Mind & Brain

What can singing tell us about how we’re wired—and how our ancestors evolved?

Wiring diagram lays out connections between nearly 140,000 neurons and reveals new types of nerve cell

Neurons in certain brain areas integrate ‘what’ and ‘when’ information to discern hidden order in events happening in real time

Why ordinary people will follow orders to the point of hurting others remains a critical question for scientists—though some answers have emerged

Certain values carry more weight in spring and autumn than in summer and winter

Neuroscientists at the University of Barcelona set about on a search for brain areas involved in chess-related tasks so that surgeons could avoid them when removing a tumor

Simple cues help people to distinguish song from the spoken word

A new generation of treatments addresses the trauma that often underlies addiction

Research is revealing the key to motivating empathy—and making it stick

Study links choking under pressure to the brain region that controls movement

Social scientists are uncovering the intricate group dynamics of gossip

Training in symbolic logic is critical in many careers, for responsible citizenship and better lives. It is also an underexploited antidote to today’s bizarre conspiracy thinking