How do thoughts, emotions, memory and perception emerge? In this section, we unpack the latest discoveries in brain and neuroscience, offering new perspectives on how the mind works and how we experience the world.
We see the world as a whole… while the brain processes it in two halves. An illusion of unity orchestrated by our hemispheres. Our perception of space feels fluid and seamless. We instantly detect what happens on our left and right, trace visual trajectories, and identify objects in complex environments. Beneath this apparent unity, however,…
The return of the 90s isn’t just a trend, it reflects a psychological need in response to an uncertain present. The screech of a dial-up modem. The clinking of marbles in a schoolyard. A cassette rewound with a pen. These gestures and sounds, once commonplace, have vanished from our daily lives, only to return today…
ChatGPT’s arrival in teenagers’ daily lives is reshaping how they learn and raising questions about their cognitive development. Since November 2022, teenagers and young adults have discovered a new conversation partner, an inexhaustible, responsive, educational, and sometimes even comforting digital presence: ChatGPT. Whether at home, in class, on public transport, in the library, or in…
Rather than interrupting thought, sleep may reshape it and help new ideas emerge. Why do some ideas only emerge after a break, as if inactivity were the brain’s hidden engine? This question, though far from new, touches on one of the most subtle and profound mechanisms of human cognition. For decades, neuroscience has explored the…
Can one story a day really transform the brain? From early childhood, the brain is shaped by exposure to language. Long before learning to read, children begin to listen, predict what comes next, and grasp the hidden intentions behind a story. These foundational skills support language development, verbal memory, sustained attention, and emotional regulation. However,…
Getting lost in nature isn’t a matter of inexperience, it’s a limitation of the brain itself. Each summer, experienced hikers lose their way in forests or mountains, sometimes just a few hundred meters from a marked trail. Though these disorientations are often temporary, they can quickly turn into life-threatening situations. How can the brain, supposedly…
Why can a smell or taste instantly bring back memories that conscious effort cannot retrieve? One winter day, in a simple cup of tea, a writer rediscovers the past. As soon as the madeleine touches his lips, a wave of sensations overwhelms him: Sundays in Combray, Aunt Léonie’s voice, warm light on the walls, and…
In summer, heat doesn’t just tire the body, it also alters our state of consciousness. In summer, heat doesn’t just lull the body, it also dulls our alertness. In the midst of an afternoon, lying in the shade or sitting still, you may notice your thoughts begin to drift. Eyes half-closed, sounds fade away, and…
What matters is not just what we think but what makes certain ideas feel obvious to us. In the damp cell where he was imprisoned during the Terror, Destutt de Tracy, aristocrat, revolutionary, philosopher, and soldier, immersed himself in the works of Condillac. It was 1793, the darkest heart of the French Revolution: the Montagnard…
Liking Labubu is it a choice or an influence? In some cities, lines begin to form before sunrise. Outside Pop Mart stores, people wait for hours in hopes of leaving with a small, sealed box. Online, stock vanishes in seconds, while social media overflows with photos, excited unboxings, and carefully staged figurines. The coveted object…