Brain | Science News for Students

Brain

062619_ls_obese-mouse_feat.jpg

Even before mice on a high-fat diet gained weight (and they did), certain cells in a part of their brains’ appetite-control center stopped working correctly. This points to how a fatty diet can foster overeating.

Georgejason/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Brain
 
Jul 19, 2019
High fat diet removes brain’s natural brake on overeating
a photo of the hand of a 17-year old boy showing six fingers

An extra finger on the right hand of a 17-year-old boy is controlled by its own muscles and tendons.

C. Mehring et al/Nature Communications 2019

Body functions
 
Jul 15, 2019
A sixth finger can prove extra handy
a photo of hands cuffed behind the back of a teen

Teens caught in the U.S. justice system may face conditions that can mess with healthy brain development.

SAKDAWUT14/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Brain
 
Jun 26, 2019
The U.S. prison system can harm young brains, scientist warns
a domestic pig on a farm

In a feat that has shaken up neuroscience, scientists used an artificial fluid to keep cells alive in the brains of pigs that had been slaughtered for pork.

ChristiLaLiberte/ E+/Getty Images

Cells
 
May 24, 2019
In a first, scientists keep cells alive in the brains of dead pigs
a computer simulated image showing Earth and the lines of its magnetic field

New data suggest that humans may join birds, bacteria and certain other organisms in being able to sense Earth’s magnetic field (illustrated).

vjanez/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Brain
 
Apr 19, 2019
People may indeed have a sixth sense — for magnetism
teenage girl painting in art class

Using painting to illustrate science concepts may help cement the new knowledge, a new study suggests.

monkeybusinessimages/iStock/Getty Images Plus       

Psychology
 
Apr 15, 2019
Art can make science easier to remember
An illustration of a street sign against a sunny sky. One sign says "RIGHT", and the cross-road sign says "WRONG"

Your conscience is what helps you decide whether your actions or impulses are good or bad, right or wrong. 

JamesBrey/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Psychology
 
Mar 21, 2019
What part of us knows right from wrong?
a photo of a woman in a white lab coat drawing blood from a young woman's arm

Keep your cool. If you expect someone sticking a needle into your arm will not hurt much, you may actually experience less pain, a new study shows.

AlexRaths/iStockphoto

Brain
 
Jan 14, 2019
Expecting pain? That could really make it hurt worse
an illustration of the brain as a blue wireframe

Using a marijuana-like drug during adolescence may damage decision-making structures in the brain, a new study finds.

Jolygon/iStockphoto

Brain
 
Jan 7, 2019
Marijuana use may affect decision-making areas in teen brains
sleepless woman

People woke up feeling more anxious after a sleepless night. Brain scans showed why.

Wavebreakmedia/iStockPhoto

Brain
 
Dec 17, 2018
Sleepless nights can leave brains feeling anxious