Author Archives: JC Gorman

April 24

This brainless blob might outsmart you 

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In the spring of 2017, Hampshire College welcomed a new faculty member, one without a brain or even a nervous system. Physarum polycephalum, a species of slime mold, joined the campus not just as a scientific curiosity but as a non-human thinker. As the college put it, this organism “researches important problems from a non-human […]

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February 20

Meritocracy without DEI is a Myth

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JC Gorman The current American presidential administration recently signed an executive order aimed at “ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing” [1]. The language of this order, combined with misleading media narratives, has created the false impression that fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace is at odds with selecting individuals […]

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March 12

Fighting fire with fire: How we can use opioids to fight opioid addiction

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JC Gorman The dramatic rise in opioid overdose-related deaths has become a national health emergency. For decades now, countless dollars have been spent trying to both fight opioid substance abuse and also learn how to best treat people who have become reliant on this class of drugs. These therapies come in many forms, from rehab […]

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September 08

Shocking the brain to protect your memories

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by JC Gorman Have you tried turning it on and off again? You may be *shocked* to hear it, but recent studies have shown that administering small electric currents to the brain could protect older people from memory loss. A research paper that came out this month showed an even more acute way to prevent […]

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May 11

Brains  ~in Space~

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[En Español] Brains have been evolving for 500 million years to exist on a planet with gravity. However, when astronauts enter outer space, their brains have to overcome some serious challenges contrary to the way they were designed. Astronauts report all types of side effects, both during their time in Space and upon their return […]

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May 11

Cerebros en el Espacio Sideral

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por JC Gorman Los cerebros han evolucionado durante 500 millones de años para existir en un planeta con gravedad. Sin embargo, cuando los astronautas ingresan al espacio exterior, sus cerebros tienen que superar algunos desafíos serios contrarios a la forma en que fueron diseñados. Los astronautas reportan todo tipo de efectos secundarios, tanto durante su […]

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January 27

Genetics of Sasquatch: making cryptozoology scientific?

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Growing up in Oregon meant I spent lots of time hearing about Sasquatch. Now working in a lab studying monkeys, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how different primates are related. While it is undeniable that little evidence has been found to prove Bigfoot roams the wild forests of the Pacific Northwest, perhaps […]

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December 02

Breastmilk for baby brains

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For such a natural part of being a human, breastfeeding has had a controversial past whether in private or in public- in fact, it only became legal to breastfeed in public in all 50 states in 2018, when Utah and Idaho were the last to legalize it. While this trend of normalizing breastfeeding seems recent, […]

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November 11

Are we ready for chips in our brains?

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[En Español] Anna is an Army veteran who served her country and recently lost her arm due to the blast from an improvised explosive device. While this is a life changing event for Anna, current technology in the US allows her to get a robotic arm controlled by a computer chip implanted in her brain. […]

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June 10

What is a topology and why is it in my neuroscience?!

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[En Español] Time to go back to math class and into a world where a coffee mug and a donut are the same thing. If you ignore distances and shapes, and instead focus on continuity and relations, a donut can easily be morphed into a coffee mug, making them “topologically equivalent”. The hole is the […]

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