Neuroscience
Insights into the biological foundations of consciousness and the human experience.
Level 1
Virtual avatars rewire body perception and ease trauma through brain plasticity
When people use virtual reality (VR) to embody avatars, such as taller, younger, or more muscular versions of themselves, their…
We create a false self in early life to meet external expectations and cope with childhood experiences – James Hollis
James Hollis explores the psychological and spiritual upheaval of midlife as a necessary and meaningful rite of passage. Drawing from…
Learning a second language early strengthens brain connections and efficiency
Learning a second language is linked to a more efficient brain network. A research team reports that people who speak…
Learning multiple new skills can produce test scores comparable to adults 30 years younger
Older adults who learn multiple new skills simultaneously can achieve cognitive performance similar to adults 30 years younger. A UC Riverside study found that 3 months of intensive learning improved memory, attention, and cognitive control, with gains maintained up to one year later.
Level 2
Exercise that works muscles helps neurons grow
Walking, cycling, and strength training contract muscles; MIT lab work finds these signals may speed motor neuron growth in mouse cells.
Everyday movement like cleaning or walking makes your brain act four years younger
Everyday movement like cleaning improves cognitive health and processing speed, making your brain act four years younger, a Penn State study finds.
AI as “System 0” risks reducing human autonomy in decision-making
Research from Università Cattolica suggests that AI can function as “System 0,” an external thinking process that complements human intuition…
Child trauma recovery depends more on thoughts than event severity
Child trauma recovery is shaped more by thoughts than event severity; evidence shows cognitive factors predict PTSD in children and support trauma‑focused CBT.
Walking after 10 minutes of mental struggle improves problem-solving, neuroscience confirms
Steve Jobs’s habit of taking walks when faced with tough mental challenges is supported by modern neuroscience. According to Cambridge-trained…
Five simple brain habits can help leaders unlearn bias and lower conflict
Leaders often carry unconscious bias, meaning fast, automatic judgments about people that operate outside awareness. The Inc. piece distills five…
Level 3
Brain adapts activity patterns to balance efficiency and informativeness during complex cognitive tasks
A PNAS study suggests that during coherent story listening, brain activity patterns can become easier to decode and easier to compress than during temporally scrambled story audio or rest. This is not mind-reading, but it may help explain how the brain balances detail with robustness to noise.
Consciousness could be connected with the whole universe
Recent research explores the possibility that human consciousness could be linked to quantum processes in the brain’s microtubules. This theory…
AI extracts mental images from human brain activity
Researchers have successfully used AI to extract and reconstruct mental images directly from human brain activity. This groundbreaking achievement, the…
Positive memory reactivation during sleep reduces negative memory recall
Reactivating positive memories during non-REM sleep can weaken the recall of associated negative memories. This sleep-based technique, known as targeted…
Scientists identify the “glue” protein KIBRA that keeps long-term memories from fading away
Scientists identify KIBRA, a protein acting as memory glue to stabilize synapses. This breakthrough explains how long-term memories survive for decades.
Hypnagogic imagery: flashing-light devices guide the brain into dream-like states without drugs
The idea is simple: when a rhythmic burst of white light reaches your closed eyes, the neurons in your visual…