Biology in the News Explained

Why fear mongering is so successful

There's a reason fear-mongering works as a political strategy: the irrational part of our brain is much easier for other people to manipulate than the rational part.

Politics and Biology, Part 1

Are political affiliations caused by differences in how a brain works?

Altruism is just another way to be selfish

Download article as PDF A recent article about research supporting a neurological (= biological) basis for altruism panders to the alarmist view that behavior with an identifiable biological basis precludes personal responsibility, and could throw our criminal justice system into an uproar. The first...

Morality is not a human construct

Morality is not all about humans; it exists in any social species.

The flowers are down in flames

Online flame wars are an emergent property when human brains meet technology.

Insula a factor in autism?

The insula is the center of emotional recognition. Does that mean that it could be the center of autism?