Researchers developed a brain-controlled gaming system that learns from the brain’s natural wiring, enabling fast BCI training and potentially transforming medicine, mental health, and human-computer interaction. It may not be long before video game controllers become optional. Researchers at Yale University have developed a new brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows people to play video…

Bumble bees demonstrated an unexpected ability to solve a novel object-based challenge without training. A bee’s brain is smaller than a sesame seed, yet in a new experiment, some bumble bees appeared to solve a problem that required more than simple instinct. They had to move an object into position, climb onto it, and use [...]

A new study suggests that reproducing a crucial sleep-like brain pattern in awake animals may help preserve memory and learning abilities. What if part of the brain could get some of the benefits of sleep without the rest of the brain ever going offline? A new NIH-funded study suggests that may be possible. Researchers found [...]

EEG studies suggest caffeine can reduce deep, restorative sleep even when sleep duration appears normal. Its effects vary by individual, and relying on caffeine for energy may come at the cost of nighttime recovery. Evening coffee has long been debated. Some people can drink it and fall asleep with no trouble, while others struggle to [...]

People under stress may find it harder to orient themselves in space, and researchers in Bochum have identified a possible reason why. The stress hormone cortisol appears to interfere with the brain system that helps people navigate. It weakens the activity of grid cells, which are important for spatial orientation. Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum [...]

Scientists have discovered that the brain’s sensory systems play a much larger role in speech learning than previously believed. New research suggests that learning to speak a new language, or recovering speech after injury, relies more heavily on the brain’s sensory systems than on regions responsible for controlling movement. The findings, from researchers at McGill [...]

Research suggests that different types of sedentary behavior may affect dementia risk in different ways, a finding that could help shape future prevention strategies. What if the biggest threat to brain health is not how long we sit, but what we do while sitting? New research suggests that mentally passive activities, such as prolonged TV [...]

A new study reveals that the brain may continue interpreting language and predicting information even while unconscious under anesthesia. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered that the human brain can continue carrying out complex language processing even while a person is unconscious under general anesthesia. The study, published in Nature, challenges long-standing ideas [...]

A new study finds that what people think about facts, authenticity, or coherent beliefs explains why they disagree about what is true.

New research challenges traditional views of how the brain makes decisions, suggesting that even its earliest regions play a more active and dynamic role than previously thought. New research from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests that how the brain makes decisions could influence the future design of artificial [...]

Omega-3 supplements are widely regarded as a simple way to support brain health, especially with age. For millions of adults, omega-3 supplements are part of a daily routine built around heart, joint, eye, and brain health. Fish oil, krill oil, and flaxseed oil capsules are among the most widely used nonvitamin supplements in the United [...]

Stress-driven drinking early in life can cause long-term brain changes, reducing flexibility, increasing relapse risk, and contributing to cognitive decline through lasting damage to stress-regulation systems. Alcohol has long been used as a way to cope with stress, but new research suggests this habit may have lasting consequences. A study from the University of Massachusetts [...]

Challenging common myths shows that language learning is more accessible, engaging, and beneficial than many people think. Although many people assume learning a new language is difficult or out of reach, adults can succeed by focusing on communication, culture, and personal motivation rather than fear or perfection. Common myths—such as needing to avoid mistakes, learn [...]

New research shows that sleep loss alters specific memory circuits, but also hints that a familiar compound may help restore them in unexpected ways. Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore have found that caffeine may counteract the effects of sleep deprivation on social memory by acting [...]

New research challenges the long-held assumption that brains are required for learning, suggesting plants may process information in unexpected ways. For decades, scientists have assumed that learning, memory, and decision-making require a brain. However, growing evidence, including a recent study published in Cognitive Science, challenges that idea and suggests that complex information…

Speed-of-processing cognitive training in older adults significantly reduced dementia risk over 20 years, outperforming memory and reasoning training. Its adaptive, implicit learning approach may explain the benefit. Adults ages 65 and older who completed five to six weeks of cognitive speed training, known as speed of processing training, were less likely to develop dementia, including [...]

A new wave of AI research is attempting to tackle one of psychology’s oldest questions: whether the human mind can be unified under a single theory. For decades, psychologists have debated a central question: can the human mind be explained by a single, unified theory, or must processes like memory, attention, and decision making be [...]

Past choices may quietly steer future decisions more than logic does. A study from Dresden University of Technology (TUD) finds that previous actions shape current decisions more strongly than scientists once believed, offering new insight into how people make choices. The findings, published in Communications Psychology, could improve our understanding of everyday habits and decision-making.…

Researchers propose that the key to identifying consciousness in animals and AI lies in understanding how their information processing systems work. At first glance, a honeybee collecting nectar in a garden and a computer running ChatGPT might seem to have nothing in common. Yet scientists are increasingly exploring the possibility that both biological organisms and [...]

New research suggests that attention does not remain steady, but instead cycles rhythmically several times per second. Scientists may be closer to understanding why pop-ups and notifications are so hard to ignore. New research suggests that attention does not remain steady. Instead, it fluctuates in a rapid cycle, shifting focus about seven to ten times [...]

People with stronger object recognition skills are better at spotting AI-generated faces, according to new research. Intelligence and AI familiarity did not predict performance. Could you reliably spot a computer-generated face in a lineup of real people? As synthetic images become more common across news feeds and social platforms, the ability to separate authentic photos [...]

An international team proposes replacing Hockett’s feature checklist with a model of language as a dynamic, multimodal, and socially evolving system. For more than sixty years, Charles Hockett’s ‘design features’ have been widely used as a framework for defining what distinguishes human language from other forms of communication. These features were long treated as a [...]

Natural speech timing patterns may offer a practical and sensitive way to detect early cognitive decline. How we talk in casual conversation may offer a window into how well our brains are functioning. In a new study from Baycrest, the University of Toronto, and York University, researchers found that small details in speech timing, including [...]

A new study finds that one-third of proposed grammatical “universals” hold up under rigorous testing. Although the world’s languages differ enormously in sound systems, vocabulary, and structure, researchers have long observed that certain grammatical patterns appear repeatedly across cultures. A new study finds that many of these recurring features may be more than a coincidence. [...]

Why do some days feel effortless while others feel like a grind, even when motivation is high? A new study tracks subtle shifts in mental sharpness to uncover how everyday thinking power shapes productivity, goal-setting, and follow-through. A new study from U of T Scarborough suggests that mental sharpness is not just a feeling. When [...]

A brief afternoon nap may reset key brain processes, helping the mind stay flexible, focused, and ready to learn. A quick nap in the middle of the day might do more than fight off drowsiness. A study recently published in the journal NeuroImage reports that a brief afternoon sleep can shift how brain cells connect [...]

New research from Northwestern University suggests that dreams may play a more active role in creative problem-solving than previously demonstrated. The advice to “sleep on it” has stuck around for a reason. Psychologists have long noted that stepping away from a hard problem can lead to sudden insight later, but dreams have been difficult to [...]