing without light

Many people report seeing their own hands moving in the dark, a new study finds. In these people, brain areas responsible for motion appear to fool vision centers into seeing what they would have — if there had been enough light to do so.

Brain

Fear prompts teens to act impulsively

A new study finds that teens may act impulsively in the face of fear. This might help explain high rates of violence among such adolescents, the authors say.

Brain

Sleeping brains take a bath

During waking hours, litter builds up in the spaces between brain cells. A new study shows that during sleep, fluid from the brain and spinal cord takes out this trash.

Brain

In pursuit of memory

Why is granny so forgetful? Scientists must learn how the brain builds memories if they hope to figure out why recall fails in old age.

Brain

One eye, 3-D

Most scientists think people need two eyes to see a flat image or movie in three dimensions. However, a new study suggests seeing in 3-D with one-eye is possible.

Brain

Restoring a sense of touch

A zap to a monkey’s brain fools the animal into thinking its finger has been touched. The findings point to a way for artificial fingers to communicate with the brain so that touch “feels” more real.

Brain

‘Study drugs’ can be dangerous

The misuse of these ADHD medicines not only constitutes cheating, but they can become addictive and can mess with your head.

Brain

The upside of cheating

Many people assume that cheaters and thieves will secretly feel shame or guilt. A new study challenges that. It finds that people who cheat without causing anyone much harm actually enjoy a little buzz afterward.

Brain

Age-old fears perk up baby’s ears

Kids start paying attention to scary sounds when only a few months old.

Life

Building an almost-brain

Special cells can weave themselves together into blobs that, under a microscope, look a lot like the brain tissue in a developing fetus. You might think of these cellular masses as “brains-under-development.” Madeline Lancaster and Jürgen Knoblich offer a more technical name for them: “cerebral organoids.”

Brain

Learning words in the womb

Fetuses are listening. And they’ll remember what they heard. Studies had shown they can hear songs and learn sounds while in the womb. Now scientists show that fetuses can learn specific words, too. And for at least a few days after they’re born, babies can still recall commonly repeated words.

Brain

Video games: When granddad wins

With some practice, people over 60 bested untrained 20-year-olds.