Discover Magazine | The Brain

The Brain: Humanity's Other Basic Instinct: Math

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:35:00 -0600

New research suggests that math has evolved its way right into our neurons—and monkeys', too.

The Brain: Where Does Sex Live in the Brain? From Top to Bottom.

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:30:00 -0500

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Image: iStockphoto

On April 11, 1944, a doctor named T. C. Erickson addressed the Chicago Neurological Society about a patient he called Mrs. C. W. At age 43 she had started to wake up many nights feeling as if she were having sex—or as she put it to Erickson, feeling “hot all over.” As the years passed her hot spells struck more often, even in the daytime, and began to be followed by seizures that left her unable to speak. Erickson examined Mrs. C. W. when she was 54 and diagnosed her with nymphomania. He prescribed a treatment that was shockingly common at the time: He blasted her ovaries with X-rays.

Despite the X-rays, Mrs. C. W.’s seizures became worse, leaving her motionless and feeling as if an egg yolk were running down her throat. Erickson began to suspect that her sexual feelings were emanating not from her ovaries but from her head. Doctors opened up her skull and discovered a slow-growing tumor pressing against her brain. After the tumor was removed and Mrs. C. W. recovered, the seizures faded. “When asked if she still had any ‘passionate spells,’” Erickson recounted, “she said, ‘No, I haven’t had any; they were terrible things.’”

The Brain: The Dark Matter of the Human Brain

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:40:00 -0500

Meet the forgotten 90 percent of your brain: glial cells, which outnumber your neurons ten to one. And no one really knows what they do.

The Brain: Stop Paying Attention: Zoning Out Is a Crucial Mental State

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:15:00 -0500

Researchers say a wandering mind may be important to setting goals, making discoveries, and living a balanced life.

The Brain: Can a Single Neuron Tell Halle Berry From Grandma Esther?

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:45:00 -0500

A new theory says the brain stores complex pieces of information in "sparse-coding networks."

The Brain: The Big Similarities & Quirky Differences Between Our Left and Right Brains

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

A broken symmetry from our evolutionary heritage is part of what makes us human.

The Brain: Could a Dose of Ether Contain the Secret to Consciousness?

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:40:00 -0500

Researchers may soon be able to measure consciousness as well as we can measure a person's temperature.

The Brain: Is Patriotism a Subconscious Way for Humans to Avoid Disease?

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:15:00 -0600

Another example of the “behavioral immune system”: Test subjects react more positively to “Bob” (healthy but has a port-wine birthmark on his face) than to “Jake” (looks normal but has tuberculosis).

The Brain: How Google Is Making Us Smarter

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:45:00 -0600

Critics are attacking the Internet, charging that it's making society collectively dumber. In fact, humans are "natural-born cyborgs," and the Internet is our giant "extended mind."

The Brain: Mom and Dad Are Fighting in Your Genes—and in Your Brain

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:10:00 -0600

A new theory says our brains contain a battle of the sexes -- a tug-of-war between our mother's genes and our father's genes. If the mother's genes win in a rout, we develop schizophrenia; if the father's genes kick ass, we develop autism.

The Brain: Why Darwin Would Have Loved Botox

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:40:00 -0500

Could crinkling your forehead to express surprise be the work of evolution? Charles Darwin thought so. But how will modern advances like Botox change our ability to express emotion—and others' ability to receive it?

The Brain: Could an Inner Zombie Be Controlling Your Brain?

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:25:28 +0000

Scientists have found evidence that the self-aware part of our brains isn't always in charge. One theory is that the inner zombie frees our conscious mind to focus on more interesting things.

The Brain: How Your Brain Can Control Time

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:05:00 +0000

The three methods your mind uses to reverse, speed, and even slow the minutes.