A selection of science-based books from the year that together shine new light on who we are and why we think and act as we do.

Creative activities such as painting, dancing, playing music or expressive writing are known to ease distress, invigorate communities, improve learning and academic achievement, and simply to bring us ...

The following is an excerpt from Your Brain On Art: How The Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. Disclaimer: When you purchase products through the Bookshop.org link on this page, Science ...

THE first essay I wrote was about how much I hated my yellow bedroom. The walls were yellow. The blinds were yellow. Even the white furniture reflected the nauseating colour at me like a disco ball.

One of my favorite sayings comes from David Thoreau: “My life has been the poem I would have writ / But I could not both live and utter it.” It speaks to the way that life and art are intertwined, and ...

When Susan Magsamen made the decision to end her first marriage, she faced emotional and difficult days working through not only her own feelings but those of her young sons. It took a lump of one ...

Art helps our brains build neural pathways. Since it was released in 1987, the anti-drug ad “your brain on drugs” has become iconic. But what about your brain on art? GBH Arts and Culture reporter ...

This interview originally appeared on “Universe Of Art,” a new podcast from Science Friday that focuses on artists who use science to take their creations to the next level. Listen wherever you get ...

Years ago, I worked with an emergency room nurse I’ll call Lisa, who sought my help after a horrific day in the emergency room. “We lost a child today due to child abuse. The little one’s body was so ...