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San Francisco, 1:41 AM
Wed Dec 30
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Get Ready for the Next Generation of Painkillers
Why do injuries continue to hurt, even when they are healing? New research reveals why we feel certain kinds of post-injury pain - and possibly how to stop it. More »An Input/Output Device for the Brain - Made of Light, Algae, and Bacteria
Michael Chorost, author of science autobiography Rebuilt, has a great article in Wired this month about a biotechnological breakthrough that could result in functional cyborgs. Using this biotech, people could access the internet with our brains. More »Barack Obama Lowered Republicans' Testosterone
If you voted for John McCain in last year's election, you may have felt a twinge of disappointment when Barack Obama took the stage. If you're male, that twinge was more than political disagreement; Obama may have lowered your testosterone. More »Scientists Rewrite Flies' Memories, Bring the Dollhouse Closer
We've already got memory-wiping drugs, and now researchers have taken the next baby step to a whole new you. They have used lasers to etch bad memories into the brains of flies, and changed their reactions to certain stimuli. More »A Shot of Liquor Could Save Your Brain
A new retrospective study found that patients admitted to hospitals with traumatic head injuries had a higher rate of survival if they'd been drinking. Further study is warranted, though, before handing out Jell-O shots at the ER. [via Ars Technica]Brain-Reading Machines Know What You've Seen
fMRI technology has been used for lie detection and identify memories of an event, but some researchers are looking to push its mind-reading capabilities even further, using brain scans of subjects to reconstruct images they've recently viewed. More »Are We Heading Towards Mental Apocalypse?
The future of humanity looks worryingly forgetful. The number of people suffering Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia is set to double over the next 20 years, according to a new report published yesterday. More »Reading Surreal Fiction Could Make You Smarter
Could reading Kafka make you smarter? A recent study suggests that reading surrealist stories that don't make immediate logical sense can sharpen your cognitive functions and make you better at recognizing patterns. More »Scientists Prove Your Brain Still Contains Forgotten Memories
"Ethical" Beef Cows Could Be Engineered to Feel No Pain
Meat eaters looking for ways to enjoy a guilt-free hamburger have looked to ethical ranches and more humane slaughtering methods. But some suggest that instead of getting rid of factory farming, we should eliminate cow's pain. More »The Strange Case of Seizures That Turned a Woman Into a Man
Researchers report an odd case in the latest issue of Epilepsy & Behavior. Whenever their patient had an epileptic seizure, she thought she'd become male - and that other women near her had turned into men too. What caused it? More »The Secret Connection Between Dopamine And Fear
Dopamine is infamous as a pleasure-inducing brain chemical: It's the neurotransmitter released when you smoke a cigarette or snort cocaine. But a new study published today shows that dopamine is also key to keeping people terrified for long periods. More »First Steps Toward A Machine-Controlled Human Cell
Can You See The "God Spot" In This Brain Scan? Neither Can We
Don't be fooled by headlines suggesting neuroscience researchers have found the "God spot" in the brain that triggers religious devotion, say experts. Yes, it's back to the drawing board with our "worship me now, fools" raygun. More »Don't Close Your Eyes When Listening To Scary Music
If you're the kind of person who covers your eyes at the scariest parts of movies, science wants you to stop. Apparently, you're really only making it worse for yourself. More »Should Scientists Synthesize a Hormone That Causes Fear?
Perfecting Closed-Skull Brain Surgery
Although surgeries that involve nary a slice or a stitch have heretofore been limited to science fiction, doctors in Switzerland announced that they've successfully performed closed-skull brain surgery on 9 patients using only sound waves. More »Neurologists Claim that Hip-Hop Leads to Head Injuries
Hip-hop culture has caused profound harm to American adolescents, according to a new study from the Journal of Neurosurgery. But it doesn't warp teenaged brains or make kids more violent; instead, it's lead to a sharp rise in head injuries. More »Your Brain Will Eventually Be Used Against You
Although every lie detector ever built has proved unreliable, scientists continue to search for that magic machine that will reveal dishonesty. Now two Harvard neuroscientists have hit on a "pre-crime" technique that reveals intent to lie before it happens. More »Schizophrenic Brains Make More Complicated Music Than Sane Ones
A new computer program lets your brain turn fMRI machines into musical instruments by assigning notes to active regions of your cortex. The results may cause people to drive themselves crazy just to stay on the cutting edge of electronica. More »A Drug That Could Give You Perfect Visual Memory