Penn NeuroKnow 🧠

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Weekly neuroscience blog written by PhD students at the University of Pennsylvania breaking down the brain for everyone to understand.

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How do mosquitoes have such a knack for finding you? Unraveling how these tiny bloodhounds zero in on their next snack might just be the key to keeping them away and stopping the spread of mosquito-borne diseases! pennneuroknow.com/2024/07/16/s... #neuroskyence #SciComm 🧪

Sniffing us out: How mosquitos seek their hostspennneuroknow.com Why do mosquitoes have such a knack for finding you? These tiny bloodhounds use complex senses to zero in on their next snack. Unraveling the brainy secrets behind their host-hunting skills might just...

From birds’ nests to termite mounds to spider webs, animals can create awe-inspiringly intricate structures. How do spiders know how to achieve this incredible feat? Read about it in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/07/09/s... #neuroskyence #SciComm 🧪

Spinning silk: How do spiders build their webs?pennneuroknow.com From birds’ nests to termite mounds to spider webs, animals can create awe-inspiringly intricate structures. How do spiders know how to achieve this incredible feat?

Learn the brain's amazing ability to repurpose itself when it loses its sight in this week's post by Barnes Jannuzi. Could this be the key to treating patients suffering from strokes or PTSD? pennneuroknow.com/2024/07/02/w... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

What happens when the brain is out of a job?pennneuroknow.com Learn the brain's amazing ability to repurpose itself when it loses its sight. Could this be the key to treating patients suffering from strokes or PTSD?

A large number of neurons in the brain are “silent” even while we perceive and experience the world. A recent study sheds light on what they might be doing. Learn more in our bonus post of the week, "The Silent Majority": pennneuroknow.com/2024/06/27/t... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

The Silent Majoritypennneuroknow.com A large number of neurons in the brain are “silent” even while we perceive and experience the world. A recent study sheds light on what they might be doing.

It is often difficult to do tasks both quickly and well. While the same applies to decision making, the brain has found an effective way to make decisions that are reasonably accurate and reasonably fast. Learn more: pennneuroknow.com/2024/06/25/d... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Decide quickly or decide accurately- How your brain solves a classic decision-making problempennneuroknow.com It is often difficult to do tasks both quickly and well at the same time. While the same applies to decision making, the brain has found an effective way to make decisions that are reasonably accurate...

New research finds that our brain is constantly changing the way it views the world – even when nothing around us is actually changing. Talk about a wandering mind! Learn more in this week's post by Jafar Bhatti: pennneuroknow.com/2024/06/18/a... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

A drifting mind: How reliable are our brains?pennneuroknow.com New research finds that our brain is constantly changing the way it views the world – even when nothing around us is actually changing. Talk about a wandering mind!

There is no magic food that can make you smarter, but maintaining a balanced diet is necessary to keep your brain healthy. Learn how different foods and diets can support brain health in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/06/11/e... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Eating your way to better brain health: The science behind “brain foods”pennneuroknow.com There is no magic food that can make you smarter, but maintaining a balanced diet is necessary to keep your brain healthy. Learn how different foods and diets can support brain health.

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Applications are now open for our fall internship program! This is an excellent opportunity for a beginning science journalist to report and write about the fast-moving field of neuroscience. Apply now: simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/simons...

Fall Writing Intern, The Transmittersimonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com The Transmitter is seeking an intern to report and write news articles for The Transmitter site. This is an excellent opportunity for a beginning science journalist to cover the fast-moving field of n...

A lot of neuroscience experiments study mice. This week, co-editor Lindsay Ejoh asks "What can and can’t we learn about the human brain by studying rodent brains?". Of mice and men (and brains): pennneuroknow.com/2024/06/04/o... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Of mice and men (and brains)pennneuroknow.com What can and can’t we learn about the human brain by studying rodent brains?

In this week's post, read about how the technology that allows neuroscientists to visualize the living human brain has revolutionized neuroscience already and what might come next: pennneuroknow.com/2024/05/28/h... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

How the ability to visualize the human brain has revolutionized neuroscience, and what comes nextpennneuroknow.com Researchers have only been able to easily visualize the human brain in the last couple decades. Learn how that has changed the course of neuroscience research and what we might be able to do next.

How does your brain control inflammation in your body? Learn about a new study pinpointing the neurons that turn the dial on inflammation and how this could lead to new treatments for diseases characterized by inflammation: pennneuroknow.com/2024/05/21/t... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

The neurons turning the dial on inflammationpennneuroknow.com A new study uncovers how your brain balances inflammation in your body, opening the door to new treatment options for diseases characterized by inflammation.

New research suggests that large waves of electrical activity washing across your brain while you sleep may help push garbage in the surrounding fluid out of the brain. Joe Stucynski breaks it down in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/05/14/a... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

A clear solution for cleaning your brainpennneuroknow.com New research suggests that large waves of electrical activity washing across your brain while you sleep help push garbage in the surrounding fluid out of the brain.

Despite centuries of scientific advancements, the inner workings of much of the brain remained a complete mystery. Learn about a groundbreaking set of experiments that changed this in this week's piece by Jake Parker. pennneuroknow.com/2024/05/07/t... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

The experiments that opened the brain’s black boxpennneuroknow.com Despite centuries of scientific advancements, the inner workings of much of the brain remained a complete mystery. A groundbreaking set of experiments changed this.

You've probably heard a few things about the octopus but what about another cephalopod: the cuttlefish? For these fascinating creatures with incredible camouflaging abilities, some of their intelligence is skin deep: pennneuroknow.com/2024/04/30/f... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

For cuttlefish, intelligence is skin deeppennneuroknow.com What can we discover from this clever creature whose smarts are nothing like ours?

Have you heard of incurable prion diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob or Mad Cow Disease? In this week's post Joseph Gallegos shares how a new clinical trial might one day bring the first treatment to patients and their families: pennneuroknow.com/2024/04/23/a... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

A new hope in human prion diseasespennneuroknow.com A long-awaited first step towards a cure for a devastating brain disease

How do we know when we're hot, cold, or in pain? The answer is a sixth sense you may not have known existed. Serena Chen teaches us all about interoception in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/04/16/i... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Interoception: The “sixth” sense that shapes our wellbeingpennneuroknow.com Have you ever noticed your heart rate increase while watching a scary scene in a movie? Or how one moment you feel totally fine, and the next moment there is a burning itch on your leg that you need t...

Neurons are often considered the main characters when it comes to the brain, but they aren't the only players. Learn about the role that other cell types play in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's: pennneuroknow.com/2024/04/09/g... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Glia in neurodegeneration: Gladiators or traitors?pennneuroknow.com Neurons are far from the only cell type in the brain; other cells like astrocytes and microglia are also crucial for brain function. In certain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s where we see i...

Opioid drugs have many effects – from medicinal to thrilling to deadly. How do they do so much at once? Lisa Wooldridge unpacks the neuroscience of opioid drugs in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/04/02/o... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Opioid drugs: Pain, pleasure…poison?pennneuroknow.com Opioid drugs have many effects – from medicinal to thrilling to deadly. How do they do so much at once?

Cherry blossoms are blooming and bird songs aren’t the only thing filling the air! Learn about the many ways your brain responds to seasonal allergies in this week's post from Andrew Nguyen. pennneuroknow.com/2024/03/26/s... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Seasonal allergies pollinating the brainpennneuroknow.com Cherry blossoms are blooming and bird songs aren’t the only thing filling the air! Learn about the many ways your brain responds to seasonal allergies.

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You've probably heard of Ozempic, but how do drugs like Ozempic work and what influence do they have on your brain? Stephen Wisser breaks down the science in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/03/19/y... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Your brain on Ozempicpennneuroknow.com We’ve all likely heard of the “weight loss” drug Ozempic, but what does it do to the brain?

Across ages and cultures, we tuck in teddy bears and put googly eyes on roombas. Where does the urge to empathize with our belongings come from? Read about object anthropomorphism in this week's post by Omer Zeliger: pennneuroknow.com/2024/03/12/o... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Object anthropomorphism: Walking a day in someone else’s wheelspennneuroknow.com Across ages and cultures, we tuck in teddy bears and put googly eyes on roombas. Where does the urge to empathize with our belongings come from?

What happens when the popular press runs away with an exciting neuroscience result? Barnes Jannuzi discusses one example, mirror neurons, in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/03/05/a... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

ALL ABOARD! The mirror neuron hype trainpennneuroknow.com Take a ride on the Mirror Neuron Express. Departing from: fascinating findings. Arriving at: valuable lessons. By way of: exaggeration, speculation, and overstatement.

Think your smartphone is cool? Wait until you hear about the brain! This week's post will leave you in awe of the amazing organ between your ears. Read "Your brain by the numbers" by Catrina Hacker to learn more: pennneuroknow.com/2024/02/27/y... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Your brain by the numberspennneuroknow.com Learn just how remarkable your brain is!

What makes some people more resilient than others and is resilience always a good thing? Margaret Gardner answers these questions and more in this week's post, "Weathering the storm". pennneuroknow.com/2024/02/20/w... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Weathering the stormpennneuroknow.com How do some people overcome the risk for mental illness and what can – or can’t – we learn from them?

Have you ever fainted at the sight of blood or in a stressful situation? Sophie Liebergall explains what happens when we faint in this week's post, "Not for the faint of heart": pennneuroknow.com/2024/02/13/n... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Not for the faint of heartpennneuroknow.com A group of neuroscientists think they’ve found the neurons that can cause you to pass out.

Chronic pain impacts millions of people around the world, but there are few reliable treatments and no cures. What's holding us back? Lindsay Ejoh shares her thoughts as a pain researcher in this week's post. pennneuroknow.com/2024/02/06/w... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Why haven’t we cured chronic pain?pennneuroknow.com Millions of people around the world suffer from chronic pain disorders, yet we have very few reliable treatments and no cure. Here are three reasons why.

Chinstrap penguins take over 10,000 naps a day to get their 11 hours of sleep! Find out how long the average chinstrap penguin naps and what else makes their sleep habits special in this week's post by Kara McGaughey. pennneuroknow.com/2024/01/30/p... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Penguin power naps: Racking up a day’s worth of sleep four seconds at a timepennneuroknow.com Explore what it means to be asleep, why sleep is so important, and what we can learn from the sleep habits of Antarctic chinstrap penguins.

An increasing number of marketing companies are using our brain activity to decide how to advertise to us, an approach called neuromarketing. How does neuromarketing work and how can we protect ourselves from the abuse of it? pennneuroknow.com/2024/01/23/a... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Advertising to the brain: The basics and ethics of neuromarketingpennneuroknow.com An increasing number of marketing companies are using our brain activity to decide how to advertise to us, an approach called neuromarketing. How does neuromarketing work and how can we protect oursel...

Some neuroscientists believe that our brains constantly sit at the edge of chaos. A new study shows that sleep might be an important part of keeping us there. Joe Stucynski breaks things down in this week's post: pennneuroknow.com/2024/01/16/c... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Critical thinking: How networks in the brain may be optimally organizedpennneuroknow.com Some neuroscientists think that the brain balances on the edge of chaos to be as efficient as possible. One new study suggests that sleep helps to restore this ‘critical’ state which may slowly fa...