Check out what I consider to be some of the most exciting research findings of today.
You can find this image from my research as a finalist in the “Images of Research” competition @umass_opd or @umassOPD.
How We Learn to Trust (Video)
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Carrie Palmquist for a virtual Science Cafe. Dr. Palmquist studies the social and cultural clues that kids use to understand and navigate the world, including who to trust and who not to trust. Our interview for a general audience digs into her research on childhood learning and nonverbalContinue reading “How We Learn to Trust (Video)”
Inherited Trauma
People who live through trauma such as the Holocaust or slavery are not the only people suffering from the biological and psychological effects of that trauma. The effects of trauma can be experienced in subsequent generations via epigenetics. In this article, I outline the major findings of several groundbreaking studies on the epigenetics of trauma.Continue reading “Inherited Trauma”
Built Different
Alzheimer’s and depression are more commonly diagnosed in women, while Parkinson’s is more commonly diagnosed in men. Why is that? Alzheimer’s, depression, and Parkinson’s are just a few examples of disorders that affect females and males differently. Recent research found differences in male and female brains that might account for these sex differences in pathology.Continue reading “Built Different”
COVID-19 Stinks!
We’ve been enduring this global pandemic for about a year now (depending on where you live), and it is nothing to mess around with. The number of confirmed cases keeps rising with the holiday season and increased visits that come with it. Even with the growing risk of COVID-19, many people are not taking itContinue reading “COVID-19 Stinks!”
Bang! “Ouch” *Grab*
When you bang your elbow on a table, why is your first instinct to grab it? This response might have something to do with how your sensory neurons process information. To learn more about this phenomenon, check out my article on That’s Life [Science].
Why We Don’t Keep Resolutions
In the Summer of 2020, it is easy to tell ourselves that we’ll call our representatives and sign that petition in the hopes of making change for a better world. But why are the rates of follow-through so low? Why don’t more people do these simple tasks that would have such high impact? There are,Continue reading “Why We Don’t Keep Resolutions”
Expand Your Mind
Part of our challenge in studying the brain is that it has such small components. For a huge part of human history, we just haven’t had the technology to see neural communication. We continue to be limited by available technology. But one lab is quickly making a name for themselves by thinking outside the boxContinue reading “Expand Your Mind”
Going on Autopilot? Thank Your Place Cells
Have you ever found yourself at work in the morning without any specific memories from the commute? How did you manage to get there without thinking about it? Does your brain know how to get you there effortlessly? Pretty much! There are “place cells” in your brain who’s job is to take over in theseContinue reading “Going on Autopilot? Thank Your Place Cells”
Why Does Alcohol Make You Dizzy?
Your liver can only do so much at once. When you drink more alcohol than your liver can process at the time, it gets released into your bloodstream and into a fluid called the endolymph in your ears. This fluid sloshes around your ears to give you a sense of how your body is orientedContinue reading “Why Does Alcohol Make You Dizzy?”
The Feelings that Linger
Have you noticed that all it takes is one bad event to completely ruin an otherwise wonderful day? Why do we devote so much brain power to fixating on the negative when we’d be so much happier by fixating on the positive? It all comes down to evolution. Because of the life-threatening nature of manyContinue reading “The Feelings that Linger”
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