Can you touch a finger to the tip of your nose with your eyes closed? Most of us can, thanks to a sense called proprioception, which tells us where our body parts are relative to each other and our environment. Not surprisingly, ...
Nov 9, 2015
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How do our brains allow us to smile and breathe? University of Oregon scientists have identified an important network of neurons in the nerve cords of live fruit fly larvae that are similar in most organisms, including humans.
Oct 1, 2015
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For more than a hundred years, people have known that dendritic arbors—the projections that neurons use to receive information from other neurons—differ in size and shape depending on neuron type. Now, researchers at ...
Aug 31, 2015
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Scientists at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have discovered that in addition to proteins, lipids are also necessary for guiding axons. Published in Science, the study shows how a phospholipid released by glial ...
Aug 27, 2015
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It takes a surprisingly small cluster of brain cells deep within the cerebellum to learn how to serve a tennis ball, or line up a hockey shot. Researchers at McGill University led by Kathleen Cullen from the Department of ...
Aug 3, 2015
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181
To observe the brain in action, scientists and physicians use imaging techniques, among which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the best known. These techniques are not based on direct observations of electric ...
Jul 2, 2015
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29
You've just encountered a frightened skunk, which has sprayed a generous quantity of its sulfur-containing scent directly in your path. The noxious odor is overpowering. As you run in the opposite direction, you are performing ...
Jul 1, 2015
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As inquisitive beings, we are constantly questioning and quantifying the speed of various things. With a fair degree of accuracy, scientists have quantified the speed of light, the speed of sound, the speed at which the earth ...
Jun 26, 2015
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79
Cough treatments could change dramatically after the herpes virus helped researchers discover that the respiratory tract links to two different parts of the nervous system.
May 20, 2015
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43
Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered that the role of neurons—which are responsible for specific tasks in the brain—is much more flexible than previously believed.
May 11, 2015
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