Simon Makin

All Stories by Simon Makin

  1. Neuroscience

    A new device let a man sense temperature with his prosthetic hand

    A device that can be integrated into prosthetic hands capitalizes on phantom sensations to enable users to sense hot and cold.

  2. Neuroscience

    Three ways of rejuvenating aging brains may work via the same protein

    Three brain rejuvenation methods may exert their effects through the same molecule, at least partly, which could lead to therapies for cognitive decline.

  3. Neuroscience

    Playful behavior in rats is controlled by a specific area of their brains

    Cells in a brain region called the periaqueductal gray are activated by chasing and tickling, a study finds. Blocking their activity reduces play in rats.

  4. Neuroscience

    A brain implant helped a man with paralysis walk more naturally

    A successful test of a system that restores communication between the brain and spine could ultimately help many people with paralysis.

  5. Neuroscience

    A rare mutation helped one man stave off Alzheimer’s for decades

    The brain of a Colombian man with an inherited form of Alzheimer’s may hint at ways to halt or slow the progression of the disease.

  6. Neuroscience

    Scientists triggered the flow of spinal fluid in the awake brain

    If future studies confirm these waking waves wash away toxic proteins from the brain, the finding could lead to new treatments for brain disorders.

  7. Health & Medicine

    A gel cocktail uses the body’s sugars to ‘grow’ electrodes in living fish

    A chemical reaction with the body’s own sugars turned a gel cocktail into a conducting material inside zebrafish brains, hearts and tail fins.