What Don’t You Know about Your Brain?
There can be no questioning that you and your brain are one. If the brain dies, you are nothing. Medical advances now give us liver, lung, kidney and even heart transplant options. Replacing your lungs with a donor’s does not effect the essence of who you are. But a brain transplant – if such a […]
Are You Wasting Time Finding Happiness?
Happiness, for me, is having a close-knit, loving family – in another city. I love my family but they sometimes drive me crazy. So here I am, in the big city, doing what I love the most in my career. I also have to deal with the usual struggles of living alone. Still, I would […]
10 Reasons for Eating More Honey!
Honey is probably the original sweetener. We know that it has been valued throughout recorded history. The ancient Egyptians venerated it as did the Greeks. And since primates will happily put up with a few stings to enjoy a treat of honey, it’s probable that early man did too! But is there more to honey […]
What Happens in the Brain When You No Longer Need the Information You’ve Learnt?
Amy Reichelt, UNSW Throughout our lives we have multitudes of experiences that shape how we then behave in the world. Some of these lessons are learnt rapidly, such as why we shouldn’t put our hand on a hot pan on the stove. Other, more autobiographical experiences can be stored and recalled explicitly as our […]
Comic Explainer: How Memory Works
Jee Hyun Kim, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health We recall thousands of events and procedures every day, but what is memory? In this comic explainer, The Florey Institute’s Dr Jee Hyun Kim explains how memory works, why we recall some things more easily than others and what we can do to improve our […]
Why Losing a Dog Can Be Harder Than Losing a Relative or Friend
Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College Recently, my wife and I went through one of the more excruciating experiences of our lives – the euthanasia of our beloved dog, Murphy. I remember making eye contact with Murphy moments before she took her last breath – she flashed me a look that was an endearing blend of […]
Death by Overcooking – Of Vegetables and Vitamin C
There’s a resurgence of scurvy cases in Sydney. You read it right, and yes, the year is 2016. In this day and age, one wonders how anyone could get a historical disease like scurvy, let alone several cases of it – in Australia! Well, it’s true, and unlike at the time of its discovery 300 years […]
Top 5 Vegetables to Grow over Winter
The vegetable garden is the pride and joy of every ardent gardener. Just because the weather outside has turned cold and winter is coming, that doesn’t mean you can’t grow veggies in your garden. If you think that winter and gardening don’t mix well, you should think again. There are a number of hardy veggies […]
Garlic and Onions as Medicine: Or Is It Just Old Wives’ Tale?
They are almost never the star of a dish, but just like salt, it’s hard to imagine cooking and food without them. Love them or hate them, garlic and onions are among the best things that ever happened to the human diet! Your pizza, sandwiches, slaw, stews and salads won’t be the same nor as delicious […]
Human Beings Are Great Runners Because We’re Stupendous Sweaters!
We’ve understood for a long time that being bi-pedal gave our forebears a significant survival advantage. Being able to see prey and predators long before they see you certainly helps determine who or what ends up on the dinner plate. But now we’ve found that our best survival trait in those early times may have […]