Category Archives: History

September 30

What Does Music Have to Do with Gender, Anyway?

There has been a lot of debate regarding gender stereotypes in music, but is there actually any inherent quality of music that makes it gendered?

April 13

Your Brain on Stories

The brain is wired for stories, but what exactly happens to it when we hear and tell stories?

December 01

Baker Miller Pink

Asking around, one would be hard pressed to find an individual who’s never fielded the question, “what’s your favorite color?” Some people prefer shades of yellow reminiscent of sunshine, hues of red that evoke a feeling of power, or calming tones of blue. Though one’s favorite color is not a reliable metric for determining facts […]

December 02

Breastmilk for baby brains

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, […]

December 26

Open Borders: Remapping the Brain

While reading articles online, you may occasionally stumble across headlines like “Scientists find fear center of the brain,” or “Could this really be where the mind resides?” You might have also heard a TED talk where the speaker discusses how they discovered a part of the brain that makes decisions. Such expressions can take more […]

November 15

From symptoms to biology: shifting definitions of Alzheimer’s disease

As a neuroscientist studying Alzheimer’s, I’m reminded of its far-reaching impact each time a barista, cashier, or Lyft driver makes small talk by asking what I do for a living. Unfortunately, this devastating disease needs no introduction. Considering its ubiquity, it’s surprising that a debate broke out recently among leaders in the field over the […]

June 07

We Shall not Repeat the Evil: The Destructive Power of the Atomic Bomb

A Memorial to Peace Every August 5th at 8:15 A.M., a resonant bell loudly rings throughout Peace Memorial Park to mark the anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. As the bell rings, thousands of plaintive guests sit and reflect upon the proof of mankind’s inhumanity, and for a minute a siren booms across the healing […]

May 31

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Genetic Memory

We are all products of our past, for better or for worse. At first glance, such a statement seems so obvious it hardly bears mentioning; our earlier experiences, both our successes and our failures, shape our current behavior.  But dig just a bit deeper, and it becomes far murkier. What can you call your past? […]

July 06

A nerve-racking issue

[En español] In 1936, a scientist named Gerhard Schrader was hired by the German government to end a bothersome and destructive beetle pest that was devastating German farms. Mixing different molecules (because that’s what we scientists do) he came across the recipe for the deadly nerve agent tabun. Even though his purpose was to create […]

May 05

Phrenology: An Infographic