Thomas Cronin, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
We’re used to thinking of our eyes detecting light as the foundation of our visual system. But what’s going on in other cells throughout the body that can detect light, too?
Democracy and good governance require politicians to engage in reasoned debate, informed decision making and measured judgements. This presupposes rationality. Is this always true?
Neuroscientists have struggled to explain whether certain types of memory involve distinct parts of the brain. Now a study suggests it’s mainly down to pathways in the brain’s white matter.
Dire dystopian predictions aside, the real danger of artificial intelligence is not the notorious “AI singularity” but job loss and misuse by malevolent people.
Interview with the scientist Claude Berrou, inventor of the turbocodes that protect the data of the connected objects. Today, he is exploring the neurosciences.
BCI devices that read minds and act on intentions can change lives for the better. But they could also be put to nefarious use in the not-too-distant future. Now’s the time to think about risks.
A strange delusion which may have its origins in damage to a particular process in the brain, is also one that can help us to understand how we recognise each other.
Both psychologists and neuroscientists are interested in how working memory holds on to items over brief intervals – and are investigating from different angles.
We’ve known for years that childhood trauma can have lifelong effects on our health. It’s time for medicine and public health to start addressing the problem head-on.
David O'Connor, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Amazon.com and others are eager to fill the skies with drones delivering packages at all hours. Convenient, yes, but it could transform – and not in a good way – our ability to make informed choices.
Shelly Fan, University of California, San Francisco
Tinkering with the brain’s electrical field shows tantalizing promise for boosting memory, but it doesn’t always work. A new study offers one reason why.
Move over, dogs. The latest evidence suggests humans can match most other animals when it comes to smelling – and even outperform them for certain scents.