Writing Archive
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Enabling Connection: The Need for Assistive Communication
Communication is fundamental to the human experience. A social species, we use speech and writing to convey our wants, needs, thoughts, and feelings to those around us…
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Toward Truly Good Tech
When you develop a device that measures brain activity, people tend to ask a lot of questions. They want to know, for instance, what scalp sensors can discern about one’s thoughts, how companies plan to protect this most-personal data, and whether neurotechnology can really improve everyday life…
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Even Small Brains Make Big Decisions
A tiny fruit fly ambles through a barren landscape. As the minutes go by and the temperature rises, she grows anxious to find food and shade. Then, along the horizon, she spots the sun—or something like it. The fly makes a decision: She will walk away from the glaring light and hope for the best…
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Metabolic Health Basics
Whether you’re running, jumping, thinking, or silently sitting, your body needs a reliable power supply to carry on. It gets this supply by converting food into energy through a set of biological processes known as metabolism. Good metabolic health means that your body can efficiently…
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Sniffing Out New Strategies in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease
The newest chemical under investigation for managing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is actually not new at all. Insulin, the therapeutic hormone…
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BCI and the Future of Medicine
Neurotechnology is rapidly expanding the realm of medical possibility. Consider, for example, individuals with paralysis who have lost the ability to communicate. Recent advancements in brain computer interfaces (BCIs) offer reason for hope ..
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The Forgotten History of Alpha Brain Waves
Strictly speaking, the term alpha brain waves refers to neural oscillations in the range of 8 to 12 hertz. In many instances, however, the term connotes much more than a particular waveform…
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Becoming a Scientist
Jasmine Nirody scoured her dorm room. She searched under tables and chairs, in corners and crevices, to no avail. Her snakes were officially missing. “How did they get out?” she wondered. But in a sense, she knew…
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Can Neurotechnology Help Solve Our Mental Health Crisis?
1 in 5 Americans lives with some form of mental illness. Through a combination of medication and psychotherapy, many can effectively manage these conditions. ..