I write nonfiction (obviously), but I also write science fiction and fantasy. We who write such stuff are occasionally asked (and occasionally wonder) if our works can continue to compete in a media universe in which “science fiction” and “fantasy” conjure up for most people Hollywood special-effects extravaganzas first, and the written word second (if …
Tag: brain
Good news for live musicians
Neuroscientists have found that a piano sonata played by a human being elicits stronger emotional responses than the same piece played by a computer: Senior research fellow in psychology [at the University of Susses] Dr Stefan Koelsch, who carried out the study with colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences …
Monday, Monday
From the Mamas and the Papas’ “Monday, Monday” to the Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays” to the Boomtown Rats’ supremely creepy “I Don’t Like Mondays,” the first day of the work and school week has been vilified as a day of depression. But new research shows that people’s moods don’t really change that much over …
This is your brain on Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock, James Vermiere wrote in the Boston Herald on the occasion of the centenary of Hitchcock’s birth in 1999, “delighted in terrifying audiences by manipulating them…More than any other filmmaker, he was a master at messing with our minds.” “Wait a minute!” I hear you cry (if I happen to be sitting behind you …
Try to remember
Ever try to list a series of interesting things you’ve heard or own or read about for someone else, only to end up saying something like, “and…and…and I forget the other thing.” There’s a good reason why we often “forget the other thing”–because our conscious mind, or what is sometimes called our “working memory,” has …
Sleep in a bottle
I love a good night’s sleep. I just rarely get one that’s quite as long as I’d like. I’m not alone in that, either. Although exactly how much sleep any individual needs varies according to that individual’s age, sex, genetic makeup and other factors, studies indicate that the “normal” sleep need for most adults is …
Sleep in a bottle
I love a good night’s sleep. I just rarely get one that’s quite as long as I’d like. I’m not alone in that, either. Although exactly how much sleep any individual needs varies according to that individual’s age, sex, genetic makeup and other factors, studies indicate that the “normal” sleep need for most adults is …
The left brain vs. right brain test
Visit this page. Which way does the figure appear to be turning? I instantly saw her as turning clockwise, which supposedly makes me more right-brained. However, if I close my eyes for one second and tell myself she’s turning counter-clockwise, when I open my eyes I see her turning the other way. I’m not sure …
The political brain
Download the audio version.Get my science column weekly as a podcast. ***** I do hear tell that there may be an election or two in the offing in the next little while. There are those for whom such affairs are akin to blood sports. They identify so strongly with a particular party, or a particular …
Source of fever identified
Humans have been dealing with fevers for millennia. Now scientists have, for the first time, identified the precise location in the brain that generates fever in the body: During periods of inflammation, such as when the body is fighting an infection or illness, the body produces hormones known as cytokines. The cytokines, in turn, act …
Firstborn children are the cleverest
I’m the youngest of three boys. I’ve sent this story to my oldest brother in the hope he might be able to explain it to me.
The angel and the devil on the shoulders of your teen
While I am still some seven years away from having a teenager of my own, I well remember being a teenager, and being occasionally asked by an exasperated parent, “What were you thinking?” To which, as often as not, I replied, “I don’t know.” This was seldom seen as an acceptable answer. Had I but …