Brain | Science News for Students

Brain

stairclimbing ghost

People love scary, spooky stories of spectral phantoms. While there’s no science to support the existence of ghosts, research does provide plenty of explanations for why we might genuinely sense a supernatural presence.

D-Keine/E+/Getty Images

Culture
 
Oct 31, 2019
The science of ghosts
a photo of a teenager on a phone with a car crash in the background

Age isn’t a teen’s only risk when it comes to driving. So is the rate at which the brain develops — something individuals can’t control.

monkeybusinessimages/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Brain
 
Oct 23, 2019
Slower brain development ups a teen’s risk of getting into a car accident
a group of girls playing soccer

White fat stores energy, and brown fat burns calories. Scientists studying this type of body fat hope to find ways to boost its levels to help fight obesity and diabetes.

 skynesher/E+/Getty Images

Body functions
 
Oct 10, 2019
The color of body fat might affect how trim people are
a series of blue brain scans

One or two seconds before people recall an image they had previous seen, cells in a key memory center in the brain fire together, creating a “ripple” of activity.

Movus/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Brain
 
Sep 24, 2019
Brain ‘ripples’ appear just before you remember something
football players crashing into each other

Over a season of college football, head hits that were too small to cause concussions were still linked to adverse changes in the brain stems of players.

skynesher/E+/Getty Images Plus

Brain
 
Sep 13, 2019
Routine hits in a single football season may harm players’ brains
mouse investigating lab equipment

A mouse checks out a tool that focuses lasers on specific nerve cells in the brain. Activating nerve cells with lasers makes mice “see” things that aren’t really there.

Sean Quirin, James Marshel, Cephra Raja and K. Deisseroth/Stanford Univ.

Brain
 
Aug 7, 2019
Lasers make mice hallucinate
three different humanoid bots from vaguely human (left) to very human (right)

Very realistic humanlike robots, like the one on the right, are often perceived as eerie. Activity in a region of the brain that makes social judgments may be responsible for these uneasy feelings.

A.M. Rosenthal-vonder Pütten et al/J. Neuroscience 2019

Brain
 
Jul 31, 2019
This brain region may make lifelike robots creep you out
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