The new scientific field of music cognition challenges computer nerds, opens the eyes of cognitive scientists and even makes evolutionists very uncomfortable. Professor Henkjan Honing knows from experience. As the winner of the Distinguished Lorrentz Fellowship he will spend the following year investigating different aspects of our cognitive ability to
Lees verderLaughing about a comedian or your friend’s clever remark might feel as if you’re using some highly evolved part of your brain, but actually you’re behaving like a monkey. The brain area controlling laughter is older than the part that controls memory and speech. We even share this social ability with
Lees verderYou’re usually not allowed to make a gun like this, an AR-15, without filling some federal paperwork. But you can skip this if you print certain parts at home. It’s already possible with 3D-printers. Are these popular printing machines making access to guns even easier? The New York Times published an
Lees verderOuderdom - de meeste mensen haken af bij het woord alleen al. Maar wat betekent ouder worden eigenlijk? En waarom hebben we vooral negatieve associaties? Werd er altijd al zo over gedacht? We checkten het bij dode en levende filosofen. Jan Baars (1947) 'Pas nadat Napoleon het bevolkingsregister invoerde, werden we leeftijdsbewust' “Het
Lees verderWe’ve all had our rough moments trying no to yawn in front of company. Yawning, after all, means you’re bored, right? Not necessarily. Yawning can also be a sign of sexual arousal. Here are 10 explanations scientists have come up with. Because you're bored This is probably your first guess, and you’re
Lees verderIt sounds freaky, but Harvard Professor and leading geneticist George Church thinks it’s possible: with old DNA he wants to clone a caveman from more than 30.000 years ago. It’s not just a weird idea of some random scientist. George Church is known for his expertise in synthetic biology. He for
Lees verderAn analysis of freshman surveys that were held in the United States every year since 1996 shows that the modern youth is alarmingly happy with itself. Students nowadays rate their own abilities much higher than their peers did in the past. What does that say about this new generation? Researcher
Lees verderDon’t trust your weighing scale too much, it may not be functioning as punctual as it should be. It turns out the kilogram itself has gotten fatter over the years. The official piece of metal representing the kilogram gained weight because of contaminants building up on its surface, researchers discovered. In
Lees verderIt’s a mistake people start making at a very young age. A 6-year old girl can make fun of herself doing something silly when she was still 5. A moment later she can guarantee her father that when she will grow old she will give her children candy everytime they
Lees verderIf you’re fond of tree climbing, here’s some good news: if you stretch up your calf muscle, you can radically improve your skills. That’s how Ugandan Twa people learn to ascend trees almost as good as chimpanzees, researchers found. The Twa people climb trees all their lives, looking for honey and
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