It’s human nature (and human folly) to pretend we know what our dogs are actually thinking about. Oh, he’s happy! Oh, he’s tired! Oh, he loves this! That’s not exactly a scientific way to look at things. Brain scans, however, are super scientific. So scanning the brains of dogs means its possible to know what dogs are really thinking.
Sometimes, academic journals have the best stories. Like last week’s issue of Forensic Science International, which describes how a man had a a drunken confrontation with the police and ended up with a taser dart stuck in his brain.
In recent years, the military’s top brass have funded some truly bizarre approaches — from neck injections to Reiki — in an effort to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress afflicting today’s soldiers. It turns out they could’ve just equipped troops with Game Boys.
If you thought that chewing gum helped you concentrate, it might be time to reassess. While some old research has suggested that it can help you with abstract reasoning and logic puzzles, new research reveals that it can completely screw up your short-term memory.
Talking to yourself is the preserve of mad men, right? Not according to a new study, which reveals that the seemingly irrational act of chatting to oneself actually improves cognitive function.
Learning to do brain surgery isn’t easy, as the procedures are often difficult even for experienced surgeons. So researchers in Japan have developed the Cybram 001 — or Cybernetic Brain Artery Model — which simulates the functions of blood vessels in the brain, letting surgeons hone their skills without risking a patient’s life.
