All posts tagged: brains

Toward a Better Environment for Our Brains

Toward a Better Environment for Our Brains

Published by Jenni Sidey

I wrote about why nature may be good for our brains in my last post, and just this week, I came across another interesting study that made me think about the question more broadly: How much does the physical environment affect our health and brain? Impressively, this study was led by medical student. The research team combined high resolution tree canopy estimates, temperature, and mortality data in Chicago over a 10-year period (2011 to 2021). The novelty of this study was not just examining the relationship between tree canopy and health but how changes in tree canopy from year to year were associated with changes in mortality over time. The finding was striking. Each year-to year-percent increase in tree canopy was associated with about a 10% reduction in mortality. The associations were seen in deaths related to cardiovascular, mental health, musculoskeletal, and respiratory conditions. A 10% reduction in mortality is a whopping number, if we think about what we hope to achieve, say, in a drug trial. Correlation Is Not Causation Of course, one of …

How cursive writing could rewire students’ brains for better learning

How cursive writing could rewire students’ brains for better learning

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild. Until the early 20th century, children in the U.S. were generally taught to write in cursive or script, rather than the print writing typically taught to young children today. Some people at the time thought a person’s character could be evaluated based on the quality of their cursive. In the first half of the 20th century, penmanship was often taught as a distinct subject in American elementary schools, where children could spend as much as 45 minutes a day on handwriting instruction and practice. Students during these years generally learned print in kindergarten, first and second grade. Cursive was typically introduced in third or a later grade, …

Locust brains could offer a new route for PFAS detection

Locust brains could offer a new route for PFAS detection

Published by skeptic

Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have demonstrated a biological approach to PFAS detection that uses the neural circuitry of locusts to identify and distinguish multiple forever chemicals. The study recorded neural activity from the insects’ olfactory systems after exposure to several per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). The researchers found that different PFAS generated distinct patterns of activity in the locust brain. These neural signatures allowed the team to classify seven PFAS compounds with 87% accuracy and distinguish different concentration ranges with 84% accuracy. Environmental-level PFOS was classified with 100% accuracy in the study’s tests. The result points to a potential new form of PFAS detection that could eventually complement conventional laboratory techniques. The Michigan State team is now investigating whether the approach can work with environmental samples and could ultimately be developed into a compact sensor for field monitoring. Why PFAS detection remains difficult PFAS are a large group of synthetic chemicals used in applications including non-stick products, waterproof materials and firefighting foams. Their strong chemical bonds make many PFAS …

AI Is Dead. Organoids Are Alive

AI Is Dead. Organoids Are Alive

Published by skeptic

I’m going to let you in on a secret. Every cell in your body has the potential to get smarter. I don’t mean this metaphorically, or in a “body keeps the score” kind of way. I mean that if lab-coated biologists took a sample of your skin and very carefully manipulated the cells inside it, they could actually make a brain. They do it all the time. Not a brain as complex as the one behind your eyes, of course, but a glob of gray matter nonetheless, with a few-million-odd neurons that can send and receive electrical signals. Biologists call these strange creations human brain organoids. Kept at a womblike 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit for eight months, they’ll produce repetitive oscillations—brain waves—nearly indistinguishable from those made by a premature baby. In cell culture labs around the world, human brain organoids live out their short lives as neural guinea pigs, testing the effects of diseases, toxins, and new pharmaceuticals. But they may soon be on to more glamorous pursuits. At the University of San Diego, organoids are …

AI Is Helping Solve the Intricate Genetic Puzzle of Schizophrenia

AI Is Helping Solve the Intricate Genetic Puzzle of Schizophrenia

Published by skeptic

One of the greatest challenges in modern genetics is schizophrenia. Unlike diseases caused by a single mutation, this disorder appears to arise from a combination of hundreds of genetic variants, each with small effects on different brain processes. Some influence neural development, while others alter communication between neurons or the organization of brain connections. Together, they contribute to the risk of developing the disease. Understanding this complex genetic architecture requires more than just identifying a single root cause of the problem. Scientists also need to understand how genes interact with one another and whether they form biological networks capable of amplifying the risk. To answer that question, they must use AI-based computational models to reconstruct the coordinated activity of thousands of genes within the human brain. Now, a study published in Nature Genetics provides one of the most detailed pictures to date. The team identified 766 genes associated with schizophrenia, including 641 that had not appeared in previous transcriptomic analyses. Many of these genes were identified thanks to long-range genetic regulatory signals—evidence that reinforces the …

Generations of breeding changed how dogs’ brains process human communication

Generations of breeding changed how dogs’ brains process human communication

Published by Jenni Sidey

Selective breeding appears to have broadly reshaped the brain networks dogs use to process human voices, words and other communication. Intensive service-dog training produced more focused changes in pathways involved in understanding cues and carrying out responses. Brain connectivity was also linked to trainability, raising the possibility that future training could be better adapted to individual dogs. Dogs have spent tens of thousands of years living and working beside people, but that partnership has not shaped every canine brain in the same way. Breeding and training appear to leave distinct marks on the neural systems dogs use to process communication. Researchers at Harvard University, led by Mélina Cordeau, examined the brain structure of 108 dogs using diffusion MRI tractography, a noninvasive 3D imaging technique that maps pathways connecting different brain regions. The sample included 50 male and 58 female dogs. The work was designed to separate two influences on canine communication: long-term selective breeding and shorter-term individual training. The results suggest that both matter, but they affect the brain differently. Modern breeds selected for close …

Songs prep unhatched finches’ brains for a hot world

Songs prep unhatched finches’ brains for a hot world

Published by skeptic

Like many parents, zebra finches sing to their young. But some parental songs seem to prepare the baby birds for hot weather, even before they leave the egg. Zebra finches live in sun-crisped Australian woodlands. On hot days, adults make a rapid, peeping “heat call.” It kicks off genetic changes in the brains of their unhatched babies. The tune acts like a weather forecast. It prepares them for the broiling conditions on the outside of the eggshell. Researchers described their new findings June 11 in the Journal of Experimental Biology. A decade ago, behavioral ecologist Mylene Mariette was part of a team that made a discovery. Exposure to heat calls in the egg, shortly before hatching, changed how chicks of these zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) dealt with high temperatures. They grew more slowly. They also preferred warmer places to nest. In all, they seemed better able to handle heat.  But one mystery remained: How could hearing a simple song trigger all this? Singin’ for the brain Mariette, of Deakin University in Waurn Ponds, Australia, teamed …

Babies learn to ‘hear’ music and ‘dance’ within their first year

Babies learn to ‘hear’ music and ‘dance’ within their first year

Published by Jenni Sidey

A three-month-old baby may already hear music as something more than a jumble of sounds. The infant brain responds more strongly to organized songs than to the same notes played in a scrambled order. Yet the body takes longer to catch up. Clear movement tied to musical structure appears closer to the end of the first year. Even then, babies do not yet move in time with the beat. That gradual path emerged from a study of 79 infants aged three, six, and 12 months. Researchers recorded brain activity while cameras tracked spontaneous movement during several kinds of musical playback. Infants sat in front of a screen with speakers on each side. The screen showed slowly blossoming flowers to attract infants’ attention. (CREDIT: eLife) The results separate early musical development into two linked stages. Infants first process musical structure through hearing. Later, they begin expressing that awareness through rocking, swaying, clapping-like motions, and arm movements. “Studying both the sensory and motor components of musicality in infants would give us a better understanding of how we …

4 Reasons the Workplace Isn’t Designed for Our Brains

4 Reasons the Workplace Isn’t Designed for Our Brains

Published by Jenni Sidey

Humans aren’t machines. We have emotions, relationships, creativity, and needs that can’t be measured like a machine’s output. Yet many workplaces are designed as if we function the same way. Modern offices often assume that placing people in a factory-like environment will produce factory-like results. When we struggle with focus, feel drained, or fall behind, we often blame ourselves, even when our environment is contributing to the problem. I recently spoke with Sree Mitra, founder and CEO of Q Studio, a leading expert in workplace performance, cognitive skills development, and helping individuals and organizations adapt to the demands of the modern work environment. Through her “Mind Skills” approach, Mitra helps high-performing professionals navigate pressure, adapt to change, and perform at their best. She explains why many modern workplaces conflict with the way our brains are designed to work. 1. The Brain Switches, It Doesn’t Multitask Most workplaces involve a lot of multitasking. For instance, an average office worker might go from answering a phone call about a new project, to updating status on another project, …

Pro Soccer Players Show Signs Of Shrinking Brains

Pro Soccer Players Show Signs Of Shrinking Brains

Published by Sam Flores

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, July 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — World Cup fever has America in its grip, as the international soccer tournament grinds steadily toward the finals. But a new study is highlighting a darker side to the sport: the toll that soccer can take on the brains of its professional players. Middle-aged former pro soccer players appear to suffer more shrinkage in key brain regions than others who’ve never played contact sports, researchers reported Sunday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London. “These findings suggest there may be measurable effects on brain health in former elite soccer players even in mid-life, before clinically apparent neurodegenerative disease would typically emerge,” lead author Caleigh Grace Lynch, a research technician at Imperial College London in the U.K, said in a news release. The retired players also tended to suffer more symptoms of depression and anxiety, and reported difficulties with thinking and decision-making, researchers said. “While we did not find significant differences in objective cognitive testing between the groups, we did observe important differences in …