Did you know you have a special cell type in your retina whose density can give us an approximate sense of how good your vision is? Check out this…
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How does information about what we see around us reach the brain? Check out this infographic from Gil Torten to learn about each step in the intricate visual pathway,…
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How might people with cataracts see the world differently? What about someone with a refractive error like astigmatism? In this infographic, KN Illustrator Gil Torten explores how different eye conditions…
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How do optical illusions work? Check out this infographic to learn about how the features of our visual system lead to some of these odd and intriguing optical experiences.…
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How do our eyes focus on moving objects and chameleon eyes zoom into their environment? Learn about the differences between the human eye and chameleon eyes in our latest infographic.…
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Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by abnormal levels of impulsive and hyperactive behaviors which occurs in both children and adults. Symptoms appear around 3-…
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What happens to the brain in aging?
Normal aging comes with many changes in brain structure and function. As individuals approach the age of 65 years and above, they experience…
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You may have heard it repeated in the media and pop culture that humans’ brains don’t change at all after birth. However, the past several decades of neuroscience research have…
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Consciousness is an ambiguous concept. It can mean a lot of different things, depending on the context. For example, I can say that I am conscious of something, as in, “I am…
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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a brand new episode of the Knowing Neurons podcast, we explore the concept of “mind uploading”. How would something like a mind upload really work?…
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Spanish Translation also available here: Neuro Cartilla: Neurodesarrollo
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How does your brain become a brain?
Neurodevelopment is the crucial process through which every brain is formed.…
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[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lthough radically different in terms of their content and feel, the range of dream states are just as complex as waking states. If we look across an individual’s lifetime, we…
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[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he dung beetle has more interesting characteristics than you might think! If you’d like to learn about more animals with amazing vision, check out this article.…
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In Parkinson’s Disease, specific cells in the brain die. Over time, this makes basic movements like walking and reaching for a cup impossible. Researchers are racing to find effective treatments.…
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Brain damage is a major concern for us humans – car accidents, football, falling backwards. It’s pretty easy to cause a concussion. Woodpeckers, however, pound away daily using much more…
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The tuatara lizard is called a “living fossil” because it is the last surviving member of the Rhynchocephalia order. Learn more about the tuatara in the infographic below!…
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A new paper published this month in the journal Cell describes an unexpected finding about memory. Researchers used to think that memory required specific activity from the same brain cells…
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Fly lips are called labellum and fly feet are called tarsi. Both the labellum and tarsi contain taste receptors which help the fly find food. Think about that the next…
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Magritte’s comments on our fascination with the unknown rings true not just in artistic surrealism, but also in many of our scientific research endeavors. The human mind is continually fascinated…
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Brittle stars are covered in protective outer plates, but they also have another structure of internal plates. A particular species of brittle star seems to be able to use these…
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The phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” seems especially true for scientists. What we study becomes not only intellectually beautiful, but also literally beautiful: the form is…
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These beautiful little creatures are incredibly skilled at sniffing out mates. The pheromone the females release is called bombykol. Scientists are on the hunt for exactly how this pheromone activates…
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Epigenetics change which genes are active and which are inactive. Research over the past few years has shown that these changes are important for protecting the brain from neurodegeneration and…
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It’s easy to find information on the internet — especially information that confirms what you already believe to be true. Through search engine bias, your Facebook newsfeed bubble, and confirmation…
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The human brain is arguably the most complex organ. Throughout life, it is shaped ever so slightly by each and every experience we endure. The resulting nuances are what make us…
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Sometimes it’s hard to understand why scientists do what they do. Why spend a career studying cells, fungus, or flies? Other than being nerdy and wanting to learn about our…
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A kid stealing candy in a convenience store grows up to be a convicted criminal. A husband who flirts with a coworker ends up as a serial cheater. A politician telling…
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The pursuit of science is challenging. It is where new knowledge is born. In their path towards the unknown, scientists, too, face their fair share of insecurity. When experiments fail,…
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In a recent presidential town hall, President Obama looked directly into the camera and made a powerful statement about mental health. “If something inside you feels like it’s wounded, it’s…
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Marine mammals, such as dolphins, whales, and porpoises, spend their entire lives at sea. Like us, they need to breathe, avoid danger, and care for their young. Like us, they…
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We have someone new joining our team! She is a neuroscience PhD student at the University of Iowa, and she studies speech perception – but let’s let the animation she created…
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If you grew up with siblings, it is likely that you have heard the phrase, ”Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” However, it wasn’t until a groundbreaking finding in…
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Responding to the assertion that computers lack intuition, the philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett once (counter-intuitively) argued that computers must have intuition. Ask a computer to calculate the square…
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If you’re in a room with ten adults, chances are two of them are going to develop a mental illness –- and only one of them will receive proper treatment.…
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This infographic was made in collaboration with Frontiers for Young Minds. Check out the infographic we made for them here.
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Written by Jillian Shaw.
Graphics by Jooyeun Lee.…
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Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Anna Akana and Brad Gage for their podcast called “Explain Things To Me,” a show that features conversations with experts in various fields,…
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The brain has an amazing ability to form internal maps of the world around it. Knowing Neurons has previously written several articles about place cells in the hippocampus and how…
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When you look at an object, like the picture above, there are many features your brain has the task of processing. Color, texture, and position in space to name a few. Lines and angles…
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Walking around in the real world, as opposed to the uncluttered hallways of your school, requires flexible and adaptive fine-tuning of the basic alternating stepping pattern of our two legs.…
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One of the fundamental goals of cognitive and systems neuroscience is to create a computer program that can simulate the activity of the human brain, from single neurons, through network…
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Getting over a breakup is not easy; rejection is even more awful. Many people turn to alcohol to drown out their sorrow. In an attempt to study this seemingly unreasonable…
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Have you ever wondered how the social experiences you had early in life affected the way your brain developed? How was your cerebral architecture influenced by the games of ‘peek-a-boo’…
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