For Epileptics, Mozart May Be Medicinal
New research confirms listening to a much-studied Mozart sonata has an anti-epileptic effect on children.
neuroscience
You Can Deny Free Will Exists and Not Be a Jerk
New research finds no relationship between ethical behavior and belief—or disbelief—in free will.
Making Music Builds a More Efficient Brain
There's new evidence that the brains of musicians and bilinguals require less effort to perform cognitive tasks.
Dementia Is More Prevalent Among the Poor
Wealthy people's brains are less likely to atrophy, according to new research.
How Neuroscience Can Help Us Treat Trafficked Youth
Brain research gives insight into why abused youth are more vulnerable to exploitation—and how we can help them heal.
Breaking Down Virtual-Reality Walls May Boost Creativity
Chinese researchers demonstrate how high-tech tools can be used to harness the power of metaphor.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Explain Unconscious Decision-Making
We can learn more about our own internal decision-making processes through the language of mathematical algorithms used by AI machines.
A Newfound 'Octopus City' Resurfaces Old Questions About the Animal's Social Intelligence
Scientists were surprised to find that this smart and solitary species had built a cephalopod city. But why?
Brain-Altering Science and the Search for a New Normal
An electrical implant known as a deep-brain stimulator is giving some patients a new start.
What Brain-Mapping Says About Science Revolutions
Three years in, President Obama's BRAIN Initiative gives us an anatomy of the research "moonshot."
What Makes You So Smart, Computational Neuroscientist?
Terrence Sejnowski talks to Pacific Standard about searching for Sputnik, receiving pleasure reading material from a Nobel Prize winner, and being a science nerd.
How Growing Up Poor Affects the Brain
New research shows poorer and richer kids' brains have physical differences, but there's scope for change.
Mental Maps and the Neuroscience of Neighborhood Blight
Getting a better sense of how people visualize their neighborhoods could be the first step toward improving them.
What a Trip to Mars Could Do to People's Brains
The preliminary science suggests Marstronauts are going to need some protection.
The 30 Top Thinkers Under 30: The First-Generation College Student Modifying the Memories of Humans
We canvassed the world of the social and behavioral sciences, looking for rising stars whose careers promise to make a lasting mark. We'll be profiling the top 30 throughout the month of April.
The 30 Top Thinkers Under 30: The Aspiring Astronaut and Polymath Who Sees Patterns in Just About Everything
We canvassed the world of the social and behavioral sciences, looking for rising stars whose careers promise to make a lasting mark. We'll be profiling the top 30 throughout the month of April.
How Courts Use Neuroscience
A new report collates some of the latest numbers on how American courts use brain science in trials. We've got the skinny, plus an analysis of the good and bad consequences.
Survive and Thrive: How Big Data Is Transforming Health Care, Part II
Inside the promising marriage between data and health care: How health quantification could alleviate Parkinson's symptoms and improve the lives of Type 1 diabetics.
The Very Real Dangers of Tasers
Scientific research reveals the harmful effects of Tasers, on both body and mind.
For Juvenile Records, It's 'Justice by Geography'
A new study finds an inconsistent patchwork of policies across states for how juvenile records are sealed and expunged.
On Free Will, Fate, and a Science That Sways Juries
A new study shows how teaching people about neuroscience can make them softer on crime.
Low-Tech Pain Relief: The Power of Mouthguards
For Vince Clark, immediate pain relief for his son came not from brain-stimulating devices, but something more low-tech.
Is Free Will an Illusion?
Previous neuroscience research has suggested yes, but a new study finds an unexpected window for it in the static of your brain.
A Measure of Consciousness
Despite much thought and ingenuity, neuroscience still struggles to define what consciousness is.