Understanding the Human Brain

Where do character traits like creativity and humor originate? By studying nerve tissue and building a computational model, neuroscientist Giorgio Ascoli and his team of researchers at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study are trying to answer this fundamental question.

World-renowned climatologist Jagadish Shukla has devoted much of his career to setting—and keeping—the facts and data straight on climate change and how this science affects different sectors of society. Shukla is a lead author and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the organization that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former vice president Al Gore.

Gratitude, meaningful relationships, and living in the present moment are three essential ingredients to living a happy life, according to psychology professor Todd Kashdan. In several new studies, he has found it’s the best way to achieve happiness.

Once thought to be a strictly American phenomenon, childhood obesity rates are soaring in nations still plagued with hunger and poverty. Nutritional anthropologist Lisa Pawloski has found a number of factors contribute to this phenomenon including a rise in two-income families and fast food restaurants.

Why are some things addictive and others not? Whether they are a narcotic or a cigarette, all things addictive have something in common—the reward pathway in the brain. “It is thought that anything that can perturb this pathway has addictive properties,” says molecular neuroscientist Nadine Kabbani.