Naps Not Needed to Make New Memories

Presidential physicians operate at the intersection of medicine, politics and national security. Former White House physician Jeffrey Kuhlman joins Scientific American associate editor Lauren Young to discuss the unique medical demands of presidential care—from preparing for emer ... Show More

What happens when a real-life astronaut turns to fiction? In this episode, Chris Hadfield shares how decades of spaceflight and global diplomacy inspired his latest novel, Final Orbit, a cold war thriller packed with historical intrigue and technical precision. Host Rachel Feltma ... Show More

Saturn’s moon Enceladus reveals complex organic molecules that could hint at extraterrestrial life. Researchers also uncover fungi’s ancient reign over Earth and warn that second COVID infections may pose greater risks to young people. Plus, ants ferment yogurt, and flu detection ... Show More

Researchers studying anesthetized rats discovered a handful of activity patterns that may mark the path to consciousness after anesthesia. Karen Hopkin reports   

The final installment of this series focuses on what happens inside your brain during deep, non-REM sleep that allows you to fixate new memories. There are at least two mechanisms at work here. One is a process of shifting information from short to long-term memory. Each night wh ... Show More

Powerful new experiments have uncovered some of the molecular underpinnings of sleep. The post Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain first appeared on Quanta Magazine 

Why don’t we fall out of bed when we’re asleep? That’s the question that’s been keeping CrowdScience listener Isaac in Ghana awake, so presenter Alex Lathbridge snuggles up with some experts to find the answer. We get a lot of emails about sleep, so we’ve gathered together some o ... Show More

Sleep. It's an essential biological function that has long intrigued scientists. Researchers have studied everything from mice to fruit flies in the lab to get a better understanding of what happens when animals sleep — and why so many do it. This week, scientists finally added o ... Show More

It turns out that as a species, alligators have remained unchanged for millions of years longer than anyone knew. Learn how researchers discovered this in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/alligator-species-8-million- ... Show More

The nightmare vision of black rats tangled by the tail continues to intrigue and revolt us, but what is its origin? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe venture into the sewers of history to seek answers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

We sure do spend a lot of time in bed, but what exactly IS a bed and what were ancient beds like? In this invention-based episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the ancient history of the bed. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwor ... Show More