We’re having this month’s Scicurious Guest Writer a little early, to make sure he gets some exposure and to avoid the holiday rush! Please welcome Satchal Erramilli!! In the summer of 1912, a young man and his father worked feverishly to interpret the results of a German physicist. The physicist, future Nobel Laureate Max von [...]

Depression is a disease with a difficult set of symptoms. Not only are the symptoms difficult to describe (how do you really describe anhedonia, before you know the word for it?), symptoms of depression manifest in different ways for different people. One person will eat more, sleep all the time, move slowly. Another will eat [...]

Depression is a disease with a difficult set of symptoms. Not only are the symptoms difficult to describe (how do you really describe anhedonia, before you know the word for it?), symptoms of depression manifest in different ways for different people. One person will eat more, sleep all the time, move slowly. Another will eat [...]

Have you ever wondered how the ideal bottle of liquid would glug when you tried to pour it out? How the sound of a potato chip’s crunch changes how crispy you think it is? How stuffing your bra could influence your hitchhiking skills? You may recall that Sci covered this year’s (and last year’s) wonderful [...]

I would like to start this post with a challenge. Can you get through this entire post WITHOUT feeling itchy? I know I couldn’t even write the first line. And I’m not alone. Itch is contagious. Watching someone else scratch can make you itch, and you should try to get through a lecture on a [...]

Sci is at Neurotic Physiology today, talking about a study that is awesome for three main reasons: 1. It is interesting science. 2. It utilizes Dungeons and Dragons. 3. The first author is in middle school. But really, it’s all about monsters. And how you look at them. Hint: look for the eyes. Head over [...]

In times of acute stress, we really DON’T think straight. In fact, we suffer deficits in working memory. And we do this in spite of an increase in dopamine release from the neuron terminals there, which we usually think of as being associated with important stimuli (like food or drugs) in the prefrontal cortex. So [...]

Have you ever wanted to see Sci give a talk in person?! Are you sure it’s going to be the greatest thing EVER?! Well…you’re probably wrong there, though it may be pretty cool. But you can come see Sci give a talk! I’ll be speaking to Science on Tap Philadelphia at National Mechanics on December [...]

This past weekend, I read an interesting piece in the New Yorker. It’s another one of the current rash of pieces that are warning us (rightly!) to beware of neuro-hype. It references another recent piece in the New York Times, which referenced those fighting back against things like “How Creativity Works” (correct answer: it’s very [...]

Sci is at Neurotic Physiology today, telling you to smile. Why? Because it’s possible that making yourself smile can help you bear stress just a little better. Grin and bear it, and check it out.