Study Finds Neanderthals Had Capacity for Speech
Neanderthals, the closest species to humans, have only been extinct for something like 40,000 years. Which is to say, they shared the...
The Chimpanzee Conga and the History of Human Dance
If you’ve ever watched a toddler bob up and down to their favorite song, the origins of dance might seem clear: moving to a rhythm...
Fire Studies Shed New Light
Fire: these days, starting one is as easy as flicking the switch on a gas stove. But if you’ve ever been on a camping trip, you know...
Edison's Errors: When Genius is 99 Percent Flop Sweat
When you think of inventors, the iconic example might be Thomas Edison, who brought us the electric lightbulb. In the process, he...
The Marx Brothers: Princes of Practice
When we think of legends of comedy, the Marx Brothers might come to mind. In the years leading up to World War II, they were the toast of...
Procrastination, the McClellan Problem, and You
General George B. “Little Mac” McClellan was the Union force commander during the Civil War. Beloved by his men, and a stickler for...
The Strange Case of Phineas Gage, redux
In January of 2013, I wrote a post on one of neuroscience’s most famous cases. New details make it necessary to retell the story. It’s...
What Do Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, and Lynyrd Skynyrd Have in Common?
When it comes to Carol Dweck’s concepts of mindset, northwestern Alabama might not be the first region that leaps into your mind. And yet...
The Secret Music That's Always Playing in Your Head
Listening to music is one of the most compelling human experiences. Music taps deeply into our sense of feeling, often highlighting and...
The Twain Brain, or, Why Smart People do Stupid Things
StartFragment “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.” So said Mark Twain, printer, steamboat...
