Age vs. Genetics: which matters most in aging?

Age itself plays a bigger role than genetics in gene expression and susceptibility to specific diseases as we age. Amid much speculation and research about how our genetics affect the way we age, a University of California, Berkeley, study now shows that individual...

Are face masks a problem for emotion recognition?

Not when the whole body is visible Source: Durham University   The rise of COVID-19 virus has made face masks commonplace items around the globe. Recent research found that face masks significantly impair emotion recognition on isolated faces. However, faces are...

Breakthrough in Search for Tinnitus Cure

August 11, 2022 Source: University of Auckland After 20 years searching for a cure for tinnitus, researchers at the University of Auckland are excited by ‘encouraging results’ from a clinical trial of a mobile-phone-based therapy. The study randomised 61 patients to...

Has the shape of the human brain changed over time?

[From the New Scientist] An analysis of fossils suggests changes in the shape of the brain case during human evolution were linked to alterations in the face, rather than changes in the brain itself Amazing: The shape of human brain has barely changed in past 160,000...

Is Wordle really brain training?

Do you play Wordle? (An addictive word game popular with New Zealanders.) The big question is: Do puzzles or “brain training” games work?   Along with many of its other tips, Dementia UK emphasises that “taking part in hobbies, learning a new...

Internet Acronyms Test

How many of these do you know? Texts and the internet are awash with acronyms (an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word). Understanding them is just like learning a new language. And meanings continue to change all the...