Why do some people comfortably walk between skyscrapers on a high-wire or raft the Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel whereas others freeze on the mere thought of climbing off escalators in a shopping mall? In a new study, scientists have found that a certain type of cells in the hippocampus play a key role. Continue reading “Bravery cells found in the hippocampus”
This is how the brain forgets on purpose
Researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University Hospital of Gießen and Marburg, in collaboration with colleagues from Bonn, the Netherlands, and the UK, have analysed what happens in the brain when humans want to voluntarily forget something. They identified two areas of the brain — the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus — whose activity patterns are characteristic for the process of forgetting. They measured the brain activity in epilepsy patients who had electrodes implanted in the brain for the purpose of surgical planning. The team headed by Carina Oehrn and Professor Nikolai Axmacher outlines the results in the journal Current Biology, published online on 6 September 2018. Continue reading “This is how the brain forgets on purpose”
What catches our eye
We are almost constantly surrounded by a variety of visual objects, all of which could, theoretically, be important for us. But only a very small area on our retinas, the fovea in the macula lutea, has high visual acuity; a large portion of our field of vision has only a low resolution. Therefore, our gaze must be directed toward a specific target in order to precisely identify the object. Continue reading “What catches our eye”
Unexpected link between immune cells and male-female differences
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have made a surprising discovery: during fetal development, a particular immune cell seems to play a key role in determining the male or female characteristics of the brain. Continue reading “Unexpected link between immune cells and male-female differences”
Neuroscience: How music meets mind
Whether tapping a foot to samba or weeping at a ballad, the human response to music seems almost instinctual. Yet few can articulate how music works. How do strings of sounds trigger emotion, inspire ideas, even define identities? Continue reading “Neuroscience: How music meets mind”
Energy and machines in Antiquity (Part I)
Here we present the same-titled Chapter from the book ‘Ancient Technology’, by John W. Humphrey (Greenwood Press) Continue reading “Energy and machines in Antiquity (Part I)”
Novo Scriptorium 