Riches to rags: How the Buddha’s journey to enlightenment reimagined neurotherapeutics

Culture, Health, World / /

The accumulation of years, cognitive and physical decline, and reckoning with death’s inevitability drew the spoon-fed prince Siddhartha Gautama away from a life of copious riches and political popularity. While embarking outside his palace, the sight of a humble ascetic inspired a quest to understand the universal experience of suffering, or in other words, life. […]

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Fishing for happiness: Omega-3 and seasonal affective disorder

Environment, Health, Psychology / /

As the days get shorter and the weather colder, keeping that frown upside down becomes an arduous task. While you might think you have what it takes to bear the elements through sheer willpower, your genetics and neurochemistry disagree.  Studies of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in Iceland and in various regions globally show that genetics

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Cracking the code behind TikTok’s ‘For You’ algorithm

Technology, World / /

Taylor Swift. Northeastern memes. That concert you went to last weekend. Endless scrolling through countless short videos until you zone back into reality. This is a typical experience on TikTok’s “For You” page. Somehow, the mysterious TikTok algorithm never fails to yield an entertaining assortment of content, stealing hundreds of precious active hours with its

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Our brains on psychedelics: Getting creative in the treatment of mental illnesses

Health, Psychology, World / /

Bill Wilson co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930s. He had struggled with alcoholism since his early twenties and depression even longer. But while AA helped Wilson recover from alcoholism, he remained frustrated with available mental health treatments. So, in the ‘50s, he began collaborating with psychologist Betty Eisner and discovered the power of LSD. In

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Galaxy

Sunday Sci 10/01/23

Newsletter / /

Welcome to NU Sci’s new weekly newsletter! Every Sunday, we’ll brief you on the biggest stories in science — from every discipline, from Northeastern and around the world. Cosmic Courier: OSIRIS-REx’s Special Delivery Photo by Muhammad Elarbi, Computer Science, 2022 NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully returned to Earth last Sunday carrying valuable regolith from the asteroid

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