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Brain

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Your Brain, By the Numbers

Somehow, the brain is greater than the sum of its parts

Animal Brains, More Beautiful Than You Could Ever Imagine

More than just eye candy, these images are teaching scientists new insights into how the brain is organized

After playing a sad movie scene for a group of women, researchers collected their tears and placed the unidentified fluid under men's noses. The result was a reduced sexual arousal and testosterone levels.

The Truth About Pheromones

Yes, scientists say, your airborne compounds send signals about your moods, your sexual orientation and even your genetic makeup

According to magician Teller, "Neuroscientists are novices at deception. Magicians have done controlled testing in human perception for thousands of years."

Teller Reveals His Secrets

The smaller, quieter half of the magician duo Penn & Teller writes about how magicians manipulate the human mind

Along with co-authors Don DuRousseau and Joseph Cardillo, Galina Mindlin advise that repeated listening to selected songs can make you more productive, calmer or affectionate.

Music Playlists to Soothe Your Mind

Neuropsychiatrist Galina Mindlin suggests that listening to particular songs on your mp3 player can make you a more productive person

"...roads jammed by frantic survivors, blocking entry of rescue teams."

Would You Pass the Panic-Proof Test?

If an atomic bomb drops on your house, a civil defense official advises: “Get over it.”

Remembering passwords is not always an easy task.

Locked Out of My Own Life

Threats of identity theft prompt personal questions that can stymie the best of us

Repeated in pop culture for a century, the notion that humans only use 10 percent of our brains is false. Scans have shown that much of the brain is engaged even during simple tasks.

Top Ten Myths About the Brain

When it comes to this complex, mysterious, fascinating organ, what do—and don’t—we know?

Under the right conditions, patterns emerge from the brain's monumental complexity.

Beauty of the Brain

Stunning new images reveal the marvelous and mysterious world inside our heads

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How Your Brain Is Better Than A Supercomputer

Most of the 9.7 million soldiers who perished in WWI were killed by the conflict's unprecedented firepower. Many survivors experienced acute trauma.

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Shock of War

World War I troops were the first to be diagnosed with shell shock, an injury – by any name – still wreaking havoc

"New research will increasingly be driven by ... evolutionary theory," says Melvin Konner.

Melvin Konner on the Evolution of Childhood

The anthropologist and physician talks about how our understanding of child development will change

"While classified ads in the newspaper are mostly limited to local opportunities, Craigslist lets me go global."

Will Work for Brain Scans

Your dream job—part-time zombie? candle consultant?—is only a click away

Memories are stored in a region of the brain called the hippocampus, shown in red in this computer illustration.

How Our Brains Make Memories

Surprising new research about the act of remembering may help people with post-traumatic stress disorder

John Allman (with colleague Atiya Hakeem at Caltech examining elephant brain specimens) is searching for one of the biological keys to human behavior.

Brain Cells for Socializing

Does an obscure nerve cell help explain what gorillas, elephants, whales—and people—have in common?

A brief look at a few of the brilliant minds who just missed this year's cut for the MacArthur "Genius" Grant.

Near Misses in the Genius Department

A brief look at the brilliant minds that just missed this year’s cut for genius grants

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R.I.P., H.M., Memory’s Most Famous Initials

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Interview: Eric G. Wilson

Why the pursuit of happiness naturally includes melancholy

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Mind Games

You say tomato, I say otamot

A researcher tests a polygraph machine.

Detecting Lies

From chewing rice to scanning brains, the perfect lie detector remains elusive

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