
Masks Can Be Detrimental to Babies’ Speech and Language Development
The good news is that parents can take action to compensate

Masks Can Be Detrimental to Babies’ Speech and Language Development
The good news is that parents can take action to compensate

How the Brain Responds to Beauty
Scientists search for the neural basis of an enigmatic experience


When Our Gaze Is a Physical Force
Research documents a strange illusion

Ravens Measure Up to Great Apes on Intelligence
Juvenile ravens performed just as well as chimps and orangutans in a battery of intelligence tests—except for assays of spatial skills. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Brain Sides Are Both Busy in New Language Learning
A study of adults learning a new language found that speaking primarily activated regions in the left side of the brain, but reading and listening comprehension were much more variable

Young Ravens Rival Adult Chimps in a Big Test of General Intelligence
At just four months of age, the birds performed equally well as great apes on understanding numbers, following cues and many more tasks

Take This Quiz to See if You Are a Face “Super-Recognizer”
Many with this skill have a feeling they are special. A freely available test helps them confirm their intuitions

Zebra Coloration Messes With Fly Eyes
Horseflies misjudge landings on zebra patterns, compared with solid gray or black surfaces, which provides evidence for why evolution came up with the black-and-white pattern.

Hypnosis Experts Cast Doubt on Famous Psychological Experiments
Suggestibility may explain why people “feel” vicarious pain or sensation in a fake hand

Magic Is (Literally) for the Birds
What conjuring techniques can reveal about animal cognition

Our Brain Is Better at Remembering Where to Find Brownies Than Cherry Tomatoes
Humans’ spatial recall makes mental notes about the location of high-calorie foods

How COVID-19 is Changing the English Language
From ‘social distancing’ to ‘self-quarantining,’ the pandemic is leaving a lasting impact on the English lexicon