Issue | October 2021 | Number Sense | The Scientist Magazine®

Features

Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2021 | 10+ min read

Our perception of quantity, separate from counting or estimation of magnitude more generally, is foundational to human cognition, according to some neuroscientists.

Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the unicellular yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, known as Baker's or Brewer's yeast.

Yeast Models Provide New Insights into Neurodegenerative Diseases

Mahlon Collins | Oct 1, 2021 | 10+ min read

The single-celled fungus allows researchers to study Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and other brain diseases with unparalleled speed and scale.

Contributors

Meet some of the people featured in the October 2021 issue of The Scientist.

Editorial

Our Aching Brains

COVID-19 has killed more than 4 million people around the globe and has sickened many millions more. The neurological toll on those of us continuing to live through the pandemic may stretch years or decades into the uncertain future.

Speaking of Science

Ten Minute Sabbatical

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.

Critic at Large

Illustration showing a laboratory scientist group studying the human brain and psychology

Opinion: Neuroscientists Need to Think about Sex (Bias)

The myth of female variability is shaping what we know about our brains.

Notebook

Power of thinking, abstract imagination, world, universe inside your mind, watercolor painting

The Link Between Wandering and Sleeping Minds

Researchers discover that when the mind wanders or goes blank, some parts of the brain behave as they do during sleep.

Experiment Gone Awry Suggests Novel Way to Combat Hypoxia

While exploring suspended animation in mice, scientists discover how an enzyme can protect the brain from dangerously low levels of oxygen.

The Literature

Photograph of a mouse covering his face with his paw.

Bless You: Mouse Model Reveals Molecular Pathway Behind Sneezing

Researchers have identified specific cells and neuropeptides involved in mediating the sneeze response in mice exposed to allergens or chemical irritants such as capsaicin.

Illustration of a brain on a clock with a figure of a man moving the clock arms

Human “Time Cells” Encode, Process Flow of Time

Neurons in the hippocampus store information on the timing of experiences in addition to their content, helping to mediate sequential memory recall, a new study shows.

Image of nerve fibers shown in green and red

Neurons Simplify Visual Signals by Responding to Only One Retina

Mice have neurons that connect to both eyes but only propagate the signal from one or the other, simplifying the information sent to the cerebral cortex.

Scientist to Watch

Bianca Jones Marlin Traces How Sensory Inputs Shape the Brain

The Columbia University neuroscientist researches the biology behind some of our most human experiences, including building family relationships.

Bio Business

Brain cells with electrical firing. 3D rendering.

Microglia as Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Pharmaceutical companies ramp up efforts to get the brain’s immune cells to help treat Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions, but not everyone agrees the approach will be effective.

Reading Frames

Problem plastic bottles and microplastics floating in the open ocean

Opinion: Plastic Pollution May Endanger Brains

Plastic waste pervades every ecosystem on Earth and is likely affecting neurobiology as well.

Foundations

Falling Water, Rising Rocks, 1834

Intrigued by an optical illusion he experienced while traveling in Scotland, Robert Addams wrote what is now considered one of the definitive observational accounts of so-called motion aftereffects.

Infographics

Infographic: The Neural Pathway of Sneezing

A mouse study identifies the brain regions and specific signaling factors that regulate the sneeze response.

Numerosity Around the Animal Kingdom

Research in recent decades has explored how animals other than humans perceive different numbers of objects

Illustration of a Macaque viewing patterns of dots on a screen

Infographic: Single-Cell Recordings Identify “Number Neurons”

Some nerve cells in the brains of macaques respond selectively to particular numbers, hinting at a specialized pathway for extracting information about numerical quantity.