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Mind and brain

Close-up photo of a mushroom in an autumn forest surrounded by fallen leaves and trees in the background.

Nature and the environment

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The fungal mind: on the evidence for mushroom intelligence

The evidence for fungal intelligence is in: they can operate as individuals, make decisions, learn, and have short-term memory

by Nicholas P Money

A girl walks towards a woman on a pavement with a grey building in the background, casting shadows from a tree.

Thinking and intelligence

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Talking out loud to yourself is a technology for thinking

Talking out loud to oneself is a technology for thinking that allows us to clarify and sharpen our approach to a problem

by Nana Ariel

Coloured medical scan of human abdomen showing internal organs with blue and orange highlights, digital imaging.

Mind and brain

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To grasp how serotonin works on the brain, look to the gut

A new perspective uses an analogy between digestion and cognition to help explain the function of a key neurochemical

by James M Shine

Blurry photo of a coastal scene with sandy beach rocks ocean and cloudy sky conveying a sense of motion or abstraction.

Neurodiversity

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I have no mind’s eye: let me try to describe it for you

With aphantasia, my mind’s eye sees only darkness, not images. It’s like missing a sense, and only imagination can compensate

by Neesa Sunar

Photo of a vibrant blue flower beside orange flowers with a blurred green background.

Mind and brain

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Slow down, it’s what your brain has been begging for

It’s no small task to live a life of sustained attention. So slow down, and give your brain a break to do its work

by Teodora Stoica

Photo of a cyclist in a red polka dot jersey racing past a cheering crowd on a yellow bicycle.

Sports and games

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Physical fatigue is in the brain as much as in the body

The idea of ‘mind over muscle’ is more than motivational rhetoric – exercise science shows how the brain manages fatigue

by David Robson

Photo of a neon-lit street scene with parked cars at night, featuring a mural with clouds on a building entrance.

Mind and brain

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Time doesn’t flow like a river. So why do we feel swept along?

Physics tells us that time doesn’t flow like a river, as Heraclitus claimed. Why then do we feel like we’re swept along?

by Nick Young

Photo of three people in winter coats standing on a snowy path with bare trees in the background.

Resilience and flexibility

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What the distinctive brains of resilient people can teach us

Resilient people have brains that are distinct in their structure and function, providing clues for how to build resilience

by Laura Moreno-López

Knowledge and reason

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Self-knowledge is a super power – if it’s not an illusion

Self-knowledge is a powerful thing – if it’s not an illusion. What can we know about our own minds, and why does it matter?

by Jared Peterson

The self

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The philosophy of selfhood became real when my mother got dementia

My mother’s dementia shook her sense of self, and mine. We can understand ourselves only through embodied connection to others

by Noga Arikha

People walking on a city street bathed in sunlight, with American flags hanging on buildings in the background. Shadows are cast on the pavement, and tall buildings line the street, creating a dramatic, contrasting light and shadow effect.

Death and dying

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Why so many of us see our loved ones after they have died

These experiences – which are more of an illusion than a hallucination – can be a healthy part of the grieving process

by Shayla Love

Photo of two ravens perched on a railing at the Tower of London with blurred tourists in the background.

Animals

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A basic sense of numbers is shared by countless creatures

Birds, bees, cats and other animals have an ability to use numbers. How can this help us understand people with dyscalculia?

by Brian Butterworth