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Vital Signs: Boys and Brains and Genes
A hyperactive five-year-old is having trouble fitting in at school. Does he have ADHD, or could his behavior be a clue to a deeper, genetic problem? 04.04.2012
Impatient Futurist: Good News, Spock—We're Getting Closer to a Universal Translator
The rapid advancement of Google-style, statistical translation may help realize this long-time dream. 02.27.2012
Of Mice and Men and Medicines
Drugs that alleviate symptoms of psychological illness in mice often wind up producing human treatments. There is just one small problem: Their mental breakdowns look nothing like ours. 02.24.2012
Impatient Futurist: Science Finds a Better Way to Teach Science
After doing some much-needed research, cognitive scienctists are suggesting a new way to boost students’ lagging scores: Get rid of the hallowed (and stultifying) classroom lecture. 01.17.2012
Discover Interview: The Radical Linguist Noam Chomsky
Over 50 years ago, he began a revolution that's still playing out today. 11.29.2011
Your Brain Knows a Lot More Than You Realize
Neuroscientist David Eagleman explores the processes and skills of the subconscious mind, which our conscious selves rarely consider. 10.27.2011
The Language Fossils Buried in Every Cell of Your Body
A British family with a bizarre speech deficit has led linguists to FOXP2: a gene that begins to explain how our ancestors acquired language. 10.17.2011
Brain Malfunction Prevents Rats From Remembering Deliciousness of Spicy Food
For this study, rats are the perfect lab rats: they can learn about foods through one quick sniff of another rat's breath. 08.27.2011
Monkeys & Morality
The institutions of science are slowly unwinding and assessing the problems that have been revealed in psychologist Marc Hauser's research. 06.20.2011
Who's Smarter, a Human or a Computer? Round 9: Jeopardy
As IBM's supercomputer prepares to face off against Jeopardy champions tonight, we count the ways that humans can still out-think our computational creations—for now. 02.14.2011
#21: Scans Can Track Brain Development
12.16.2010
The 100 Top Science Stories of 2010
Every year DISCOVER sorts through the scientific accomplishments of the past 12 months, and assembles a list of the coolest experiments, most brilliant discoveries, and most world-changing events. As you page through the countdown to the #1 science story, we think you'll come to the same conclusion we did: 2010 was quite a year. 12.16.2010
The Brain Is Ready for Its Close-Up
Neuroscientists know that the first step in understanding something is to get a good look at it. A new book showcases their finest attempts to image the brain, from Victorian drawings to state-of-the-art brainbows. 11.17.2010
The Brain: The "Router" in Your Head—a Bottleneck of Processing
Researchers have a new theory explaining why a simple math problem can bring our very powerful brains to a halt. 11.15.2010
The Brain: What Happens to a Linebacker's Neurons?
A blow to the head can change the neural architecture of the brain from elastic to brittle, with devastating consequences. 08.18.2010
The Best of Current Science Culture
06.11.2010
The Brain: Look Deep Into the Mind's Eye
We take visual imagination for granted. But the blank inner world of a patient called MX demonstrates the rich neural processes needed to create the images in our heads. 03.23.2010
The Myths About Mr. and Ms.
Men’s and women’s brains really are not the same, neuroscientist Lise Eliot argues—but most of those differences are learned, not inborn. 12.23.2009
#81: Inserting Human Gene Into Mouse Brains Gives Them Lower Voices
Researchers don't know exactly what FOXP2 does in humans, but it's the gene most directly linked to speech that we know of. 12.21.2009
How Autistic Artists See the World
Artworks created by autistic people reveal their fascinating visions. 12.15.2009
The Brain: Stop Paying Attention: Zoning Out Is a Crucial Mental State
Researchers say a wandering mind may be important to setting goals, making discoveries, and living a balanced life. 06.15.2009
Looking at Stress—and God—in the Human Brain
DISCOVER reporter David Ewing Duncan uses fMRI to try to track his thoughts on some big questions. 04.24.2009
Are Smart Drugs the Answer to Bad Moods—and a Bad Economy?
Today’s mind-altering chemicals can improve your memory, alertness, and mood. Just wait until you see what tomorrow’s crop can do. 04.02.2009
Music, Melody, and the Strange Pull They Exert Over Our Minds
Cognitive scientist Matthew Schulkind knows "earworms" inside and out—especially those spawned by the Wiggles. 03.26.2009
Which Brain Games Will Help Your Brain the Most?
Hint: You can play some of the best games right here on DISCOVERmagazine.com. 03.24.2009
How Can You Tell If Your IM Buddy Is Really a Machine?
Hint: Ask it about Sarah Palin. 03.23.2009
The New Theory About Why Animals Sleep: to Maintain the Immune System
New study shows that mammals that sleep more have more immune cells and fewer parasites. 03.22.2009
The Pugnacious Paper That Aims to Turn Neuroscience on Its Head
fMRI has revolutionized our understanding of the brain. But some researchers say it's actually a big misunderstanding. 03.18.2009
The First Pre-School: Animals Learning Before Birth
Advance lessons in avoiding predators and identifying kin 02.15.2009
Think Animals Don't Think Like Us? Think Again
One extraordinary parrot helped shatter our preconceptions about animal intelligence. 01.20.2009
What Makes You Uniquely "You"?
Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman says your brain is one-of-a-kind in the history of the universe. 01.16.2009
How Google Is Making Us Smarter
Humans are "natural-born cyborgs," and the Internet is our giant "extended mind." 01.15.2009
#30: Magpies Recognize Themselves in the Mirror
The birds pass the test for "rudimentary sense of self." 12.17.2008
#36: Creationism Lurks in Public High Schools
One in six teachers say they believe the earth is 6,000 years old. 12.15.2008
#39: Amazonian Tribe Doesn't Have Words for Numbers
The Pirahã people overturned scientists' belief about human cognition. 12.15.2008
#52: Musical Ability Seems to Be 50 Percent Genetic
Beethovens of the world may have innate advantages like better signaling from inner-ear hair cells. 12.12.2008
#56: Memory Training Can Make You Smarter
Your intelligence isn't just what you're born with. 12.11.2008
#58: Smart People Are Better Able to Keep a Beat
Good neural functioning is good neural functioning. 12.11.2008
#71: Slime Molds Show Surprising Degree of Intelligence
A creature with no brain can learn from and even anticipate events. 12.09.2008
He Found the Innate Humanity in the Human Brain
“Noam Chomsky’s position in the history of ideas is comparable to that of Darwin or Descartes.” 12.01.2008
The "Monkey Whisperer" Learns the Secrets of Primate Economics
Laurie Santos penetrates the world of monkeys... and finds they're more like humans than we think. 10.13.2008
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Genius
The Nobel Prizes will soon be announced. How do the winners get so damn smart? 10.01.2008
Forecasting the Future May Be a Matter of Fun and Games
A new online game uses crowdsourcing to find out how to save humans from extinction. 09.05.2008
Complexity in a Grain of Sand; Simplicity in a Book
"Simplexity" explores the intricacy of everyday life. 06.18.2008
Conquering Your Fears, One Synapse at a Time
Proteins in the brain may be the key to un-learning fear—or retaining memory. 04.28.2008
"You Just Readed This Headline Correctly"
When it comes to unique verbs, speakers use 'em or lose 'em. 04.10.2008
80. Robots Evolve And Learn How to Lie
01.14.2008
63. The First Robot That Walks Like a Human: Lazily
RunBot falls forward and reacts rather than computing every variable. 01.11.2008
Boy, Interrupted
A rare brain disorder robs children of language and leaves doctors perplexed. 11.07.2007
Household Robots
Smart machines can adapt to the world instead of needing the world to adapt to them. 10.30.2007
Brain Gardening
Blocking a brain chemical in some people with mental retardation makes their neurons grow like healthy plants. 10.30.2007
Household Robots
Smart machines can adapt to the world instead of needing the world to adapt to them. 10.29.2007
Brain Gardening
Blocking a brain chemical in some people with mental retardation makes their neurons grow like healthy plants. 10.10.2007
Why Has Steven Pinker Studied Verbs for 20 Years?
The rules of language may reveal how our brains really work. 09.17.2007
Vital Signs: Misdiagnosing ADHD
Just because it's in vogue doesn't mean it's accurate. 08.22.2007
Is It Possible to Erase a Single Memory?
Researchers take one step toward Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 07.31.2007
This is Your Brain on Video Games
Gaming sharpens thinking, social skills, and perception. 07.09.2007
Lingua Ex Machina
Deaf Bedouin children created a complete language. 07.03.2007
New Pseudoscience Patina, Same Snake Oil
The Secret's self-help message is just common knowledge. 06.20.2007
Blinded by Science: IQ Is Dumb
Get ready for gentler aptitude ratings like Ideaphoria and Foresight. 05.23.2007
Video Games vs. the Aging Brain
How a mental gym can tone your mind and stave off memory loss. 05.21.2007
Reviews: Rewiring the Brain
A change of mind is now everyone’s prerogative. 03.29.2007
Raw Data: Scents and Scents-Ability
Our clumsy noses won't win any sniffing contests, but we can use them to find chocolate. 03.15.2007
Blinded by Science: The New Hypnosis
It's benevolent, it's peaceful, and your iPod can be the hypnotist. 03.12.2007
Speaking Songbird
A human speech gene is found in other sonically skilled animals: songbirds, hummingbirds, bats, and dolphins. 03.07.2007
Attention Training
A video game, of all things, can improve young children's attention spans. 03.02.2007
Brain Damage Can Make You Brilliant
Strap on your iron helmet: Zapping your brain with magnetic flux makes you (temporarily) smarter. 10.13.2006
Can New Neurons Teach an Old Mouse?
We've got much more to learn about learning. 06.26.2006
Relax And Think Like A Rat
People and animals learn best when given breaks between tasks. 05.28.2006
Discover Dialogue: Neuroscientist Giulio Tononi
Sleep is the price we pay for such a fantastic learning instrument as the brain 08.06.2005
Baby Talk
03.25.2005
The Year in Science: Brain 1997
Keeping Track of Things 01.01.1998
S/He-Brains
06.01.1995
Writing Right
Some written languages are a precise reflection of a people's speech, while others, like english, are a complete mess. Is this alphabetical evolution? Or the unequal application of logic to literacy? 06.01.1994
Kids, Creoles, and the Coconuts
Derek Bickerton plans to isolate little kids before they've learned any language to see if they'll invent one. 04.01.1992
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