Category Archives: cognitive neuroscience

September 08

Shocking the brain to protect your memories

posted by

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 […]

»»
May 11

Brains  ~in Space~

posted by

[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 […]

»»
May 28

Seeing Faces?

posted by

With the plethora of time spent confined to my home during the quarantine, I have found my attention easily drifting. One minute I’m working on my laptop, the next thing I know I’m looking at the wall. At first my mind seems to be meditatively blank, but then I see a creature lurking before me. […]

»»
April 02

Working With Distractions

posted by

Many of us are working from home to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Home contains distractions, including family members, chores, social media, and many other possible activities. All of us want to be the best worker/parent/person we can be, but managing different tasks and switching seamlessly between them is difficult. The ability you’re […]

»»
January 23

Brains and Buildings

posted by

[En Español] There is a fascinating explosion of potential questions to ask when two previously thought-to-be-unrelated fields converge. One night, as I was having a beer in a Chula Vista brewery with my best friend Alma and her husband Ross, I was invited to be conscious about our surroundings. Alma and Ross Majewski graduated from […]

»»
November 14

A Brain that Denies Climate Change

posted by

I recall walking with my uncle, on my way back home from school, on the streets of a mofussil cantonment town in Bengal, India. I remember enormous trees on the sides of the street that kissed each other above us. While we walked, he would tell me stories about these banyan trees. He would tell […]

»»
August 15

“Neurorights” and Why You Need Them

posted by

[En español] Most of us, especially those with an interest in technology, are fascinated by all that AI (Artificial Intelligence) and neurotechnologies are achieving. We use it on a daily basis, more than we even realize. For instance, I use Google’s AI-powered predictions pretty much every day to figure out how I can get to […]

»»
March 15

Remember Tomorrow?

posted by

  We humans have an impressive ability to plan for the future — lapsed New Year’s resolutions and overambitious project planners notwithstanding. We can make decisions in the present (like bringing an umbrella) that make our lives easier in the future (we stay dry). Among the animal kingdom, this capacity is distinctly rare. Even animals […]

»»
December 07

Ancient Aliens Among Us

posted by

  First contact. The prospect of intelligent extraterrestrial life has tantalized us Earthbound humans throughout our history. In relatively recent times, artists such as H.G. Wells, Ursula Le Guin, and Gene Roddenberry have created wide-eyed fantasies full of violent invasions, fraught coexistence, and delicate peace between humanity and the Other. As early as the second […]

»»
November 02

Fact or Fiction: False Memories from Replicants to Rituals

posted by

Mild spoilers for the film Blade Runner 2049 follow.   In Blade Runner’s world, it is the year 2049, and Earth looks substantially different than in 2017. Our fair city of San Diego is a literal garbage dump, crops are unable to grow outdoors, a single corporation dominates all agriculture and industry. The skies of […]

»»