The Nervy Nomad

Note and Disclaimer: This blog gives a bit of background to a health issue of major concern, as it is reaching epidemic proportions, and a glimpse at what we are doing about it through one component of a recently-funded Health Research Council (HRC) programme grant. This post represents the views and research of the author. It was not commissioned by or for … Read More

Is your mother to blame if you cannot resist chips? Or feel awkward at parties? Perhaps these questions make you imagine all the ways that you are similar to your mother, or the things that happened when you were growing up that helped shape the person that you are today. But now take one step back, to a time when … Read More

I don’t know how many times I need to ask my husband to get milk on the way home. And do you think he remembers? Turns out, he’s not alone. And what’s more – he’s normal. New neuroscience research [1] has revealed that we are way better at remembering things that we see or touch, than we are at … Read More

OMG – you were in my dream last night! This may be good or bad, surprising or disturbing, but most of us have had dreams with bizarre circumstances or the appearance of unusual characters, like your boss or your mother-in-law. But for many of us there is little recollection of anything else. Sometimes we can remember a few details of … Read More

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Science communication has become amazingly popular. As 2014 approaches, so does an interesting new chapter in my otherwise strictly academic life – a small appointment in my university’s Centre for Science Communication. Jumping on this bandwagon seemed an appropriate move for me, as I am both a dyed-in-the-wool academic Neuroscientist, and an enthusiastic science communicator. In considering what I might … Read More

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Why do we sleep? Although it seems a pretty simple question, experts who study sleep are not certain about its exact function. And there are many theories. Some believe that it is a time of cellular restoration [1]. From childhood I subscribed to this theory, complete with a creepy vision of little elves traveling all over my body fixing … Read More

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A few weeks ago I wrote about identical twins, and how even genetically identical individuals become different because they will always have experiences that are unique to them [1]. Indeed, the number of unique experiences that a person has is huge, and very different from those of anyone else. Thus, each of us becomes unique through our experiences. So, … Read More

Recently we had the International Film Festival where I live. I don’t get out as much as I should, and so for my enlightenment as much as my entertainment I decided to catch a few flicks. If you’ve done similarly, even if the ‘film’ was Godzilla or a bad YouTube video, you may be aware of what happens when the … Read More

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I am not an artistic person. My drawing, if you can even call it that, consists of stick figures. I cannot paint, sing, or dance. In school, I studied Science. I found it fun to think and learn about, and I was pretty good at it. My mother is a dancer, she teaches ballet, and can paint or draw anything … Read More

I love chocolate. I could have chocolate morning, noon, and night and never tire of it. You might not be quite as fanatical about chocolate, but even non-lovers may find it difficult to resist now and again. There’s just something about it. Indeed its forces are so powerful that ancient Maya and Aztec cultures included chocolate in religious ceremonies and … Read More