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An old game console could challenge all we know about how the brain works

And it can run Donkey Kong. Can your brain do that? Didn't think so.

Scientists discover 'hunting circuits' that can turn fuzzy rats into fuzzy murderous rats

It's pretty scary that they can do it to be honest.

You can't keep eye contact during conversation because your brain can't handle it, study finds

It's doing its best though.

Memories for opposing behaviors are stored in the same parts of the brain, study finds

One step closer to understanding memory.

Brain network that picks words from the background noise revealed

Our brains are really good at sifting through information.

Scientists fed a game into players' brains to pave the way for artificial senses

Just plug the console right into my head then, pleasethankyou!

What happens in the brain when you get 'knocked out'

Knockouts are a thing because the brain is trying to product itself.

We're trusting a lot of fake news because we're abysmal at weeding it out, study finds

Two articles on fake news in one day?! Yes, we do spoil you.

Sea slugs can't remember their dreams -- and here's why you can't, either

At least we have notebooks to write them down. Sea slugs? Not so much.

That urge to complete other people's sentences? Turns out the brain has its own Auto Correct

In the hippocampus -- which is weird, because we didn't think it had anything to do with talking.

Rats tickled past squeaking point to identify the brain's "tickle center"

Their videos should used to identify my brain's "awww" center.

Wild cats' brains evolve to a different tune than those of primates, study finds

Same organ, different needs.

Arousal makes us more confident in what we perceive, study finds

Stressed, excited, or scared -- our brain kicks perception up a notch when we're aroused.

Study finds how to predict which brains respond to placebo treatments

One sugar pill can take away your pain -- if you've got the brain for it.

Fossil Friday: the first dino brain (we've ever found)

We didn't even think it was possible to find one up to now.

Scientists used brain stimulation to shut off the self-control center

Just a little electricity can change how you make any choice.

How the brain makes drinking water feel like a pain once you're hydrated

Drinks for the thirsty, gag reflex for the over-hydrated.

Browse the brain one cell at a time in the most detailed atlas ever made

And the Allen Brain Atlas is free to use. Hurray!

Scientists may have witnessed how memories form in real time -- a first

A new study offers insight into how neurons work together to make us remember stuff.

What causes phantom limb -- it's all in the brain

This freaky phenomenon might prove invaluable in using life-like prosthetics.

Brain circuit links sleep-wake cycle with reward system -- a new potential target for insomnia drugs

A connection between reward and sleep has been found by neuroscientists. New drugs that target this circuit could help insomniacs ease into sleep.

An antibody that clears Alzheimer's patients' brains of plaque could be the treatment we've been waiting for

Clean brain, clean memories.

A smart brain is not only big, but blood thirsty too

The brain needs a lot of blood to be smart.

Zika infection kills brain cells in the adult mouse brain -- pandemic might be worse than thought

Zika got a whole lot scarier.

Relying too much on the Internet for fact finding could hurt your brain

Just like anything else, it needs constant exercise to stay in shape.

Scientists find brain's generosity center

Scientists zoom in on your generosity, and it could help us understand psychopaths.

Researchers find brain's 'physics engine'

There's a physics expert inside all of us, though deeper in some than in others.

We've finally discovered how birds can sleep and fly at the same time without crashing

Frigatebirds spend weeks at a time flying over oceans in search for food -- here's how they sleep during this time.

IBM Scientists make phase-changing Artificial Neurons to mimic the Computer Power of Human Brain

Science is getting closer to a computer that mimics the human brain.

Crows are the first non-human animals we know of that employ tools to carry objects

Who you callin' bird brain?

Scientists quantify human intelligence for first time ever using MRI scans

A particular pattern in the human brain is connected to higher levels of intelligence.

Researchers coax neurons into regenerating and restore vision in mice

This could allow us to restore vision, mobility or fight diseases like Alzheimer's.

A software bug could render the last 15 years of brain research meaningless

Some 40,000 studies need to be re-examined. Ouch.

'Feel good' neurons might explain the power of the placebo effect

The findings might explain the power of the placebo effect.

Is brain training bogus? New study suggests this billion dollar industry only delivers placebos

This billion-dollar industry is based on highly glamorized studies which can only be classed as poor science.

Humans got smarter to care for needy infants, making them more helpless in the process

University of Rochester researchers developed a new evolutionary model that suggests human intelligence developed to meet the demands of our infants, in a self-reinforcing cycle: bigger brains led to shorter pregnancies, requiring parents to have even bigger brains.

You don't need a brain to learn, scientists found

A new study from the University of Toulouse found that intelligence and learning aren't limited to organisms with brains. By studying the mold P. polycephalum they found it can, over time, learn to navigate even irritating environments.

Can't get any rest when sleeping in a new place? It's just your brain keeping you safe

A new study offers insight into why you might have a hard time sleeping on the first night in a new place: half of your brain stays awake to watch out for potential dangers.

Georgetown University team found you can literally zap creativity into your brain

Electrically stimulating the frontopolar cortex can enhance creativity, a new study from Georgetown University found.

Would you be willing to take an electric shock in the name of curiosity? Science says yes, several actually

Curiosity is probably the single most powerful force behind our species' scientific discoveries. It can drive us to explore and discover even if the outcome might be painful or harmful. But this need to discover and learn can also become a curse; a new study found that people are willing to face unpleasant outcomes with no apparent benefits just to sate their curiosity.

Heavy marijuana users process stressful stimuli similarly to those with an anxiety disorder

Heavy marijuana users react to anxiety-inducing stimuli similarly to people diagnosed with anxiety disorders, a new study found. The results could help improve the accuracy of anxiety disorder diagnostics in the future.

Learning a complex skill bypasses the brain's division of labour and supercharges it

Scientists trained healthy volunteers with good eyesight to read Braille and found the visual cortex was connected to the tactile cortex. Somehow, they supercharged their brains proving its extraordinary plasticity.

Trust your intuition, researchers say

A series of experiments surprisingly found that sudden insight may yield more correct solutions than gradual, methodical thinking.

Young children may benefit from playing video games

Researchers found a positive association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children's mental health as well as their mental and social aptitudes.

How the human brain gets so wrinkled: basic physics

The size of the brain isn't essential to superior cognitive abilities -- its shape and packing mechanism matter a lot, too. But while bran folding function is well established, 'the how' has been more elusive to determine. Now, researchers in the US and Europe claim they know what wrinkles the brain: basic physics.

How dopamine is shuttled between neurons

University of Florida researchers have discovered how our bodies control dopamine transport in and out of brain cells.

Brain's memory may be 10 times larger than previously thought

A groundbreaking research out of the Salk Institute suggests synapses are 10 times bigger in the hippocampus. Conversely, this means the memory capacity is 10 times larger than previously thought, given synapse size is directly related to memory. Moreover, the team found these synapses adjust in size constantly. Ever 20 minutes, synapses grow bigger or smaller adjusting themselves for optimal neural connectivity. The clues could prove paramount to developing artificial intelligence or computers that are more akin to the human brain: phenomenal computing power using minimal energy input.

Creative thinking requires more checks and balances that you'd think

Creative thinking requires the simultaneous activation of two distinct networks in the brain, the associative and normative networks. Higher connectivity between these completely different systems of your brain leads to new, original and useful ideas, University of Haifa research concludes.

How the eye works

How eyesight works and other functions.

Compulsive gaming rewires the brain, both beneficial and harmful

Brain scans of nearly 200 adolescent boys recorded as part of a new study performed in South Korea show that compulsive video game players have radically different wiring in their brains, most notably increased communication (known as hyperconnectivity) between several functional brain networks.