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math

$This shows nodes and networks.$

·November 1, 2024·6 min read

New Method Unravels Complex Causality

A new method developed by researchers allows scientists to identify unique, redundant, and synergistic causality, providing a clearer view of what influences complex systems. Known as SURD, this method has implications across diverse fields, from climate science to aerospace engineering.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 4, 2024·4 min read

Evolutionary Rates Over Time May Be Driven by Statistical “Noise”

A new study suggests that perceived increases in evolutionary rates over short time periods might be due to statistical noise rather than inherent biological processes. Researchers found that this “hyperbolic” pattern, often seen in younger species groups, does not indicate faster evolution but results from the variability in the data.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 24, 2024·5 min read

Brain Identifies Zero as a Number, Not “Nothing”

Scientists have discovered that neurons in the human brain recognize the number zero as a numerical value, not just "nothing." Using microelectrodes, researchers monitored brain activity in neurosurgical patients and found nerve cells that specifically responded to zero.

$This shows boys working on math on a blackboard.$

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 10, 2024·4 min read

Peer Influence Drives Math Confidence in Boys

Boys' math confidence is heavily influenced by peer comparisons, while girls base their self-assessment on actual performance. Despite similar math abilities, girls often lack confidence compared to boys. This confidence gap impacts career choices, leading to fewer women in STEM fields. The study highlights the need for addressing peer dynamics to foster math confidence in both genders.

$This shows a little girl reading.$

Featured Neuroscience

·April 30, 2024·6 min read

Reading and Math Science Boosts English Learners’ Performance

A new study reveals a novel intervention that significantly enhances math performance among third-grade English language learners. By integrating key concepts from the science of reading and math, the intervention, conducted over 10 weeks with sessions twice a week, demonstrated notable improvements in comprehension, visualization, and problem-solving skills compared to general instruction.

$This drawing represents counting fish.$

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 7, 2024·7 min read

Drawings Shape Math Problem-Solving Skills

Researchers uncovered the connection between individuals' drawings and their arithmetic problem-solving strategies. By analyzing the illustrations produced by both children and adults when tasked with solving simple mathematical problems, the research team discovered that certain types of drawings correlate with the most efficient calculation methods.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·February 27, 2024·6 min read

Imperfect Harmony: Rethinking Pythagoras’ Musical Consonance

New research challenges Pythagoras's ancient theory on musical consonance, revealing our preference for slight imperfections in chords rather than the perfect integer ratios traditionally associated with beautiful music. The study highlights how the mathematical relationships deemed crucial for a chord's beauty disappear with instruments unfamiliar to Western traditions, such as the Javanese gamelan's bonang.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 19, 2023·5 min read

The Risky Brain: Unraveling the Neural Codes of Lottery Choices

Researchers pinpointed a key brain region in rats that determines their economic decisions when facing lottery-like uncertainties. The frontal orienting field (FOF) was identified as a major player in encoding the value of risky decisions, while the posterior parietal cortex had a minor effect.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 8, 2023·5 min read

Math Reveals Secrets of Synchronization in Complex Systems

Researchers delved deep into the mysteries of synchronization in complex systems, uncovering how certain elements effortlessly fall into or out of sync. This dance of coordination can be observed from humans clapping in rhythm to the synchronicity of heart cells.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 1, 2023·4 min read

Zap Your Brain, Boost Your Math Skills

Researchers discovered that electrical noise stimulation to the frontal part of the brain can improve mathematical learning. The study focused on those who initially showed low levels of brain excitation towards math.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 20, 2023·3 min read

Harnessing Incoherence to Make Sense of Real-World Networks

Mapping the hierarchies and the incoherence within a network system, including neural networks, genes, and even social networks, can help estimate the point at which the network becomes strongly connected.