Human Quirks: Mind & Brain

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Synchronized Movement Between Robots and Humans Builds Trust, Study Finds

Nov. 20, 2024 — Trust between humans and robots is improved when the movement between both is harmonized, researchers have ...

The Chilling Sound of the Aztec Death Whistle

Nov. 19, 2024 — The Aztec skull whistle produces a shrill, screaming sound. A study shows that these whistles have a disturbing effect on the human brain. The Aztecs may have deliberately used this effect in sacrificial ...

How Cells Habituate

Nov. 19, 2024 — Up until recently, habituation -- a simple form of learning -- was deemed the exclusive domain of complex organisms with brains and nervous systems, such as worms, insects, birds, and mammals. But a new study offers compelling evidence that even ...

Gaming for the Good!

Nov. 18, 2024 — It turns out gaming is good for you! New research indicates massive multiplayer online gamers learn by gaming and their skills in the workplace are enriched by those seemingly endless hours previously thought of as frittering away ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:31pm EST

Egyptians Drank Hallucinogenic Cocktails in Ancient Rituals, Study Confirms

Nov. 15, 2024 — Scholars for the first time identified chemical signatures of the components of a liquid concoction contained in a Bes mug. A new technique helped identify a sample flavored with honey, sesame seeds, ...

NeuroMechFly V2: Simulating How Fruit Flies See, Smell, and Navigate

Nov. 12, 2024 — Scientists have advanced their NeuroMechFly model, simulating fruit fly movement in the real world. With integrated vision and smell, NeuroMechFly v2 helps us understand brain-body coordination, ...

Memories Are Not Only in the Brain, New Research Finds

Nov. 7, 2024 — It's common knowledge that our brains -- and, specifically, our brain cells -- store memories. But a team of scientists has discovered that cells from other parts of the body also perform a memory ...

New Haptic Patch Transmits Complexity of Touch to the Skin

Nov. 6, 2024 — Thin, flexible device could help people with visual impairments 'feel' surroundings. Device comprises a hexagonal array of 19 actuators encapsulated in soft silicone. Device only uses energy when ...

Study of Chick Peeps Could Improve Understanding of Animal Emotions

Oct. 24, 2024 — Understanding animal emotions has been a long-running question at the forefront of welfare studies, but a new study may hold the key to decoding the chatter. The answer involves two baby chickens and ...

Nixing Narcolepsy Nightmares

Oct. 23, 2024 — A new study has demonstrated a new way to treat narcolepsy-related nightmares. The scientists combined cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and lucid dreaming to help patients in a small clinical ...

Butterfly Brains Reveal the Tweaks Required for Cognitive Innovation

Oct. 18, 2024 — A species of tropical butterfly with unusually expanded brain structures display a fascinating mosaic pattern of neural expansion linked to a cognitive ...

People Sympathize With Bullied AI Bots

Oct. 17, 2024 — In a new study, humans displayed sympathy towards and protected AI bots who were excluded from ...

Stressed Bees Lack the Buzz in Life

Oct. 8, 2024 — Stressed bees are much more likely to make pessimistic choices and lack a buzz in ...

Small Brains Can Accomplish Big Things, According to New Theoretical Research

Oct. 3, 2024 — New research explains how the fly brain creates an accurate internal compass to keep track of where it is in the world using only a few neurons, ...

Texting Abbreviations Makes Senders Seem Insincere, Study Finds

Nov. 14, 2024 — If you want to seem sincere and receive more responses to your texts, spell out words instead of abbreviating them, according to new ...

AI-Generated News Is Harder to Understand, Study Finds

Oct. 24, 2024 — Readers find automated news articles poorer than manually-written texts in relation to word choice and use of ...

Toddlers Show Increased Physical Activity With a Robot Playmate Moving Around the Room

Oct. 9, 2024 — Parents seeking help in encouraging toddlers to be physically active may soon need to look no further than an inexpensive robotic buddy for their kids, a new study ...

Asymmetric Placebo Effect in Response to Spicy Food

Oct. 8, 2024 — The expectations humans have of a pleasurable sensation asymmetrically shape neuronal responses and subjective experiences to hot sauce, according to a new ...

Are Auditory Magic Tricks Possible for a Blind Audience?

Oct. 4, 2024 — Magic tricks make the impossible seem possible. Magicians have long captivated audiences with visual tricks, such as pulling a bunny from a hat or sawing someone in half, but tricks that rely on ...

Hoarding Disorder: 'Sensory CBT' Treatment Strategy Shows Promise

Oct. 3, 2024 — Rehearsing alternative outcomes of discarding through imagery rescripting shows promise as a treatment strategy for people who hoard, a study by psychology researchers has ...

Turning Brain Cells on Using the Power of Light

Oct. 3, 2024 — Researchers have developed a noninvasive way of using bioluminescent optogenetics to activate parts of the ...

Scientists Create Flies That Stop When Exposed to Red Light

Oct. 2, 2024 — Ever wish you could stop that fruit fly on your kitchen counter in its tracks? Scientists have created flies that halt under red light. In doing so, they discovered the precise neural mechanisms ...

AI Simulation Gives People a Glimpse of Their Potential Future Self

Oct. 2, 2024 — 'Future You' is a generative AI tool that enables users to have a simulated conversation with a potential version of their future selves. The chatbot is meant to reduce users' anxiety, ...

'Who's a Good Boy?' Humans Use Dog-Specific Voices for Better Canine Comprehension

Oct. 1, 2024 — Humans slow their own speech when talking to their dogs, and this slower tempo matches their pets' receptive abilities, allowing the dogs to better understand their commands, according to a new ...

Neuroscientists Spark Shelter-Seeking Response by Reactivating Memory Circuit

Oct. 1, 2024 — Using a sophisticated brain-imaging system, neuroscientists say they have successfully reactivated a specific memory circuit in mice, causing them to seek out shelter when no shelter is actually ...

Feet First: AI Reveals How Infants Connect With Their World

Oct. 1, 2024 — Researchers explored how infants act purposefully by attaching a colorful mobile to their foot and tracking movements with a Vicon 3D motion capture system. The study tested AI's ability to ...

Sharing Biosignals With Online Gaming Partners to Enhance a Mutual Sense of Social Presence Between Complete Strangers

Sep. 27, 2024 — Although interactive online platforms, including esports platforms, aim to foster close connections between people, they often fall short of supporting the creation of bonds between the interaction ...

Recording the Cats in the Hats

Sep. 26, 2024 — Researchers have found a way to scan the brains of cats while they're awake, using electrodes concealed under specially knitted wool ...

Managing Stress Could Be the Key to Helping Highly Impulsive People Act Rashly When Bored

Sep. 25, 2024 — Research has explored the relationship between high impulsivity and boredom, in an effort to find out what drives rash and sometimes unhealthy ...

Homemade 'Play-Putty' Can Read the Body's Electric Signals

Sep. 18, 2024 — Researchers demonstrates the effectiveness of homemade play putty at reading brain, heart, muscle and eye activity. The research outlines the conductive properties of this material, so-named ...

First Academic Study on Slap Fighting Highlights Risks to Participants' Neurological Health

Sep. 18, 2024 — The first academic study to provide quantitative assessment of the possible dangers of competitive slap fighting offers a starting point for conversations about ensuring participants' long-term ...

Researchers Combine the Power of AI and the Connectome to Predict Brain Cell Activity

Sep. 11, 2024 — With maps of the connections between neurons and artificial intelligence methods, researchers can now do what they never thought possible: predict the activity of individual neurons without making a ...

New AI Can ID Brain Patterns Related to Specific Behavior

Sep. 9, 2024 — Scientists have developed a new AI algorithm that can separate brain patterns related to a particular behavior. This work promises to improve brain-computer interfaces and aid with the discovery of ...

'Out-of-Body' Research Could Lead to New Ways to Promote Social Harmony

Sep. 9, 2024 — Out-of-body experiences, such as near-death experiences, can have a 'transformative' effect on people's ability to experience empathy and connect with others, new research ...