Stories by R. Douglas Fields

Insertion of genetic material from a virus into the genome of a vertebrate ancestor enabled the lightning-quick electrical impulses that give animals with backbones their smarts

His inflammatory appeals are less likely to activate the same decision-making circuits as in 2016

We need to figure out the ethical implications before they arrive

White matter, the insulation around our neural wiring, plays a critical role in acquiring knowledge 

Forming lasting memories appears to depend on an interaction between glial cells and brain waves that are produced during sleep

Experiments in humans and animals have started to identify how violent behaviors begin in the brain

A session at a recent scientific meeting exposed the dangers not of mythical high-tech weapons but of the heedless rush to sensationalize

A Valentine’s Day meditation on why bright women sometimes gravitate to not-so-bright men

The magazine is more widely cited than the Bible by the Oxford English Dictionary

A dispute at a big neuroscience meeting erupts over whether the field needs new thinking about the way clusters of neurons process information

Science can help society grapple with the horrors of modern gun violence

An electronic bracelet is being readied for mental control of computers, prosthetics and other devices—all without the need to drill a hole in your head

Cuban scientists and a new American report both shoot down a list of bizarre theories

Nearly 90 years old, electroconvulsive therapy can rescue some people, but not others, from depression, bipolar and other mental disorders

Research presented at a Berlin psychiatric conference shows teenage cannabis use hastens onset of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals

Sarin's lethality is well known, but the lingering effects on victims who don't succumb are less familiar

Experts call the technology a “significant achievement,” but critics say the risks may not be justified

To understand this election you must understand the brain’s threat detection mechanism

Maternal stress in the wake of the attacks might have led to selective miscarriage of male fetuses

We gain most of our knowledge without any instruction. Now science is unraveling how our brain pulls off this everyday miracle

Might a little-known cranial nerve be the route by which human pheromones turn us on?

Scientists have linked TV viewing to antisocial behavior, lowered verbal IQ and altered brain structure—but a new study raises questions

After surviving a series of benders, neural circuits get locked into a firing pattern that compels alcohol seeking    

Congress members from both sides of the aisle are calling for a national strategy to confront the dementia “tsunami” but let’s be real about what to expect