This article originally appeared on Undark. When someone close to you develops signs of mental illness, you spring into detective mode. You ask questions, but the answers seem vague and incomplete.

Deeply entrenched conflicts are dividing the world – and many people's social circles. The violence in Israel and Gaza is triggering often overheated discussions among friends, family and strangers.

Are you doing something rash and unwise? Blame your “lizard brain.” Our reptilian instincts, which date from when we were all cold-blooded creatures around 300 million years ago, supposedly guide all ...

The Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will determine whether the 1973 Court decision Roe v. Wade, which allows for unrestricted abortion, will remain standing. Roe is ...

George Bailey dove into icy water to save an angel—and saved himself. Research explains why: Altruism activates the brain's ...

“Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain” by Lisa Feldman Barrett. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 192 pages, $24 (hardcover). “Why did a brain like yours evolve?” Lisa Feldman Barrett ...

A new study of brain activity patterns in people doing a memory task finds that the way we make inferences changes dramatically as we age. Members of Alison Preston’s research group study fMRI brain ...

Take a deep breath. Now exhale slowly. You’re probably not aware of it, but your heart has just slowed down a bit. Not to worry; it will speed up again when you inhale. This regular-irregular beat is ...

Reading the amusingly informative Bill Bryson’s latest book ‘The Body: A Guide For Occupants’ has proved to be a productive and enriching way of getting through the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) lockdown ...

Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to U.S. Congress was running for president in 1972 when she had a remarkable interaction with the pro-segregation George Wallace, then governor of ...