Tag: Neuroscience
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Love: A Social Construct or Just Science?
Despite the ridicule behind Love is Blind and The Bachelorette, the complex bridge that connects the realm of human emotions with the scientific understanding of our bodies does exist, in the form of love. From a scientific perspective, the early stages of falling in love behave similarly to the consumption of cocaine, with both processes triggering…
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Human Evolution – a Psychedelic Trip
When did humans branch off from our humanoid common ancestors and evolve into the distinct species we are today? Why and how did humans develop differently from our ape and chimpanzee relatives (Choi and LiveScience, 2023)? The Stoned Ape hypothesis believes that humans developed our complex cognitive abilities from a diet consisting of psychedelic mushrooms…
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Understanding Psychosis and Exploring Alternative Therapies
Psychosis is a symptom associated with a range of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. It has the tendency to alter an individual’s state of mind, and thus, distort their perception of reality (Kesby, et al., 2018). This may lead to the onset of positive symptoms. These are a subset of symptoms…
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The Lead Issue
As the world has gained more insight into the disastrous effects lead can have on the human body, a large push has been made towards water quality testing. Perhaps most importantly, its links to causing neurological impairments have shed light on the importance of ensuring the availability of safe drinking water for all. Although it…
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Botulinum Toxin: A Toxin Of All Trades
Before its cosmetic applications were discovered, Botulinum toxin (BoNT) known as Botox, was one of the most lethal biological weapons. Utilized throughout World War II, the number of casualties caused by its inhalation made it an effective military tool for attack (Tatu, 2021). Once infected with Botulism, the body experiences progressive weakness until full-body paralysis occurs.…
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Your Ears Are Whispering
Your eyes do not produce light, nor does your tongue have a flavour, but your ears do make sounds! In 1978, acoustician David Kemp inserted a miniature microphone into a human ear canal and, for the first time, recorded nearly inaudible sounds originating from the inner ear (Kemp, 1978). These sounds have since been called…
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Squirmy Brains
There are many layers within the skull that protect the brain from injuries, but is there an organism that can worm its way into the brain. Neurocysticercosis (NC) is caused by an infection of the larval cystic form of Taenia solium in the central nervous system (CNS) (Gripper and Welburn, 2017). It is one of…
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The One-Man Environmental Disaster
The story of Thomas Midgley Jr. is a cautionary tale of the power of scientific research, and its consequent potential dangers. As an engineer with over 100 patents by the end of his career, Midgley (Figure 1) could always be expected to be working on the next big breakthrough (National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2003).…
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Phantom Sounds in the Pandemic
Do you ever hear a sudden ringing in your ears that no one else does? You are not alone. In fact, roughly 10% of American adults experience this chronic condition called tinnitus (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 2017). Tinnitus is often distressing as it disrupts focus and relaxation. To make matters…