Diana Kwon is a freelance journalist who covers health and the life sciences. She is based in Berlin.
AI Comes to the Nobels: Double Win Sparks Debate about Scientific Fields
While many researchers celebrated this year’s chemistry and physics prizes, others were disappointed by the focus on computational methods
Find the Perfect Game to Play with This Interactive Quiz
From board games to solo puzzles to fantastical escapes to tricks for running faster, find a game for every mood
Life Experiences May Shape the Activity of the Brain’s Cellular Powerhouses
Mitochondria appear to ratchet up their activity when life is going well and tamp it down during hard times
Human Brains May Be Getting Bigger
Brain size in one Massachusetts community has steadily increased since the 1930s, possibly explaining why dementia is trending lower nationwide
What Is Narcissism? Science Confronts a Widely Misunderstood Phenomenon
Researchers debate whether grandiosity always masks vulnerability
How the Brain Creates Your Physical Sense of Self
New insight comes from zapping a region, known as the anterior precuneus, that causes people to feel dissociated from their body
Understanding Frontotemporal Dementia, the Leading Cause of Dementia in People under Age 60
There is no cure for FTD, the disease that actor Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed with, but new research suggests some future therapies
Your Brain Could Be Controlling How Sick You Get—and How You Recover
Scientists are deciphering how the brain choreographs immune responses, hoping to find treatments for a range of diseases
Size, Sex and Breed May Predict Dogs’ Cancer Diagnosis
A study of more than 3,000 dogs finds that larger breeds, males and purebred animals tend to be diagnosed with cancer at a younger age
Acting Out Dreams Predicts Parkinson’s and Other Brain Diseases
Enacted dreams could be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease
Aging Is Linked to More Activity in Short Genes Than in Long Genes
A detailed examination of gene activity in various organisms, including humans, reveals a new hallmark of the aging process
Scientists Created Male and Female Cells from a Single Person
Cells with XX or XY chromosomes provide researchers with a new tool to study how differences in sex chromosomes can influence health and development
Crows Perform Yet Another Skill Once Thought Distinctively Human
Scientists demonstrate that crows are capable of recursion—a key feature in grammar. Not everyone is convinced
A Supersmeller Can Detect the Scent of Parkinson’s, Leading to an Experimental Test for the Illness
This Scottish woman’s hypersensitive nose picked up a chemical signature of Parkinson’s disease that has been used to develop a skin-swab diagnostic
Eye Tests May Help Diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease
A host of different retinal exams are being evaluated as potential Alzheimer’s screening methods
Why Thinking Hard Wears You Out
Concentrating for long periods builds up chemicals that disrupt brain functioning.
Guardians of the Brain
The nervous and immune systems are tightly intertwined. Deciphering their chatter might help address many brain disorders and diseases
Newly Recognized Dementia Called LATE May Hit 40 Percent of Older People
The pathological buildup of a protein known as TDP-43 can lead to an Alzheimer’s-like disorder
How the Brain Curbs Overeating
A structure known as the cerebellum acts as a brake on consumption
Borderline Personality Disorder May Be Rooted in Trauma
A focus on the traumatic origins of an often stigmatized psychiatric diagnosis is inspiring new treatments
Can Intense Exercise Lead to ALS?
New studies show a possible connection. But debate over such an association will continue
Rogue Antibodies Involved in Nearly One Fifth of COVID Deaths
Self-targeting antibodies attack part of the immune system that plays a key role in fighting infection
Weed Shouldn’t Be Banned for Elite Athletes, Some Experts Say
The disqualification of a leading U.S. Olympics candidate has brought the World Anti-Doping Agency’s marijuana prohibition under fire
Gray Hair Can Return to Its Original Color—and Stress Is Involved, of Course
The universal marker of aging is not always a one-way process