Brain | Science News for Students

Brain

a computer generated image of a football player tackling another football player holding the football

Football tackles can leave players sore — and sometimes suffering a concussion. But new data from professional athletes suggest that not all players sustain serious long-term brain damage from years of play.

master1305/iStockphoto

Brain
 
Sep 11, 2018
Football and hockey don’t necessarily doom players’ brains to serious damage
a hand holds a bowl of yogurt with fruit on someone's lap, the person is wearing running clothes, their torso is out of the frame

Not really up for a post-workout snack? Scientists have found an area of the brain that appears to explain why.

Rasulovs/iStockPhoto

Body functions
 
Aug 27, 2018
Body heat due to exercise may reduce hunger
a woman soccer player heading a soccer ball

In a head-to-head comparison, soccer balls appeared to damage women’s brains more than men’s.

Henry Huey/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Brain
 
Aug 21, 2018
Soccer headers may hurt women’s brains more than men’s
a girl with braces enjoying a slice of pizza

All our senses inform what we taste. 

MarianVejcik/iStockphoto

Body functions
 
Aug 2, 2018
Taste good? Senses inform the brain — but don’t tell everyone the same thing
a photo of an assortment of lunch foods on a white background

What gives all of these foods a different flavor? For starters, each produces a different combination of tastes — information that the brain will sort through as it decides whether it likes a food (or doesn’t).

klenova/iStockphoto

Body functions
 
Aug 2, 2018
Explainer: Taste and flavor are not the same
gut-brain girl

You may not notice, but your guts and brain are in constant communication. And from what scientists have been learning from rodent studies, those chats between gut microbes and the brain can have a whole range of important, hidden impacts.

tommaso79, Dr_Microbe/iStockphoto; Adapted by L. Steenblik Hwang

Body functions
 
Jun 7, 2018
Belly bacteria can shape mood and behavior
scared hamster
Gut microbes in hamsters changed after the animals experienced social stress, such as bullying.
gashgeron/iStockphoto
Psychology
 
Apr 6, 2018
Bullying alters ‘bugs’ in the gut, hamster data show
opioid drugs
Opioid drugs such as morphine, fentanyl and heroin can free us from pain. But they have a dark side that can harm.
Moussa81/istockphoto
Brain
 
Mar 27, 2018
Explainer: What are opioids?
nerve cell cilia
Mouse nerve cells (red) each sport a hairlike stub. It’s called a primary cilium (green). These tiny antennae may have many roles in the brain.
Ruchi Bansal and N. Berbari
Brain
 
Mar 27, 2018
Teeny tiny hairs on brain cells could have big jobs
library readers
Lots of people love a good book. But for some, written words can be a perplexing puzzle. People with dyslexia and some stroke victims struggle to read. Researchers are working to discover why.
monkeybusinessimages/iStockphoto
Brain
 
Mar 22, 2018
Cool Jobs: Decoding how your brain ‘reads’