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Neuroscience

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Hope That an Old Drug Might Treat Zika

July 11, 2016

Scientists are having a difficult time finding a treatment for the Zika virus in part because so few drugs are safe for pregnant women. But one antibiotic has shown promise.

New Insights Into How Zika Harms the Brain

July 7, 2016

Researchers are racing to understand how the Zika virus causes birth defects. Their first results have revealed tantalizing clues about how the virus interferes with the developing brain — and how it might be stopped.

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The Maestro of Memory Manipulation

June 23, 2016

The neuroscientist Sheena Josselyn can evoke and erase memories in mice using new tools that precisely control the brain.

New Evidence for the Necessity of Loneliness

May 10, 2016

A specific set of neurons deep in the brain may motivate us to seek company, holding social species together.

Mapping the Brain to Build Better Machines

April 6, 2016

A project to decipher the brain’s learning rules could revolutionize machine learning.

The Beasts That Keep the Beat

March 22, 2016

New insights from neuroscience — aided by a small zoo’s worth of dancing animals — are revealing the biological origins of rhythm.

New Clues to How the Brain Maps Time

January 26, 2016

The same brain cells that track location in space appear to also count beats in time. The research suggests that our thoughts may take place on a mental space-time canvas.

How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains

November 10, 2015

Scientists have begun to identify the symphony of biological triggers that powered the extraordinary expansion of the human brain.

Did Neurons Evolve Twice?

March 25, 2015

The comb jelly, a primitive marine creature, is forcing scientists to rethink how animals got their start.

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