The brave new world of neuroscience

Mapping cell types in the brain and how they communicate with one another allows neuroscientists to understand how the brain works, and what happens when cells go missing or malfunction.

The mind monster

Halloween is the time for scary stories, but why are some people more easily spooked by stories than others? It could be down to the way their inability to picture stories in their minds.

Hitting the brain gym

The benefits of physical exercise are well known in staying healthy in later life, but enjoying crosswords, sudoku and chess can also help to lower the risk of dementia.

Insights from the ‘edge of chaos’

Some neuroscience theories suggest the human brain operates best ‘at the edge of chaos’. Now scientists in Australia and Japan have found that keeping a nanowire network at the edge of becoming chaotic is the best state for it to produce useful signals to solve problems.

6 steps to “reboot your brain” after a difficult year

Months of anxiety, grief and loneliness caused by the pandemic and the measures taken to control it can create a spiral of negativity that is hard to escape, but we can all take action to snap out of destructive habits and get our energy levels back for 2021.

Exercise your brain too

The profound changes in our lifestyle due to COVID-19 social distancing may require us to take more deliberate actions to exercise our thinking skills. Here are some tips from the experts at Melbourne University.

The internet is changing our brains

The Internet can change people’s cognition in both immediate and sustained ways, affecting our attention, memory, and social interactions according to an international team of researchers.

Morning exercise improves brain health in overweight older adults

A morning bout of exercise can reduce the detrimental impact on brain blood flow caused by prolonged sitting in older adults who are overweight or obese.

How exercise keeps our brains healthy as we age

New guidelines outline how much physical exercise older Australians need every week to help keep their brains healthy as well as their bodies. Around an hour and half of moderate aerobic exercise and a couple of strength training sessions per week can make a real difference.

The science of the plot twist: How writers exploit our brains

Human cognitive tendencies help explain why plot twists can be so satisfying. But somewhat counterintuitively, they also explain why knowing about a plot twist ahead of time – the dreaded “spoiler” – doesn’t really spoil the experience at all.

We can change our brain and its ability to cope with disease with simple lifestyle choices

Lifestyle factors such as meditation can change our brain for the better while physical activity can induce a cascade of biological processes that improve function of brain regions responsible for memory and decision making.

Can driverless vehicles replicate the subtleties of the human brain?

John Cobb explains his doubts that artificial intelligence in general, and driverless cars in particular, will ever be able replicate the subtle interactions with the environment and other people accomplished by the human brain.