medicine

21 posts

Death and the Human Animal

Here Mary Midgley, now in her 90s, reflects on the profound implications of attempting to abolish death. The more one thinks it through, the less desirable the prospect seems. An earlier version of this article appeared in Philosophy Now, March-April 2012 Till lately, people discussing death didn’t have to consider […]

Finding a New Central Purpose

Do you have a purpose, in your life, or in your work, or both? Perhaps this is something you never ask yourself. Or perhaps it changes from day to day as you try to grapple with the challenges that life seems to throw at you. I have found that having […]

Dolphins Talk When Performing a Team Task

Do dolphins have language skills similar to ours? Do the vocalizations of bottlenose dolphins mean anything? Are the dolphins conveying useful information or just having a good time? While primates such as chimpanzees can be taught sign language, there is a great deal of scepticism as to whether they are […]

The Brain on LSD: First scans show how the drug affects the brain

A recent study by scientists at Imperial College London has revealed for the first time how the brain behaves during an LSD induced experience. The study, led by David J. Nutt, involved fMRI scans of subjects who had taken LSD and compared them with others who had been given a […]

Epigenetic Tags can be passed on to the Next Generation

Epigenetics — the science of gene expression is a moving target. Over the past thirty years geneticists recognised that the way a gene is expressed can be influenced by environmental factors. A mother’s obesity, diabetes stress or even mental illness can be passed onto her offspring even if the condition […]