Here’s a simple, science‑backed way to sharpen your thinking and improve your memory
Moving your body can have a big impact on your brain – and it doesn’t have to be a workout at the gym.
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Scientists once thought the brain couldn’t be changed. Now we know different
Lifelong plasticity is a core principle of neuroscience, yet it operates within real limits shaped by effort, stress and ageing.
Can training your working memory make you smarter? We reviewed the evidence
Working memory and intelligence tend to go hand in hand.
Preview: ABC’s Redesign my Brain with Todd Sampson
We live in an age of great public fascination with minds and brains; books about brain plasticity, for instance, regularly make the bestseller lists. This fascination is not merely the product of our thirst…
How neuroscience is being used to spread quackery in business and education
During World War II, residents on the islands in the southern Pacific Ocean saw heavy activity by US planes, bringing in goods and supplies for the soldiers. In many cases, this was the islanders’ first…
Children’s cognitive abilities linked to parental education
Cognitive difficulties are very common in children from impoverished backgrounds, putting them at risk of educational failure. However, it is not clear what influences the development of cognitive abilities…
Speaking dialects trains the brain in the same way as bilingualism
People who speak two or more variations on a language get the same cognitive benefits as multilingualists.
Ignore the IQ test: your level of intelligence is not fixed for life
We’re getting more stupid. That’s one point made in a recent article in the New Scientist, reporting on a gradual decline in IQs in developed countries such as the UK, Australia and the Netherlands. Such…
How to pick the good from the bad smartphone health apps
With an estimated 100,000 health and fitness apps available, it seems there is an app for everything – from tracking your bowel movements to practising your pimple-popping technique.
What causes Alzheimer’s disease? What we know, don’t know and suspect
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, but treatments are still far from successful in clinical trials. Here is what we know about the disease, and what is yet to be uncovered.