Are Atheists Generally Smarter Than Religious People?
For more than a millennium, scholars have noticed a curious correlation: Atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people. It’s unclear why this trend persists, but researchers of a new study have an idea: Religion is an instinct, they say, and people who can rise above instincts are more intelligent than those who rely on them. “Intelligence — in … Continue reading
Our Brain Can ‘Predict’ Events Seconds Before They Happen
When an object is flying in a human’s direction for one reason or another, the reaction is invariably to flinch. While long thought an instinctual reflex, a team of researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands believe brains are constantly viewing lives in fast-forward, playing out actions in an individual’s head before they happen. For the vast majority of humans, … Continue reading
Human Brain Found to Operate in 11 Dimensions
“We found a world that we had never imagined, said Henry Markram, director of Blue Brain Project. “There are tens of millions of these objects even in a small speck of the brain, up through seven dimensions. In some networks, we even found structures with up to eleven dimensions.” Swiss Scientists studying the brain using an advanced mathematical system have … Continue reading
The Brain Can Detect Disease in Others Even Before it Breaks Out
The human brain is much better than previously thought at discovering and avoiding disease, a new study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reports. Our sense of vision and smell alone are enough to make us aware that someone has a disease even before it breaks out. And not only aware – we also act upon the information … Continue reading
Human Brain Finds it Difficult to Handle Stripes
Do these striped pants make my butt look fat? No, but that may make someone’s head hurt at the migraine level and could even cause an epileptic seizure. A new study in Current Biology found that simple vertical lines can cause headache-inducing brain activity even in healthy people and could induce migraines or seizures in those with photosensitive epilepsy. Is … Continue reading
Bringing the Dead Back to Life – Cryogenically Frozen Brains to Be Transplanted to Donor Bodies Within Three Years
People who have had their brains cryogenically frozen could be ‘woken up’ within three years, a pioneering Italian surgeon has claimed. Professor Sergio Canavero, Director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, is aiming to carry out the first human head transplant within 10 months and then wants to begin trials on brain transplants. If the procedures are successful, he believes … Continue reading
Brain Hardwired to Respond to Others’ Itching
Itching is a highly contagious behavior. When we see someone scratch, we’re likely to scratch, too. New research from the Washington University Center for the Study of Itch shows contagious itching is hardwired in the brain. Some behaviors — yawning and scratching, for example — are socially contagious, meaning if one person does it, others are likely to follow suit. … Continue reading
A Previously Unknown Role for the Cerebellum Discovered by Stanford Scientists
Researchers long believed that the cerebellum did little more than process our senses and control our muscles. New techniques to study the most densely packed neurons in our brains reveal that it may do much more. Pity the cerebellum, tucked in the back of the brain mostly just keeping our muscles running smoothly. Its larger neighbor, the cerebrum, gets all … Continue reading
Your Brain Will Not Be the Same After Watching this
In a classic research-based TEDx Talk, Dr. Lara Boyd describes how neuroplasticity gives you the power to shape the brain you want. Recorded at TEDxVancouver at Rogers Arena on November 14, 2015. YouTube Tags: brain science, brain, stroke, neuroplasticity, science, motor learning, identity, TED, TEDxVancouver, TEDxVancouver 2015, Vancouver, TEDx, Rogers Arena, Vancouver speakers, Vancouver conference, ideas worth spreading, great idea, … Continue reading
Gene Responsible for ‘Rain Man’ Disorder Identified
For people with agenesis of the corpus callous, the brain lacks the fibres that connect the left and right hemispheres. A gene responsible for mild cases of the brain disorder behind the 1988 hit movie Rain Man has been identified. Kim Peek was the real-life ‘mega-savant’ who inspired the Oscar-winning movie. But aside from his phenomenal ability to memorise books … Continue reading
