Science Archives

Lisa Feldman Barrett: “Emotions Don’t Happen to You”

What does Lisa Feldman Barrett say about emotions? How can it help you better understand your own emotions? According to neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett, emotions don’t simply happen to you, rather they are constructed by you depending on your past experiences. Barrett has spent years studying emotions in the human brain, publishing her book, How Emotions Are Made, to share her findings. Keep reading for Lisa Feldman Barrett’s surprising explanation of how you create your own emotions.

The Gene: An Intimate History (Book Overview)

What is Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene: An Intimate History about? What have we learned about genetics? The book The Gene: An Intimate History explores scientists’ efforts to learn about people by studying the genes that create us. The book traces the history of genetics from Darwin’s Origin of Species to modern gene sequencing technology, as well as taking a brief look at what genetic engineering might mean for humanity’s future. Here’s a brief overview of The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

Suzanne Simard’s Forest Research Results

What did Suzanne Simard’s forest research find? Why is it important to research forests? In her book Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard explains how she had a hunch that trees in a forest don’t grow in a monoculture (a single species growing alone). This prompted Simard’s thought that the forests might be more cooperative than competitive. Check out the results of Simard’s forest research.

How Birch Contributes to Douglas Fir Trees’ Health

What do Douglas fir trees need to survive? How do birch trees help Douglas trees? As part of her forest growth research, Suzanne Simard tested how birch trees and Douglas fir trees affected one another. She found that eliminating birch trees actually hurt Douglas trees. Below we’ll look at Suzanne’s findings from her book Finding the Mother Tree.

Suzanne Simard’s Mother Tree—Explained

What is Suzanne Simard’s “Mother Tree” concept? What do Mother Trees do? Ecologist Suzanne Simard explains in her book Finding the Mother Tree that trees in a forest are interconnected. Mother Trees connect to many of the other trees and take care of their communities. Read below for an explanation of Suzanne Simard’s Mother Tree concept.

Do Trees Talk to Each Other? In a Way, Yes

Do trees talk to each other? How do trees communicate with one another? In Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard says trees are intertwined via fungus in a complex resource-sharing network. She further claims that trees “talk” to each other via this network to share resources and nutrients. Keep reading to learn why trees talk to one another.

Finding the Mother Tree: Quotes About Forests

What are some quotes from Finding the Mother Tree? What can you learn from these quotes? In Finding the Mother Tree, ecologist Suzanne Simard explains her decades-long research on the relationships among trees in the forests of British Columbia. Simard shows the major dynamic among plant life in forests is cooperation and interdependence. Let’s look at three Finding the Mother Tree quotes that support her theory.

Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree: Overview

What is Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree about? What are the main takeaways of the book? Scientists and foresters have typically thought of trees as competing for water, sunlight, and nutrients. However, ecologist Suzanne Simard explains in Finding the Mother Tree that trees share resources through a complex underground network of fungi. Read below for a brief overview of Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree.

Debunking the Left Brain/Right Brain Myth

Are there really right-brained and left-brained people? What are the characteristics associated with right- and left- brain dominance? In pop psychology, people are described as either left-brained (analytical and orderly) or right-brained (creative and imaginative). However, this distinction doesn’t actually have any basis in neuroscience. The left brain/right brain myth has long been debunked, although we still use these terms to describe personality and thinking style. Here’s why the left brain/right brain theory is moot.

Psychology: Where Do Emotions Come From in the Brain?

Where do emotions come from in the brain, according to psychology? Do emotions come from a specific brain region? According to neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett, emotions cannot be linked only to a certain part of the brain, like your amygdala. Rather, Barrett has found a more complex explanation for how your brain processes emotion. Keep reading for Barrett’s groundbreaking explanation of where emotions come from in the brain.