I can still remember the commotion which arose in 1990 when Dutch neuroscientist Dick Swaab published an article saying that homosexual men had an area in their hypothalamus which was twice the size of the same area in heterosexual men. Many found the idea – that homosexuality might have a biological basis – quite alarming! At the time I worked … Read More
Errors and disasters: the perfect storm
Errors and disasters do not come about by one causal factor. There is always a chain of unpredictable events. This also poses a problem for scientists. They do not know the law of conservation of misery.
Memories of early childhood?
The memory develops after birth. A baby starts by registering how it should move. From around the age of three, a child can register events which form part of its life story, to be recalled in later life. But emotional events such as traumas are possibly registered much earlier as stray facts. These can elicit reactions, although you can’t retell them.
Growth and pruning: the brain of a child
A newborn baby cannot speak, it sees almost nothing, and controlled movements of its arms and legs are minimal. From birth onwards, however, rapid learning occurs associated with significant changes in the brain, which are both cause and effect of this learning process.
The basis for most of the severe mental disorders is clear
The basis for most of the severe mental disorders is in your genes and the early development of the brain. But we will not be able to find THE cause of these disorders. Why not?
The fingers and language of a top pianist
Successful musicians put in hours of practice from an early age. But is all that practice really necessary? Is talent alone – with a bit of practice – not enough? How does the brain change with practice, and can you create a genius?
Why are monozygotic twins not identical? Chance!
Monozygoicic twins share the same genes, but are not exact replicas of each other. How can this be? A result of what they – separately – have experienced? Or is it chance? How then?
The girl with half a brain
The girl without the right hemisphere of her brain functions pretty normally. How is this possible?