Jon Hamilton

From birth through age 30 or so, our ability to recognize faces keeps improving, research shows. At first, kids discern adult faces better than other kids' mugs. Not so after adolescence.

After a serious brain injury, people often sleep just a few minutes at a time. As the brain heals, sleep patterns begin to return to normal. The link suggests restoring sleep could improve recovery.

The military hoped the body-worn sensors would identify troops with brain injuries from a bomb blast. Instead, the sensors showed service members may be at risk from firing their own weapons.

A magnetic pulse to a certain spot in the brain of healthy volunteers restored recently "forgotten" thoughts, researchers found. The study is shifting the understanding of short-term recall.

Researchers who developed a collection of human stem cells with glowing internal structures have begun sharing them with colleagues. The glow reveals the secret workings of cells.

Our canine pals remember lots of facts, like where to find the food bowl. Now there's evidence they also have aspects of "episodic memory," which allow them to relive experiences and events.

Bombarding young mice with video and audio stimulation changes the way the brain develops. But some scientists think those sorts of brain changes could protect kids from stressing out in a busy world.

Each lab-grown cluster of human cells fits on a pin's head, but contains some of the cell types and circuitry of a real brain. The structures already are offering insights into how Zika attacks.

A mind-controlled robotic arm has pressure sensors in each fingertip that send signals directly to a paralyzed man's brain. It's still experimental, but could eventually help thousands, engineers say.

When a team of researchers evaluated the scientific literature on brain games, they found little evidence that the products improve memory or thinking in real-world tasks.

Most potential Alzheimer's drugs are tested on mice. But rats may be a better choice because they seem to have a type of memory that's more like ours, and also are highly vulnerable to Alzheimer's.

Troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are far more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder if they have suffered a concussion. The reason may be a change in the brain's fear circuits.

Scientists are finally beginning to understand proprioception, a sense that tells us where our body is in space. Much of what they've learned comes from two girls with a rare genetic disorder.

A study of 17 people who have been blind since birth found that areas of the brain usually devoted to visual information become active when a blind person is solving math problems.

Researchers have failed repeatedly in their efforts to slow or halt Alzheimer's disease. But there are hints that an experimental drug can do what previous medicines could not.

Surfers once deemed man-made waves weak and mushy compared to the best that break along the coast. Then engineers and an 11-time world champion surfer showed just how good an artificial wave can be.

Earthquakes are common in central Italy. After the 2009 quake in L'Aquila, there were stricter building codes and recommendations for new construction. But many older buildings remain vulnerable.

Hundreds of elite endurance athletes were taking the prescription heart drug meldonium until it was banned in January. But a similar heart drug, telmisartan, is still allowed.

Harvard researcher Kit Parker put his academic career on hold to serve in the Army in Afghanistan. When he returned from war, he made a discovery that changed our understanding of brain injuries.

New research suggests it may be possible to spot people in the early stages of Alzheimer's by testing their ability to recognize fragrances. The goal is a quick and inexpensive screening test.