Mind, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2005

Samson and Delilah Reunited after Brain Surgery

Samson the lion, recuperating from a first-of-its-kind brain operation, is now back with his sister, Delilah, at the Hai-Kef zoo in Rishon Lezion, Israel. ? The meeting between Samson and his sister Delilah was joyous and emotional, said the director of the zoo, Bezalel Porath. Samson now has many visitors....

Feb 28, 2005

How the Brain Changes Channels

Your brain cells change channels sort of like a television, scientists say. Specific cells in the noggin can change what they allow through their membranes by swapping one kind of channel, or membrane opening, for another. This lets your brain fine-tune messages and adjust connections to control fine motor skills,...

Jan 31, 2005

Big Brains Not Always Better

WASHINGTON D.C. - Nearly three million years ago, our ancestors had brains about as big as modern chimps. Since then the brain that would become human grew steadily, tripling in size. But this extra cranium capacity may not have resulted in smarter hominids. As far as tool-making is concerned, there...

Dec 31, 2004

Men and Women Really Do Think Differently

Men and women do think differently, at least where the anatomy of the brain is concerned, according to a new study. The brain is made primarily of two different types of tissue, called gray matter and white matter. This new research reveals that men think more with their gray matter,...

Nov 30, 2006

Gender Difference in Grammar

Most children make adorable slip-ups in grammar when they're learning to speak. Now scientists say the mistakes could vary by gender. Boys and girls tend to use different parts of their brain to learn some fundamental parts of grammar, according to a new study. Sex has been virtually ignored in...

Nov 30, 2006

Study: Laughter Really Is Contagious

If you see two people laughing at a joke you didn't hear, chances are you will smile anyway--even if you don't realize it. According to a new study, laughter truly is contagious: the brain responds to the sound of laughter and preps the muscles in the face to join in...

Nov 30, 2006

Recipe for Genius Revealed

If you think the innate talents of your child alone will produce the next Albert Einstein, think again. The real recipe for producing a bright-minded adult, according to a new study, calls for a few ingredients—cognitive abilities, educational opportunities, interest, and plain old hard work. The 35-year study, published online...

Oct 31, 2006

New Eye Implant Clears Cloudy Vision

A new type of cornea implant could restore some vision in infants and children who are blind due to a cloudy or damaged cornea, a study has found. The cornea is a typically clear covering of the eye that serves as our window to the world. But in some children,...

Sep 30, 2006

Erotic Images Entice Even When Invisible

The use of scantily clad models in ads for everything from underwear to ice cream attests to the persuasive power of sex, but a surprising new study finds that our actions can be swayed by erotic images even when they don't consciously register in our awareness. In an experiment, 40...

Sep 30, 2006

Eyelids Alter Shape of the Eye

The pressure of the eyelid on the eyeball could cause one of the most common vision problems, new research shows. The work builds on previous research showing that heavy reading can change the shape of the eye during the day, temporarily degrading eyesight. Imperfections in the shape of the cornea,...

Sep 30, 2006

Why We Love to be Scared

For all of their stomach-turning gore, horror films and haunted houses attract people in droves. This ability of the human brain to turn fear on its head could be a key to treating phobias and anxiety disorders, according to scientists. When people get scared, their bodies automatically triggers the fight...

Aug 31, 2006

Study: Why Teens Don't Care

If you ever sense teenagers are not taking your feelings into account, it's probably because they're just incapable of doing so. The area of the brain associated with higher-level thinking, empathy, and guilt is underused by teenagers, reports a new study. When considering an action, the teenage medial prefrontal cortex,...

Aug 31, 2006

Hearing Voices: Some People Like It

For some people, hearing voices in their heads is a positive experience, not a sign of mental illness or cause for distress. Researchers at the University of Manchester are aiming to find out why. Traditionally these auditory hallucinations, as psychologists call them, are associated with mental illness. They can be...

Aug 31, 2006

Breast Implants Linked to Higher Suicide Rate

Boosting breast size with plastic surgery has been linked to a significantly higher suicide rate among women in a new 15-year study. While overall risk of health problems did not change, the suicide rate was much higher for women with breast implants compared with the general population, scientists announced today....

Jul 31, 2006

In 2021, You'll Enjoy Total Recall

Humans naturally have the power to remember almost two bits of information per second, or a few hundred megabytes over a lifetime. Compared with a DVD movie, which holds up to 17 gigabytes, that's nothing. Worse, you might easily recall the 40-year-old dialogue from Hogan's Heroes yet forget your mom's...