Not so bird brained after all; pigeons care a great deal about how quickly they get a reward, and we found the neurons that carry that information! Pigeons, just like humans, prefer rewards they don’t have to wait long for. … Continued
In all mammalian brains, from humans to bats to rats, there are specialized neurons called “place cells“. These brain cells are only active when we are in a particular place within an environment. You have some place cells for your … Continued
The events of this post are all true (as far as I can remember) and began on the 5th of June. Everything was going well. Too well. Nothing goes well in science, especially not as well as things were going … Continued
Visualizing how brain cells communicate and learn Rather than just watching a brain work, in the demos below you can create your own miniature brain! Simply click/press anywhere to add a new neuron to the brain. Press the up/down arrow … Continued
How close are we to being able to read people’s brains today? Minor spoilers ahead First some background Netflix’s Black Mirror explores possible futures for humanity and civilization in each episode. In the latest fourth season, episode 3 (titled “Crocodile”) … Continued
Warning: Minor spoilers if you have not yet seen the movie! Summary of Finding Dory Finding Dory picks up a little while after Finding Nemo ended. Nemo is still a kid and going to school with Mr. Ray. Rather than … Continued
“We are nothing more than the sum of our memories and experiences” ― Michael Scott, The Sorceress Dementia Dementia is a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases, the most common sub type known as Alzheimer’s disease, which effects people’s ability to think … Continued
Catchy headlines have been whizzing around the internet recently: “Scientists develop Matrix-style technology capable of ‘uploading knowledge’ to your brain” – The Independent “Scientists discover how to ‘upload knowledge to your brain’ ” – The Telegraph The news reports claim trained … Continued
This survey was run in conjunction with my post on color vision and the implications EnChroma glasses have on our understanding of what color is. If you are interested in learning more about how color vision works, why some people see … Continued
This is a short post about why we forget things so quickly aimed at the general public in conjunction with University of Otago’s Brain Health Research Center. Memory systems of the brain, explained “Ah where did I put my keys? … Continued