Jon Hamilton

All week, All Things Considered is offering Highly Specific Superlatives in honor of the year that was. On Tuesday, we look at the weirdest leap forward in brain science. Researchers can now grow mini brains in a petri dish and then experiment on them.

Researchers say it takes a lot of brainpower to stop an action, once it's underway. A study found that when people have to change a planned movement, 11 different brain areas have to get involved.

The first drugs designed specifically to prevent migraines have been found safe and effective in studies, but aren't yet FDA approved. Both drugs work by tweaking a brain system involved in pain.

Lots of phone and tablet apps promise to improve sleep by filtering out the blue light from device screens. But that won't help if the reason you're not getting enough shut-eye is caffeine or stress.

The search is on for opioid alternatives that can block pain without causing addiction. One promising candidate: snail venom.

The Society for Neuroscience meeting is taking place in Washington, D.C., this weekend. Researchers there are focusing on how to find the biological underpinnings of mental disorders.

Scientists have found an underlying reason why it's dangerous to drive when you're sleepy. Brain recordings show cells involved in perception fire more slowly in somebody who has been up all night.

A computer program learned to identify people thinking about suicide by studying brain activity patterns associated with words like "death" and "trouble."

By rushing live brain cells from the operating room to the lab, scientists have been able to create three-dimensional reconstructions of cells that reveal their electrical behavior and shape.

A comparison of two memory training methods often used by scientists found that one was twice as good as the other. But neither succeeded in turning people into cognitive superstars.

For centuries, scientists thought the human brain had no direct connection to the body's immune system. Now researchers seem to have found one, and say it may offer clues to multiple sclerosis, too.

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton about the Hernandez family's announcement and the connections between CTE, the degenerative brain disease, and violent behavior.

Six people are reportedly dead and 12 other elderly patients are in critical care after being evacuated from a nursing home north of Miami. The home was reportedly left without power by Hurricane Irma.

Hurricane Irma is weakening as it moves away from the Florida coast and north toward Georgia. It's now a Category 1 storm, but it still poses a big threat to much of Florida.

Miami is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irma this weekend. Forecasters downgraded the storm to Category 4 on Friday as it slammed through the Turks and Caicos Islands with winds at 150 mph.

Scientists have identified the brain cells that detect pitch changes in speech, allowing us to understand whether someone is asking a question or making a statement.

When we see a familiar face, we know instantly if we can remember that person's name. That's because the human brain has an ability called metamemory. Looks like rats may have that higher power, too.

Gina "Danger" Mazany is a professional mixed martial arts athlete, and she's helping researchers learn more about head injuries and the female brain.

About 12,000 people are diagnosed with a glioblastoma each year in the U.S. Fewer than a third of them will survive beyond two years.

New research finds that African-Americans who grow up in harsh environments and have many stressful experiences are much more likely to develop Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia.