What would you do if you found out that cancer could be lurking in your genes? More people are getting news like that these days as more kinds of cancer are being linked to specific genes and genetic tests let doctors screen your individual genome for signs of susceptibility to the disease. Is the only choice in these cases to remove the part of you that might develop cancer?
We often look for that “vacation,” that sigh of relief, sense of fulfilment or “peace of mind” that we think our fulfilled hopes would bring. But are we so sure this would be the answer to our discontentment?
Imagine you’re a shipwrecked sailor adrift in the enormous Pacific. You can choose one of three directions and save yourself and your shipmates — but each choice comes with a fearful consequence too. How do you choose? In telling the story of the whaleship Essex, novelist Karen Thompson Walker shows how fear propels imagination, as it forces us to imagine the possible futures and how to cope with them.
From a very early age, we learn that optimism is the key to happiness. Unfortunately, when people catch a disease, especially an incurable one, they tend to lose their optimism and fall into depression, and this only aggravates their condition. Even though this attitude is perfectly explainable, as being ill is the essence of human suffering, one should remember that there is no bad without good. To prove this point, here is a list of 10 diseases with surprising benefits for those who suffer from it.
You have been predicted — by companies, governments, law enforcement, hospitals, and universities. Their computers say, “I knew you were going to do that!” These institutions are seizing upon the power to predict whether you’re going to click, buy, lie, or die.
There are a lot of ways to kill and be killed in the animal kingdom, but only a lucky few use the powers of venom. Not all are closely related, so how did they acquire the same defenses, where did venom come from, and how does it work? And what animals can kill you the most quickly?
Humans drew the short end of the toothbrush when it comes to our pearly whites’ longevity. Other animals such as reptiles and fish frequently lose and replace their teeth by growing new ones, but people are stuck with the same set of mature adult teeth their entire lives. If they lose a tooth–or all 32–dentures are usually the only option.
Ever wondered if humans will ever be able to fly? Does stress really cause grey hair? And what exactly is the tingling feeling in our arms?
Here then are 10 recent studies or surveys that give a bit more insight into the institution of 21st century moms.
Why does music make us feel happy or sad? Or angry or romantic? How can simple sound waves cause so much emotion? I went from my comfy chair to the streets of Austin to investigate how it might be written into our neuroscience and evolution. Modern neuroscience says our brains may be wired to pick certain emotions out of music because they remind us of how people move!
Ever since the development of arithmetic people have been fascinated with numbers. Some view them for their esoteric meaning while others see them through a mathematical eyes. Either way, numbers are everywhere and there is no way of escaping them. Some numbers, however, are found more often in our universe than others. These special numbers typically have some unique property that influenced us to add it to our list of 25 famous numbers and why they are important.
Modern psychiatric drugs treat the chemistry of the whole brain, but neurobiologist David Anderson believes in a more nuanced view of how the brain functions. He illuminates new research that could lead to targeted psychiatric medications — that work better and avoid side effects. How’s he doing it? For a start, by making a bunch [...]
Cocaine addicts may soon have a ‘cure’ for their unhealthy dependence: researchers have successfully created a vaccine that prevents cocaine particles from reaching the brain and inducing feelings of euphoria, thereby helping users break their addiction. “The vaccine eats up the cocaine in the blood like a little Pac-Man before it can reach the brain,” Dr. [...]
A research group from the University of Basel has found that multitasking does not necessarily lead to worse performance. On the contrary, multitasking performance may even improve – assuming the task is best solved with a simple strategy.
