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Brain

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

Neuroscientist Eugene Aserinsky attaches electrodes to his son, Armond, who was a frequent subject in his early sleep studies

The Stubborn Scientist Who Unraveled A Mystery of the Night

Fifty years ago, Eugene Aserinksy discovered rapid eye movement and changed the way we think about sleep and dreaming

For Some, Pain Is Orange

Persons with synesthesia experience “extra” sensations. The Letter T may be navy blue; a sound can taste like pickles

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Accents Are Forever

By their first birthday, babies are getting locked into the sounds of the language they hear spoken

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You Are What You Buy

According to advertising guru James Twitchell, every symbol, from Alka-Seltzer’s Speedy to the Energizer Bunny, plants powerful notions of who we are

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Two Cultures—Never the Twain Shall Meet?

Scientists wonder why today the word “Intellectual” is used to describe only those in arts and letters

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When It Comes to Sports For The Brain, Everyone’s a Winner

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