A chemical found in products as diverse as fireworks and food packaging, perchlorate can interfere with thyroid function as well as foetal brain development.
Babies start their musical development in the womb.
Shutterstock
The animal kingdom is full of lefties and righties, although rarely is the ratio skewed as much as it is in humans. If you’re wondering about your own pet, you can find out with a simple experiment.
Disadvantaged neighbourhoods can be a source of stress for young people.
Dielok/Flickr
Jacqueline Gould, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and Maria Makrides, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute
Fish oil capsules are marketed as prenatal supplements to improve brain development in children. But now top quality evidence suggests they won’t make any difference in women eating a balanced diet.
Kangaroo mother care: the marsupials have got it right.
Lilla Frerichs
Brain stimulating headsets are being enthusiastically taken up by gamers aiming to boost performance. But there are risks, particularly for children or those vulnerable to mental health problems.
How does music training in early childhood help the developing brain?
woodleywonderworks
Children in mining and smelting towns who are exposed high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium are more than twice as likely to have developmental disorders than the national average.
Children love interactive devices and can’t recall a time without them, so it may be best to manage rather than ban them.
Lars Plougmann/Flickr
Despite occasional panic about the negative impact they may be having on children’s social and intellectual development, interactive devices give parents a much-needed break and can benefit kids.
Do you ever confuse right from left?
Gerry Gormley
This fall, the deaths of three high school football players were linked to direct head injuries on the field of play and one collegiate football player’s death has been potentially attributed to unresolved…
High intake of take-away foods, red and processed meat, soft drinks, and fried and refined food is a risk factor for poor academic performance.
Jay Peg/Flickr
As their children submit themselves to the ordeal of all-important end-of-year exams, parents of high school and university students may be wondering what they can do to help. One thing they ought to consider…
Want more working memory? Then you need to expand your brain.
Flickr/Elena Gatti
Before we had mobile phones, people had to use their own memory to store long phone numbers (or write them down). But getting those numbers into long-term memory could be a real pain. People had to write…
A quick game on the way to school won’t help ace the maths test.
Boy on tablet by Twin Design/Shutterstock
There has been a big increase recently in the number of computerised “brain training” programs marketed at young children. These programs make impressive claims – that they can help children learn better…