Long before humans started writing, our ancestors made simple patterns containing grids, angles and repetitive lines. But it isn’t clear exactly how we went from there to creating an actual written language some 5,000 years ago. It is especially mysterious given that the part of the brain that processes visual information, the visual cortex, evolved over the course of millions of years in a world where reading and writing didn’t exist. Now Derek Hodgson says he has come up with an answer – with a little help from neuroscience.

Being aware of internal body sensations, such a noticing your heart beat or feeling pain, is called interoception. And researchers have discovered that people with eating disorders have a poorer ability in reading these signals. This knowledge, say Melissa Barker and Rebecca Brewer, could help to develop new treatments for these deadly psychiatric disorders.

Britain seemed on the verge of a moral panic last week, after schools, police, and newspapers issued dire warnings about an online “suicide game” encouraging children to self-harm. But the so-called Momo challenge isn’t real, just the latest example of a digital hoax that fooled many people who should have known better. Lisa Sugiura and Anne Kirby argue that this kind of hysteria is more likely to harm worried parents than their digital-savvy children.

Contact us here to have your event listed.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here