Most people know it from experience: After so many hours of being awake, your brain feels unable to absorb any more—and several hours of sleep will refresh it.Now new research from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health clarifies this phenomenon, supporting the idea that sleep plays a critical role in the brain’s ability to change in response to its environment. This ability, called plasticity, is at the heart of learning. [continue reading…]
Sibling Rivalry
Most parents would hotly deny favouring one child over another but new research suggests they may have little choice in the matter.
Biologists studying a unique species of beetle that raises and cares for its young have found that parents instinctively favour the oldest offspring.
The University of Manchester research — published in Ecology this month — supports the findings of studies carried out on human families but is significant in that it suggests a wholly natural tendency towards older siblings. [continue reading…]
