You’re sitting at your desk, hard at work, and suddenly you see a strange spot of bright light, outlined by a brilliant spectrum of reds and blues, hover over your computer screen. You blink and look around, trying to figure out whether the image is coming from the screen or from outside the window. You […]
September
07
It’s Like Uber, but for Neurologists
posted by James R. Howe VI
Automation is one of the engines of modernity, and what it should or could be is one of our society’s central discussions. However, when we discuss automation, it is never as a change that affects everyone in our community, but instead as one targeted at certain groups. Manufacturing workers on the assembly line have been […]
August
31
Psychosurgery: from ice picks to electrodes
posted by Catie Profaci
If you were to hazard a guess at the date of the first neurosurgery, what would you say? An image from [1] showing evidence of brain surgery in a Stone Age skull I’m going to bet that “the Stone Age” didn’t occur to you as a legitimate answer, but a skeleton dated to roughly 5000 B.C. […]
August
24
Paint me like one of your mantis shrimps
posted by megkirch
Sunsets, wildflower superblooms, unicorn frappuccinos. None of these phenomena would have nearly the same allure if we lost our ability to see different colors. But what if we could have an even greater ability to discriminate between colors – would these phenomena be that much more spectacular? In the case of the frappuccino, probably not, […]
August
17
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 […]
August
10
It’s a Fine Line Between Utopia and Gattaca
posted by Caroline Sferrazza
In a previous piece, we talked about why scientists and innovators around the world are so excited about CRISPR, a powerful new gene editing technology. The tool was first published 2012, but it still regularly makes headlines. Less than a month ago researchers in Portland, Oregon announced the first successful use of CRISPR in human […]
August
03
The Ring to Rule Them All – Tinnitus
posted by dknowland
Baby Driver, the most recent theatrical offering from director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), not only makes the first generation iPod (which now passes as a body double for a paperweight) look cool again, but also brings to light an interesting auditory condition that affects nearly 10% of the population – […]
July
20
Genomes, Circuits, and the Roundworm: C. Elegans as a Model Organism
posted by Christian Cazares
A nematode can do much to help our understanding of human biology.
July
13
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
posted by Melissa Troyer
What’s one part beach, four parts science, and too much fun? If you answered “Brain Camp,” you nailed it.
July
06
A nerve-racking issue
posted by Elena Blanco-Suarez, Ph.D.
[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 […]
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