Neuron Culture's Top Ten of 2012

I wrote fewer features than usual this year, to give more time to my work on “Orchids and Dandelions,” the book I’m now slaving away at. But I was still able to find ten piece I wrote either here or for other publications that I feel good about offering in a “best of 2012” spirit. […]
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I wrote fewer features than usual this year, to give more time to my work on "Orchids and Dandelions," the book I'm now slaving away at. But I was still able to find ten piece I wrote either here or for other publications that I feel good about offering in a "best of 2012" spirit. Hope you enjoy, and thanks, immensely, for reading.

They Froze for bet365体育赛事 — and Got the Eggs,
Neuron Culture
Incalculable suffering, immeasurable futililty, unmatchable grace.
What the "worst journey in the world" shows about great science.

__Can Genes Send You High or Low? The Orchid Hypothesis A-Bloom __
Neuron Culture
An update on the orchid-dandelion hypothesis.

Orchids

Madness, Genius, & Sherman's Ruthless March*Neuron Culture
*Sherman's empathy was inextricable from his cruelty,
his madness from his genius.

SMILE: The Astonishing Destructive Power of Positive Thinking*Download The Universe
*Frightening how much fun I had savaging this book.
"To glaze this donut, Gutman turns to science.
He finds many studies but, apparently, few commas."

__Batman Returns: How Culture Shapes Muddle Into Madnes__s*Neuron Culture

  • In the wake of the Aurora shootings, I ask:
    How does culture shapes the expression of mental dysfunction?

The Hole in My Brain: Amnesia’s Lessons About Memory, Depression, and Love*Story Collider
*Struggling to find my kids' preschool, I wander all over my hippocampus.

Smart is the Norm, Stupidity Gets More InterestingThe New York Times.
The first of my "Mind" columns at the Times.
Inspired by Kevin Mitchell's The genetics of stupidity.

__The New Temper Tantrum Disorde__r*Slate

  • A new diagnosis says more about problems with psychiatry
    than about problems with kids.

Restless Genes*National Geographic
*How a long conversation between genes and culture has shaped our exploratory urge.

A New Focus on the 'Post' in Post-Traumatic Stress*New York Times
*What if the 'traumatic event' isn't the traumatic event?


(Photo by Faugel, Some rights reserved.)