The Box Jellyfish has venom so powerful that its human victims go straight into shock. The bite of a king cobra can result in the death of a healthy human adult within fifteen minutes. One drop of venom from a cone snail is capable of killing more than twenty humans. We live in fear of […]
Category Archives: Drugs
The Art of Brainwashing
posted by Elena Blanco-Suarez, Ph.D.
[En español] Have you ever tried to convince someone of something? Or have you ever been convinced of something? Of course you have. Everyone has. We are constantly bombarded with commercials for products to buy, and exposed to people’s rants, in real life or online, about how we should be voting, and what we should […]
Botox: The good, the bad and the beautiful
posted by Samantha Jones, PhD
Awards season is upon us. From the Golden Globes to the Grammys to the Oscars, we’ve seen celebrities posing on the red carpet, chatting with TV hosts, and accepting awards on stage. All the while I’ve found myself wondering, “Is he happy?” “Is she disappointed?” “Are emotions just out this season?” The star behind that […]
Instant Gratification: Weighing the Psychological Benefits and Costs of MDMA Use
posted by Christian Cazares
Can a pill exist that brings instant happiness without any negative side effects? Probably not.
Dopamine is NOT your brain’s reward chemical
posted by Drew Schreiner
Dopamine is NOT your brain’s reward chemical. Or rather, dopamine is not JUST your brain’s reward chemical, nor is it your brain’s ONLY reward chemical.
Zika: Has this virus lost its bite?
posted by Samantha Jones, PhD
Do you live in a generally cool, dry place and rarely think about mosquitoes? Was last year’s Zika outbreak of little personal concern? You may not have the option of staying carefree for much longer. The Zika-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito is already enjoying widespread breeding grounds as temperatures steadily rise across the globe, indicating that […]
Through the Looking-Glass, and What the Brain Sees There
posted by Barbara Spencer
She complained of recurrent attacks during which she feels that her body is growing larger and larger until it seems to occupy the whole room. “I feel,” she said, “that I have got so big that if I put out my hand I could touch the far wall.’ Less frequently, she feels that she […]
Happiness comes from within
posted by Elena Blanco-Suarez, Ph.D.
[En español] ‘Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be’ – Abraham Lincoln. Happiness comes from within. More specifically, from the brain. Surely I am biased when I say the nervous system is incredibly interesting, but I am not the only one who thinks this. The public’s fascination with the brain most likely […]
Dawn of the DREADD
posted by Drew Schreiner
[En Español] There are few things I find more satisfying than a good acronym, and DREADD or Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by a Designer Drug has got to be my favorite. The name is just so evocative. Whenever I think about DREADDs, I find myself picturing some sort of Star Wars villain; maybe due to […]
The Appeal of a Limitless Mind
posted by Melissa Lau
Editor’s Note: With the much-anticipated debut of the Limitless TV show closing in, it’s clear that cameos of Bradley Cooper (and animated sequences of NEURONS FIRING!!!) will be spicing up the Fall TV lineup. From the trailer, it looks like the show will be just as exciting and scientifically questionable as the movie—giving NeuWrite the perfect opportunity to re-post our original musings on Limitless, […]

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