Just a quick note to mention that I’ve been taking part in an Olympic-themed I’m a Scientist: Get me out of here! event this week, an X-factor style science communication competition being run by the folks over at the Wellcome Trust. It’s 10 weeks of questions and live chats from students around the country, who can ask any and all questions about how the mind and body work, as well as general sciencey sorts of stuff. If you’re a scientist... Read more

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I really disliked exams, and I’m really glad I don’t have to do another one (well, as far as I know). I used to get really nervous, even in the weeks before when I was revising, and I seemed to have blanked the actual experience of sitting in an exam hall from my memory. I think the holy grail for students of all ages, especially at this time of year, is an easy and innocuous quick fix to increase your... Read more

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A twitter storm erupted earlier this afternoon, after plans were announced to plaster adverts on London buses next week with the slogan “Not gay! Ex-gay, post-gay and proud. Get over it!”. The slogan is the brainchild of the Core Issues Trust, a “Christian initiative seeking to support men and women with homosexual issues who voluntarily seek change in sexual preference and expression.” It is their carefully-worded belief that mainstream psychiatric knowledge is incorrect, and that some people who are homosexual... Read more

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A while back, I stumbled across this advertisement. Essentially, it’s a pair of torches embedded in earbuds that you stick in your ears, and it’s supposed to combat seasonal affective disorder, based on the fact that the brain appears to be sensitive to light. There is some really cool stuff going on with Optogenetics, but this is something completely different. At the time, there wasn’t any peer-reviewed research for the light ear-buds, so I ignored it. Well, that’s all changed... Read more

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