Music is an emotional business. But is it also a natural law, bound in with our bodies and ideas of motion we’re only beginning to understand? I am in the unique position of studying with both Professor…
Did you forget to lock the door, or just forget to pay proper attention?
jef safi \ 'pictosophizing
Jee Hyun Kim, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Memory is difficult to define without being circular. People often define memory as “something you can remember”. But we cannot deny the existence of a memory when there is no recollection. Sigmund Freud…
What do these two famous faces have in common?
Alex Hofford/Alan Porritt
Do you recognise the people in the picture above? They are, of course, Jane Goodall – British primatologist and anthropologist – and the actor, author and comedian Stephen Fry. Recognising the identity…
What can brain imaging reveal about human intelligence?
PraveenbenK
When it comes to intelligence, what factors distinguish the brains of the exceptionally smart from those of average humans? New research by post-doctoral fellow Michael Cole and colleagues suggests as…
Brains are supposed to change in response to experiences; that’s a sign they’re working as they are designed to.
Stephen Anthony
Neil Levy, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Whenever I hear dire predictions concerning the social impact of new technologies, I recall a similar prediction made nearly 2,500 years ago. In the Phaedrus, Plato recounts a myth, according to which…
We don’t know why some people don’t recover from an acute episode of pain.
Kennedy/Wikimedia Commons
Everybody hurts, but not everybody keeps hurting. The unlucky few who do end up on a downward spiral of economic, social and physical disadvantage. While we don’t know why some people don’t recover from…
Neuroscientists have discovered a new area of the brain that is uniquely specialised for peripheral vision. The study found…
New scanning technology may be able to measure blood flow in parts of the brain to translate the thoughts of completely paralysed and seemingly comatose patients.
AAP
Completely paralysed and seemingly comatose patients may eventually be able to have real-time conversations using scanning machines that can translate their brain signals into messages, a team of neuroscientists…
An active cognitive lifestyle leads to reduced dementia risk.
Antonio Monerris
“Use it or lose it” is a catch-cry that applies to the brain as well as the body. For some time now, researchers have known that, in general, people who stay more mentally active throughout their lives…
As you read this article your eyes will move so the words fall on the central part of your vision. This region is called the fovea and it has excellent resolution when compared to your peripheral vision…
The world of brain-machine interfacing (BMI) has a new posterchild. A study on people with tetraplegia, published in Nature, has shown participants were able to control a robotic arm and hand over a broad…
Despite being considered a scientific taboo in the past, the study of consciousness is slowly gaining momentum.
emmakate deuchars
Until 20 years ago, scientists interested in empirical work on consciousness – our private subjective experiences – hid it by minimising or eliminating the “c-word”, the use of which was a career-limiting…
Rugby player Nate Myles (far right) shouldn’t have returned to the field after suffering a concussion.
AAP
“He got a free trip to Disneyland.” That’s how Wally Lewis described the knockout of Nate Myles, from the Gold Coast Titans, during a tackle two weeks ago. Rugby league is a tough game with tough players…
Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo is, to many of his patients, the “angel” who cuts where other surgeons fear to go. He feels strongly about the possibility that using mobile phones might increase the risk of brain…
Scientists believe that by mimicking the production of a molecule, they may be able to delay or repair the onset of dementia in elderly patients.
AAP/Melbourne Neuroscience Project, Katrina Lawrence
The discovery of a molecule that appears to regulate memory and learning in the brain could pave the way for treatments of early dementia, scientists at the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute (QBI…
You know that guy in the pub that goes on and on and on? You wouldn’t believe how happy he is.
Jaysun
Have you ever been at a party where someone has talked about themselves without pause? You may have thought this a case of “too much information”, but science is begging to differ. According to new research…