brain
number of breaks: 21
What’s on your mind? A sneak-peek of your wandering thoughts
If you get a glimpse into all the thoughts you’ve had today, it will likely reveal pockets of time when they were focused on your ongoing task (for example when you rush through an assignment to meet a deadline); when they aimlessly wandered from one... click to read more
Finding the one: what prairie voles can tell us about the drive to seek out our romantic partner
As humans, we fall in love and "couple-up", something scientists refer to as a pair bond. This is unusual among mammals, most of whom are promiscuous - typically mating and moving on. Fewer than 10% of mammalian species share our ability to form pair bonds,... click to read more
Awake or dreaming: how brain ‘noise’ tells the difference
We spend almost one-third of our lives asleep, being disconnected from the world and seemingly 'inactive'. But sleeping is not a waste of time – it is essential for maintaining both our body and mind in good shape. Indeed, sleep is an exceptionally complex biological... click to read more
Learning to stop: two types of neurons cooperate to adjust behaviour
We continuously learn about the consequences of our actions and change our behaviour accordingly so we can in future repeat a response that produced the desired outcome and hold back learned behaviours that are no longer appropriate. Imagine you are hungry and go to the... click to read more
Our blood may be making us smarter
There is nothing subtle about the immune system. T cells, potent immune cells found in the blood, can kill just about anything. In response to a viral infection, T cells move in, kill any of your cells that have a virus inside them, coordinate a... click to read more
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