Category Archives: Environment

April 25

Soothing Towel Sounds

posted by

There is more to the new fad of ASMR than you think.

»»
April 27

Screaming into the void: What plants are trying to tell us

posted by

Imagine walking through a field on a hot, dry summer day. There is nobody around and the world is blissfully quiet – at least, you think it is. If only you could hear sounds at ultrasonic frequency, you would in fact hear loud “screaming” coming from all around you. You would hear the surrounding plants […]

»»
December 09

Mal de Débarquement: The Science of Land Sickness

posted by

Recently I was lucky to spend seven days on a catamaran out at sea with a small group of (COVID-vaccinated) friends. We traveled around the Gulf of California, witnessing truly amazing sights like manta rays jumping out of the water, sea birds diving into the water, and turtles floating along in the swell. This was […]

»»
January 07

Un-Consciousness

posted by

When you hear the word “consciousness”, what did you think it is? All of what you experience and what you believe it is? Let me demonstrate something to you before you make up your mind. Imagine a day at work, where you: Had someone tap you repeatedly to get your attention, but only felt it […]

»»
December 31

Life After Death(?): From Strokes to Sci-Fi

posted by

Death is not a singular event, as implied when we refer to the “time of death” or “moment of death”. It is a relatively long, drawn out, active process: these terms merely simplify and provide a hard boundary. Not everything in the brain (or the rest of the body) dies at the same time, at […]

»»
December 17

The Big Sleep: How We Hibernate

posted by

As December deepens, we rapidly find ourselves coming up on the first day of winter. Though winter officially begins on the 21st, many animals began their preparations for the season far earlier this year. Any birdwatcher could easily tell you that most birds migrated south a long while ago, and any hiker could tell you […]

»»
February 06

What’s my (brain) age again?

posted by

What does it mean to age? Is it a purely time-based process, with each passing moment bringing our bodies along an invariant trajectory of decline? Or is it a function of our behavior, dependent on our daily activities and the damage inflicted upon ourselves over time? Clearly, there is a bit of truth in each […]

»»
June 27

NeurosciANTS

posted by

[En español] You probably walk past thousands of ants every day and give them no more than a passing glance, but the ecological impact of an entire ant colony is comparable to that of enormous animals like elephants. Together in colonies that can surpass 300 million individuals, ants have a profound effect on the landscapes […]

»»
August 02

Snake Eyes: The Fear That Built Your Brain

posted by

Indiana Jones is a quintessential American hero, his fedora, satchel, and whip instantly recognizable around the world. He lives a double life, a scholarly professor of anthropology in public and a globetrotting treasure hunter in private. He defeats the Nazis and always gets the girl, displaying daring and fearlessness, with one notable exception. He has […]

»»
January 18

I Feel Your Pain – The Social Transmission of Pain in Mice

posted by

We all know that emotions are contagious.  Your trip to the DMV might see you infected with that peculiar emotion – something halfway between apathy and misanthropy – that is endemic to the DMV.  On the other hand, your ray-of-sunshine coworker just may brighten up your day (unless you happen to work at the DMV). […]

»»