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by Sarita Soni, IU Vice Provost for Research Research Digest 
Ghost Particles and the Mystery of Mass 
More children than every before are being diagnosed with autism. What's behind the prevalence? A mother ponders the enigma of her child's epileptic seizures. 
Your toddler's first word may seem simple, but how toddlers figure out what words mean is a complicated scientific question. Powerful brain-imaging technologies are revealing new ways to halt diseases that rob us of our memories. What are the boundaries between body and mind? |
The answer to the most basic question of consciousness--what we mean by mind--may lie in the continuing evolution of complex networks in our brains. In these excerpts from his newest book, Pulitzer Prize-winner Hofstadter ruminates on how a strange loop of symbols, patterns, and experiences creates an "I." The same neurochemical system that responds to active ingredients in marijuana may play a role in new treatments for disease. Learning to control pain instead of being controlled by it means starting at the molecular level. Addiction and mental illness are often intertwined--in fact, they could be caused by the same brain alterations. It's not your imagination--stress really can shake up your brain. Prayer is an ancient and nearly universal human experience, but what are we really doing when we pray? |
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