Author Archives: Gary Stix
How the Psychology of Silicon Valley Contributed to a Bank Collapse
Venture capitalists and start-ups don’t mind losing money, but dealing with a bank run is a whole different story Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
How the Psychology of Silicon Valley Contributed to a Bank Collapse
Venture capitalists and start-ups don’t mind losing money, but dealing with a bank run is a whole different story Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
A Neurologist Answers Questions Patients Might Have about the New Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab
What a patient and family members can expect from the recently approved drug lecanemab—and what more is needed to help stop Alzheimer’s dementia Continue reading
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This Year’s Most Thought-Provoking Brain Discoveries
Neural circuits that label experiences as “good” or “bad” and the emotional meaninglessness of facial expressions are some standouts among 2022’s mind and brain breakthroughs Continue reading
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Many People with Bipolar Disorder Use Cannabis. It May Sometimes Help
Diminished risk-taking behaviors and other benefits may explain why many people with bipolar disorder keep consuming cannabis despite some dire downsides Continue reading
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A Cure for Vaccine Hesitancy Could Start in Kindergarten
Teaching simple basics in school about masks, handwashing and ethics can stave off misconceptions in adulthood Continue reading
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How COVID Might Sow Chaos in the Brain
SARS-CoV-2 appears to travel widely across the cerebral cortex
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COVID Expanded the Boundaries of Personal Space–Maybe for Good
Our physical safety perimeters have widened, a study suggests
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Pandemic Year 1 Saw a Dramatic Global Rise in Anxiety and Depression
2020 in hindsight witnessed a disproportionate mental health burden on women and young people
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Experimental Brain Implant Could Personalize Depression Therapy
Symptoms subsided for one woman after a carefully targeted neural circuit was stimulated
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World War II’s Warsaw Ghetto Holds Lifesaving Lessons for COVID-19
An outbreak of typhus in the densely packed walled enclosure was countered by adopting all-too-familiar public health measures
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Longevity Gene May Protect against a Notorious Alzheimer’s Risk Gene
Some nominally high-risk individuals may have a lower chance of developing dementia than once thought
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Nobel Laureate Paul Greengard Kept Churning Out Ideas for New Drugs after Turning 90
Do what you love: The nonagenarian showed no signs of slowing down from a nearly seven-day-a-week work schedule
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Here’s Looking at Humanity, Kid
Senior Editor Gary Stix talks about the September special issue of Scientific American, devoted to the science of being human. And Brown University evolutionary biologist Ken Miller discusses human…
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Can a Pill That Boosts "Resilience" Treat Depression?
A clinical trial tests a new way to reverse the psychiatric disorder
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Biological Clock Prize Shows Much "Nobel-Quality" Work Goes Uncredited
For all their good intentions, the current Nobel Prize rules fall short in honoring scientists whose work underpins and expands that of those designated as laureates
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A Challenge to the Textbooks on How We Learn about Our Surroundings
New experiments provide an alternative to a long-reigning theory of the way we form memories of experiences
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Can Stimulating a Nerve in the Ear Make You a Whiz in Mandarin Class?
A technology program tries to enhance the brain’s learning ability
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For the Illiterate Adult, Learning to Read Produces Enormous Brain Changes
Surprises turn up in scans of the newly literate—a possible boon for dyslexics
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"Who Here Believes in Science?"
Big Data reveals the red-blue divide persists even when people order science books from Amazon
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Listen to Whistle Speak [Audio]
Before cell phones, rural peoples around the world communicated with elaborate languages constructed of whistles.
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Experimental Alzheimer’s Treatments Offer Hope Despite Recent Drug Failures
The head of a foundation that funds unexplored approaches predicts multiple therapies will reach patients in the next 10 years
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Brains in a Jar May Help Fight Disease [Video]
A leader in the technique of growing mini brains talks about their benefits for research
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Can Pot-Related Drugs Wean Substance Abusers Off the Hard Stuff?
Could the chemistry of marijuana lead to drugs that reduce cravings for cocaine or that serve as opioid alternatives? Maybe. But finding out for sure may require loosening up research restrictions
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Q&A: One of the Brains behind the China Brain Project [Video]
A leader of the recently announced effort describes its goal of helping the world’s aging population find desperately needed treatments for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases
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Language Is Just One of the Things That Makes Humans Different [Video]
A noted psychologist argues that it is necessary to dig a lot deeper than the gift of gab to find out what makes us special
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Language Is Just One of the Things That Makes Humans Different [Video]
A noted psychologist argues that it is necessary to dig a lot deeper than the gift of gab to find out what makes us special
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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What Is the Special Something That Makes the Human Mind Unique?
The capacity to engage in shared tasks such as hunting large game and building cities may be what separated modern humans from our primate cousins
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A New Tack to Stave Off Alzheimer’s Years Before the First Symptom
Researchers try to prevent onset of the disease by correcting a brain cell process that goes awry
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