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Category Archives: Mind
Why A Brush With Death Triggers The Slow-Mo Effect
… after a little searching, David discovered something called SCAD diving. (SCAD stands for Suspended Catch Air Device.) It’s like bungee jumping without the bungee. Imagine being dangled by a cable about 150 feet off the ground, facing up to … Continue reading
Posted in Mind, Survival
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New Study Examines the Brain’s Wiring
The brain has been mapped to the smallest fold for at least a century, but still no one knows how all the parts talk to each other. A study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences answers that question … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Mind
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Stress gets under our skin
Everyone experiences social stress, whether it is nervousness over a job interview, difficulty meeting people at parties, or angst over giving a speech. In a new report, UCLA researchers have discovered that how your brain responds to social stressors can … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Mind
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Study: Smokers can 'out-think' cravings
Smokers trying to quit the habit can reduce their cravings with the right kind of thinking about the consequences of their addiction, U.S. researchers say. Scientists at the Yale School of Medicine say thinking about the long-term effects of smoking … Continue reading
Newly discovered mechanism controls levels and efficacy of a marijuana-like substance in the brain
A newly discovered molecular mechanism helps control the amount and effectiveness of a substance that mimics an active ingredient in marijuana, but that is produced by the body’s own nerve cells. The results were reported in the latest Nature Neuroscience. … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Mind
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Childhood Personality Traits Predict Adult Behavior
Personality traits observed in childhood are a strong predictor of adult behavior, a study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the Oregon Research Institute and University of Oregon suggests. Using data from a 1960s study of approximately 2,400 … Continue reading
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Scientists make link between brain acid and cognition
Almost anyone who has faced a test or a deadline probably wished there was a smart pill to pop. New research suggests that this may eventually be possible. University of Maryland scientists have linked a brain compound called kynurenic acid … Continue reading
Deepak Chopra's God 2.0, quantum flapdoodle?
Michael Shermer has this interesting post about Deepak Chopra’s quantum God. In most surveys, nine out of ten Americans respond in the affirmative to the question “Do you believe in God?” The other 10 percent provide a variety of answers, … Continue reading
Posted in Mind
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Good Connection Really Does Lead to Mind Meld
When two people experience a deep connection, they’re informally described as being on the same wavelength. There may be neurological truth to that. Brain scans of a speaker and listener showed their neural activity synchronizing during storytelling. The stronger their … Continue reading
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'Hikikomori' bedroom hermits should be regarded as national crisis
There are approximately 230,000 people who almost constantly shut themselves in their rooms except to go to nearby convenience stores, according to a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office. The number increases to about 700,000 if those who only go … Continue reading
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Weird True Stuff 