A new study helps explain why some ads seem to stick in our minds. It turns out that certain types of commercials trick the hippocampus area of the brain (where long-term memories are stored) believing that the scene we just watched on television actually happened–to us. This is done by evoking nostalgic scenes (such as Christmas) that bring up vivid emotions in most viewers.
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Despite so many medical breakthroughs, increased life expectancy in the United States has NOT been accompanied by more years of perfect health. A 20-year-old today can expect to live one less healthy year over his or her lifespan than a 20-year-old a decade ago, even though life expectancy has grown. (Maybe we need more hands-on healing! NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to these interviews).
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There are psychics, like Marla Frees (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show) and then there are the REST of us. Every day we make thousands of tiny predictions–when the bus will arrive, who is knocking on the door, whether the dropped glass will break. Researchers are beginning to unravel the process by which the brain makes these everyday prognostications.read more
Pollution isn’t good for us, and if you were exposed to organophosphate pesticides while pregnant, your kids may have lower IQs. One of these pesticides is malathion, which is commonly used on houseplants.
And FISH are suffering from pollution too! A new study finds that zebra fish exposed to a commonly-used flame retardant called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) during early development can cause developmental malformations, changes in behavior and death, and if this happens to zebra fish, it’s likely to effect some of those lovely fish we like to eat as well.
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