Tag: loss

• The Sour Paradox and Memory Loss is Memory Gain

  Of the classic five categories of taste, sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, only one of them has no discernible evolutionary purpose. Scientists do not understand why we even sense sour, let alone why it is so pervasive across species. Jeff and Anthony look at the evidence and consider the most prominent theories. Then, what if having a touch time remembering something isn't a bug, but a feature? Anthony and Jeff examine a new paper that suggests that out brain is optimizing for success when it limits recall. [more]

  February 26, 2022Episodes

• Time Crystals and Number Loss

  Time Crystals. We made them. Well, not we, but researchers at two institutions made them simultaneously! Anthony and Jeff discuss what Time Crystals are and how they may revolutionize watches and computers, too! Then the story of a man who lost the ability to see numbers. Jeff and Anthony talk about how this unique condition reveals a lot about how the human brain works. [more]

  August 21, 2020Episodes

• Smell Wishers

  What are the ingredients of a good relationship? Trust? Communication? Compromise? How about a sense of smell? When researchers in the United Kingdom surveyed almost 500 people with anosmia (the loss of sense of smell), more than 50 percent of them reported feeling isolated, and blamed their relationship troubles on their affliction. Smell is important in social bonding, says psychologist Pamela Dalton, at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, in Philadelphia. When a mom smells her newborn baby, the scent activates brain regions associated with nurturing behavior. Smells might also trigger brain activity linked with affection, compassion, or romantic love. Jeff and Anthony give this story the sniff test. [more]

  February 23, 2018Episodes