Mo Costandi
Moheb Costandi is a freelance science writer based in London. His work has been published in Nature, Science, Scientific American, The Guardian, and New Scientist, among other publications. His latest book is Body Am I: The New Science of Self-Consciousness (MIT Press, October 2022). He also authors the blog Neurophilosophy. Follow him on Twitter @mocost.
A new study from Finland suggests that we all process the behavior of others using the same neural networks.
The dying brain experiences a surge of electrical activity. Could this help explain the mysterious phenomena of near-death experiences?
The hallucinations that characterize schizophrenia may be due to a "reality threshold" that is lower than it should be.
A recent study highlights the astounding adaptability of the human brain.
Striking differences in the composition of the gut microbiome suggest that fermented food could help those suffering from anorexia.
A recent study is the first to fabricate electronic components from endogenous molecules.
The content of our long-term memories is constantly "reconstructed" by our brains. The same is true of memories formed mere seconds ago.
Our brainwaves naturally synchronize with external stimuli like flickering lights. Here's how the phenomenon might boost learning.
This was largely a philosophical question until 2005, when a surgical team in France performed the first partial face transplant.
The ability to decode acoustic information from brain activity aids the development of brain-computer interfaces that restore communication in patients who suffer paralysis.
This is the latest study to confirm that the brain does not fully mature until at least the third decade of life.
Your five-year-old can probably spot a cop-out.
Depression might be similar to dreaming.
Some scientists think brain organoids could develop a form of consciousness. Others say that's science fiction.
It may be an advantage in some contexts.
If a court needs to know if two trademarks look too similar to each other, perhaps the jury should be given a brain scan.
Your brain may notice fearful faces, even if you don't consciously realize it.
In a study involving mice, scientists used two different techniques — one optogenetic and one pharmacologic — to recover "lost" memories.
Compared to people who took a placebo, the brains of those who took caffeine pills had a temporarily smaller gray matter volume.
Sniffing out a deal.
Over time, different structures in the brain come to play unique roles in the storage and retrieval of long-term memories.
"Jumping genes" exist in various forms, including as remnants of ancient retroviruses, and make up about 45% of the human genome.
Sleep less, sleep less, sleep more.
Belief in God and the afterlife increased, while belief in superstition decreased.
To prevent overloading the memory system, the brain may have a mechanism that tosses out certain types of memories.
What you see is what you hear.
The research could aid the development of more effective treatments for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Use words with plosives and affricates if you really want to make sure everyone knows you mean business.
