One of the hottest topics debated in the 2020 presidential race so far has been immigration reform. There has been widespread outrage centered on the separation of families and the horrible conditions and long stays in detention centers along our southern borders. Detainees hope they’ll be released as soon as possible, but for the children(...)
About Lisa Learman
Posts by Lisa Learman:
Left- vs. Right-Brained: Why the Brain Laterality Myth Persists
You might have heard artists say they’re right-brained or mathematicians say they’re left-brained. Maybe when you were a kid someone noticed you were left-handed and told you that meant you were creative. The idea that some of us are “left-brained” and others are “right-brained” is extremely popular. But, like so many other appealing ideas, the(...)
Grad Grooves: The Soundtrack of Our Science
Background music is everywhere. It plays quietly in malls and grocery stores, and loudly at sports events. It is almost ever-present in the TV shows we watch. In addition to all of this, many graduate students listen to music all day in lab. Because we work so much, this means we could have music streaming(...)
Fuggetaboudit: Is Forgetfulness a Vice or a Virtue?
Where are my keys? What’s the name of that actor again? Did she say 3 or 4 o’clock? Forgetfulness is a part of life, albeit often an inconvenient one. If you find yourself wishing you would never forget anything, you may want to reconsider. Neuroscientists are beginning to uncover the molecular mechanisms of forgetting. With(...)
When Doing Science Isn’t Enough: Critical Issues in Science Policy
I used to feel like doing science was my way of putting good into the world. I would work on problems related to human health and make discoveries that could be implemented to help people. Recently, however, I have come to realize that research cannot possibly help people unless it is adequately reflected in policy.(...)
The Puppets of Parasites
We’ve all experienced illnesses where parasites or small infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses are the culprits. But what happens when those pathogens start to influence the behavior of their hosts? Here I’ll discuss three different parasites that manipulate host behavior, delineate some potential mechanisms for their influence and outline some of the theory(...)
Hypnosis: Trick or Treatment?
A couple of weeks ago I indulged in a morsel of nostalgia along with my fellow millennials and went to see Incredibles 2. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that the villain uses hypnosis as a weapon. When I exited the theater and stepped out into the musky night, I was in a post-movie(...)
LGBTQ+ Health Disparities: Compassionate Care Is Admitting Ignorance
On Tuesday, May 1, I attended the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine-hosted seminar titled The Role of Health Care Professionals in Reducing LGBTQ Health Disparities, given by Andrew Hollenbach, an alumnus of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Hollenbach is an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics and the co-director of the basic science(...)
That’s Not Fair! — The Neuroscience of Injustice
As a kid you probably found some decisions by your parents utterly unjust. Perhaps you proclaimed, “That’s not fair!” when you were forced to eat spinach, or if your sibling got something you didn’t. As adults, we still experience intense sensations of injustice, sometimes in response to more serious issues such as human rights, health(...)
The Voices in Our Head – How Can We Tell They’re Ours?
As you read this sentence you probably hear the words articulated in your mind. You likely hear that same voice as you decide what to order at Chipotle or silently play out a future social interaction. This phenomenon is known as inner speech and it is estimated that we spend about a quarter of our(...)