July 10

Got a computer? We have data. Let’s do neuroscience!

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Now, everything you need to do mind reading–and your own neuroscience data analysis–is freely available online. This post points you to data, software, and examples to get you started–even if you don’t have a Ph.D.

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July 02

Turning the Brain ‘Inside Out’

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[En español] Who would’ve thought that a film that takes place inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley and uses her personified emotions as the main protagonists would break the box office record for original movies and be such a worldwide sensation? From the moment I first heard about Inside Out, my own […]

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June 25

Aging: Telomeres and Meatballs

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What causes the slowly encroaching physical signs that we are past our prime? Scientists often gain understanding about a particular physiological process by studying cases in which that process goes awry. Can the aging process go haywire?

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June 18

Stop The Presses: Retraction by the Numbers

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It’s been a rough few weeks for the journal Science…and science as a whole. The retraction of a well-covered study on the effect of conversations with LGBT canvassers on votes for same-sex marriages has attracted a lot of attention from social media and has led the New York Times to publish a list of recent […]

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June 11

Technicalities of the Tingles: The science of sounds that feel good. #ASMR

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“I wanted someone speaking in lightly accented English. And I wanted them talking to me about jewelry, slowly and deliberately.” — Andrea Seigel, This American Life #491: Tribes (aired March 29, 2013) Now that NeuWriteSD’s gender month is over, I thought I’d ease our readers back into the usual routine with a scientifically-stimulating but slightly […]

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June 04

Hormones: What Boys and Girls are Made of?

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Once upon a time, a little boy named Bruce was born. The boy had the promise of a happy, normal life, until one day during a botched medical procedure his penis was destroyed beyond repair. His parents searched desperately for help, worried about little Bruce’s future. Their search led them to a psychologist who assured […]

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May 28

Ben Barres: On Science and Sexism

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Every May, the UCSD Neurosciences Graduate Program gathers students and faculty at a conference center on beautiful Lake Arrowhead for a weekend retreat of science and socialization. This spring, our keynote research speaker was Dr. Ben Barres of Stanford University. After a successful first day, a roomful of neuroscientists eagerly awaited Dr. Ben Barres’ keynote […]

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May 21

Your Brain on Sex

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What happens in the brain during sex? Are gender stereotypes a cultural construct? Or are there true neurological differences in how men and women experience sex—desire, arousal, orgasm?

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May 14

Beyond Black and White: Gender Identity and the Brain

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May is Gender Month here at NeuWriteSD! This is the second of four pieces exploring neuroscience and gender; you can read Melissa T.’s excellent post on subtle sexism here. It’s amazing how much of our culture is historically focused on binaries: issues are black or white, characters are heroes or villains, actions are right or […]

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May 07

Subtle sexism: Stereotypes and how they shape us

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Gender stereotypes are pervasive. Though Disney has recently come out with some kick-ass princesses (my personal favorites are the icy Elsa and fiery Anna, who don’t need a prince to save them in Frozen), enter any major toy store and you can still find row upon row of pink paraphernalia and sparkly tiaras. Trying to […]

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