plus2sd

Taking the Human Mind Two Standard Deviations Above the Norm.

by Gregory Berns

Canine fMRI Reveals What Dogs Think of Humans

After learning the incredible things military dogs can do, I resolved to figure out what was actually going on in the mind of man’s-best-friend by using the tools of my trade: brain scanning technology. Read More

The Rainbow Bridge

I put my best friend to sleep last night. Newton was a pug. He wasn't the prettiest, and certainly not the friendliest of dogs. Most of his teeth had rotted away from a lifetime of mouth breathing. And in his last few months he was paralyzed from the waist down. Read More

My Immature Brain Made Me Do It?

On November 9th, 2009 the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether the 8th amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment prohibits courts from sentencing children to life without the possibility of parole for the commission of a non-homicide. The elephant in the room, and the thing that the Court has taken deliberate steps to leave out of its rulings in the past, is the human brain. Numerous briefs have been submitted by mental health advocacy groups suggesting that the brain is not fully mature until the mid-20's. But come November, the Court should once again ignore the growing drumbeat to blame the immature brain and leave neuroscience out of its decision. Read More

The Stupidity of Crowds

Like many, I've been disturbed by the roiling of the financial markets and the sheeplike stampede to let the Treasury bail out the banks. Although worrisome in its own right, this is a topic for a different blog (one that I wrote about six months ago). No, what really has me freaked out is the gas panic going on in metro Atlanta, where I live. Read More