In patients under hypnosis, scientists find distinctive patterns in the brain

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STAT, July 28, 2016

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Psychiatrists have been using hypnosis on patients for decades — to help them reduce their pain or kick a smoking habit, among other reasons.

But what, exactly, is happening to the patients’ brains when they are in a hypnotic state?

To tackle that question, David Spiegel, a psychiatrist at Stanford University School of Medicine, and his colleagues recently decided to scan patients’ brains and see if hypnosis left a mark. It did.

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DNA Study Reveals the One and Only Wolf Species in North America

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The New York Times, July 27, 2016

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The first large study of North American wolf genomes has found that there is only one species on the continent: the gray wolf. Two other purported species, the Eastern wolf and the red wolf, are mixes of gray wolf and coyote DNA, the scientists behind the study concluded.

The finding, announced Wednesday, highlights the shortcomings of laws intended to protect endangered species, as such laws lag far behind scientific research into the evolution of species.

The gray wolf and red wolf were listed as endangered in the lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s and remain protected today, to the periodic consternation of ranchers and agricultural interests.

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Updated Brain Map Identifies Nearly 100 New Regions

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The New York Times, July 20, 2016

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The brain looks like a featureless expanse of folds and bulges, but it’s actually carved up into invisible territories. Each is specialized: Some groups of neurons become active when we recognize faces, others when we read, others when we raise our hands.

On Wednesday, in what many experts are calling a milestone in neuroscience, researchers published a spectacular new map of the brain, detailing nearly 100 previously unknown regions — an unprecedented glimpse into the machinery of the human mind.

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Friday’s Elk, July 15, 2016

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen
“Game of Genomes” is here!

For the past few months, I’ve been traveling through my genome with the guidance of a couple dozen scientists. On Monday, Stat published the first part of my narrative of the experience. You can read it here.

As part of the package, I’ve also set up a parallel web site for the scientific nuts and bolts. I’ve posted some of the analysis that researchers produced while poring over my genome. And you can find the raw data of my genome there, too (including files of variants, and the original, gigantic BAM file). I hope it will be of use to teachers who want to show students how to make sense of a genome. I will add more materials as the next two parts of the series are published.

This week I also talked about the experience a few times. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, July 15, 2016” →