Topic: Cognitive Science

Etan Patz killing: Motive is a puzzle for police, and potentially, a jury

Pedro Hernandez has said he killed Etan Patz 33 years ago because he 'felt the urge to kill,' raising questions for behavioral scientists. He is hospitalized and reportedly under suicide watch.

Paralyzed woman masters mind-controlled robotic arm

Cathy Hutchinson is one of two patients undergoing a trial of the BrainGate neural interface, a system designed to transmit paralyzed patients' thoughts into commands.

Did a copying mistake give rise to human intelligence?

New research suggests that a copying error found in humans seems to distinguish human brains from those of primates.

If you're reading this, you might be a baboon

Scientists have found that baboons are adept at pattern recognition, being able to distinguish between real and fake four-letter words about three out of four times.

New guidelines show chimps are rarely needed for medical research

The National Institutes of Health issued new guidelines indicating that the use of chimpanzees to study diseases is rarely necessary.

GOP race in a microcosm: Romney fund-raising in NY, Gingrich lectures on brain research

Mitt Romney is fund-raising in New York. Newt Gingrich is talking about brain science research in Iowa. What are the other Republican candidates doing today?

Tributes to Steve Jobs: five top tweets

Apple's announcement Wednesday that founder Steve Jobs had died sparked waves of comment across the Internet, as techies and others chose their own ways to note his achievements or mourn his passing. Here are five noteworthy tweets ...

Deciding on God's side

A Christian Science perspective.

Uncanny Valley: Will we ever learn to live with artificial humans?

How Japan's AKB48 has created a new level of artificial human – and what it tells us about the infamous Uncanny Valley.

Reader recommendation: Shades of Grey

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.

12 books Seth Godin thinks you should read

Nonprofit group TED asks some of the world's most fascinating thinkers to share both ideas and reading lists. Here's a list of the 12 books recommended by entrepreneur and marketing guru Seth Godin.

Napping makes you smarter, say scientists

Napping before a memory test helped subjects score higher, a new study has found.

The Social Animal

New York Times columnist David Brooks uses brain science theory to argue that culture – and not reason – shapes our decisions.

Cell phone radiation: Is it harmful?

Cell phone radiation has been proven to alter brain activity. But it's not clear if it's dangerous. Try an earphone?

'Where is my mind?'

A Christian Science perspective.

On eve of State of the Union: top five presidential orators of modern times

In advance of President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, one author has ranked the top five presidential orators since 1933.

Did scientists breed mice that 'smell' light?

A group of scientists genetically altered mice to allow them to 'smell' light in a study designed to a mouse brain's response to outside stimuli.

Reader recommendation: The Flooded Earth

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.

European Union's move on Internet privacy

Sense of direction is innate, new study suggests

Sense of direction, long thought to be a learned skill, seems to come factory-installed, a new study of baby rats indicates.

Plants and wasps are smarter than you think

Seedlings know when they're from the same plant, and wasps get smarter as they get tougher tasks, studies show

Pill wars: debate heats up over 'brain booster' drugs.

Adults are taking stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall, normally used to treat serious medical conditions, to boost their concentration and job performance. Critics ask: Is it making Americans too dependent on their medicine cabinets?

Read my clicks

Fish “talk” much like primates