What is motor neuron disease and why is it so deadly?
By Paul Panckhurst New Zealand has one of the world’s worst rates of a fatal brain disease. Now, scientists hunting rogue genes hope to unravel the 150-year-old mystery of what triggers the disease and how to find a cure. Motor neuron disease is absurdly cruel and...
What causes the loss of smell in COVID-19?
By Helen Murray New research shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause significant damage to the olfactory bulb and brainstem and highlights the importance of monitoring the neurological symptoms of COVID-19. Although COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory disease, many...
How do we measure pain, anyway?
By Jeremy Delahanty How do we measure pain, anyway? Jeremy Delahanty investigates. Imagine you have been asked to define pain by your doctor. They might have asked for a rating on a scale from zero, no pain, to ten, unbearable pain. Or you chose from a selection of...
Why is it so hard to find a cure for Alzheimer’s?
By Norman A. Paradis Norman A. Paradis investigate why it is so hard to find a cure for Alzheimer’s after a century of research into the brain disease. Biogen recently announced that it was abandoning its late stage drug for Alzheimer’s, aducanumab, causing...
Q+A: How does our unconscious mind alter political outcomes?
Scientists are finding more and more evidence that human behaviour is not rational, not conscious, and maybe completely programmed without our rational thinking. How does the unconscious mind and biological predispositions affect political outcomes and prejudice...
Is mind control possible?
By Lily Toomey With new technology, mind control is no longer just science fiction, as Lily Toomey explains. Reading minds seems to be a common part of the science-fiction canon—a genre much loved by actual scientists. But even as someone who turned their love of Kurt...
What is your first memory – and did it ever really happen?
By Lucy V Justice, Martin Conway & Shazia Akhtar Do you remember when you were a baby? What was your first memory? I can remember being a baby. I recall being in a vast room inside a doctor’s surgery. I was passed to a nurse and then placed in cold metal scales to...
Are hallucinations a disease?
By Yewande Pearse Hallucinations may be a symptom of mental illness, but they are not necessarily harmful, as Yewande Pearse explains. As late as the 18th century, hallucinations in their various forms were considered independent diseases or syndromes. In 1821, Alexis...
Pulling all-nighters may damage your brain
By Hannah Thomasy Doctoral candidate Hannah Thomasy discusses the impacts of all-nighters on the brain. Is staying up late a health risk? For decades, scientists have suspected that there is a connection between poor sleep and neurodegenerative diseases like...Subscribe by Email
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