People Love the Brain for the Wrong Reasons

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December 10, 2021

Neuroscience

People Love the Brain for the Wrong Reasons

Our fascination with brain-based explanations of psychology arises from intuitive ideas about the separation of mind and body—ideas unsupported by science

By Iris Berent

Quantum Physics

Reprogrammable Eutelsat Quantum Satellite Shifts Missions on the Fly

A new type of satellite opens mobile possibilities

By Dhananjay Khadilkar

Astrophysics

NASA Launches IXPE, a New X-ray Space Telescope

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer will probe the physics behind black holes, neutron stars and other dynamic cosmic objects

By Amy Thompson,SPACE.com

Robotics

Evolution Gym Sculpts Novel Robot Bodies and Brains

The virtual robots look weird, but they get the job done

By Prachi Patel

Diversity

Once Shunned in Antarctica, Female Scientists Are Now Doing Crucial Polar Research

Women are investigating critical climate crisis problems such as the stability of giant ice sheets

By Naomi Oreskes

Vaccines

Omicron Is Likely to Weaken COVID Vaccine Protection--but Boosters Could Restore It

The rapid spread of new variants such as Omicron offers clues to how SARS-CoV-2 is adapting and how the pandemic will play out over the next several months

By Ewen Callaway,Nature magazine

Creativity

Spark Creativity with Thomas Edison's Napping Technique

Waking yourself from the twilight state just before sleep may help you to solve a challenging problem, a study shows

By Bret Stetka

Natural Disasters

Deadly Indonesia Eruption Was Triggered by Heavy Rains

External influences on volcanoes can make predicting unrest more difficult

By Heather Handley,The Conversation US

Public Health

COVID Variants Hint at How the Virus Will Evolve

The rapid spread of new variants such as Omicron offers clues to how SARS-CoV-2 is adapting and how the pandemic will play out over the next several months

By Ewen Callaway,Nature magazine

Climate Change

An International Institute Will Help Us Manage Climate Change

A collaborative center will help climate scientists build better models for prevention and mitigation

By Sabine Hossenfelder,Tim Palmer

Behavior

This Protein Could Boost Brain Function without Exercise

An exercise pill might one day produce health gains without the exertional pain

By Emily Willingham

Animals

To See Where a Whale Has Been, Look in Its Mouth

The baleen that hangs from the jaws of some whale species contains clues about their migrations and diets

By Jack Tamisiea

Quantum Physics

In a First, Physicists Glimpse a Quantum Ghost

After a decade of work, researchers have achieved the first ever experimental reconstruction of a quantum wave function

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
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