
Consciousness Might Hide in Our Brain’s Electric Fields
A mysterious electromagnetic mechanism may be more important than the firing of neurons in our brain to explain our awareness
Consciousness Might Hide in Our Brain’s Electric Fields
A mysterious electromagnetic mechanism may be more important than the firing of neurons in our brain to explain our awareness
Parents Labeling a Kid’s Friend a Bad Influence Can Backfire
Is your kid in trouble? Blaming their friends is ill advised
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Election Grief Is Real. Here’s How to Cope
Understanding the psychology of ambiguous loss can help people struggling with grief and depression in the wake of the 2024 election results
How the Brain Summons Deep Sleep to Speed Healing
A heart attack unleashes immune cells that stimulate neurons in the brain, leading to restorative slumber
If Political Stress Is Giving You ‘Electsomnia,’ Experts Have Sleep Tips
Scientific American staff and sleep experts share advice on how to get better sleep in the stressful days leading up to the U.S. presidential election—and those that come after
Why We Love to Be Spooked
Host Rachel Feltman and behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner explore our fascination with fear and what drives our obsession with all things spooky.
People Overestimate Political Opponents’ Immorality
To heal political division, start with common moral ground, a study suggests
New ‘Unconscious’ Therapies Could Help Treat Phobias
These therapies dampen fears absent direct exposure—no need to be in the room with a live tarantula
Iconic Bird of American Horror Stories Faces Its Own Terrifying Fate
The Whip-Poor-Will’s shrill, death-proclaiming song populates the works of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. But the bird itself has fallen on hard times. Could it become a ghost of Halloweens past?
Anyone Can Learn Echolocation in Just 10 Weeks—And It Remodels Your Brain
Human echolocation repurposes parts of the brain’s visual cortex for sound, even in sighted people
How Your Brain Processes Zero (It’s Not Exactly ‘Nothing’)
What we think about when we think about “zilch” is surprisingly complex, neuroscientists find
How GPS Tracking of Teens 24/7 Impacts Parent-Child Relationships
Phone apps can tell whether your kid is playing hooky. But remotely surveilling your child might not be great for navigating the trials of the teen years