"Fnord" (/fnɔːrd/) is a word coined in 1965 by Kerry Thornley and Greg Hill in the Discordian religious text Principia Discordia. It entered into popular culture after appearing in The Illuminatus! Trilogy (1975) of novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. Here, the interjection "fnord" is given hypnotic power over the unenlightened, and children in grade school are taught to be unable to see the word consciously. For the rest of their lives, every appearance of the word subconsciously generates a feeling of unease and confusion which prevents rational consideration of the text in which it appears.

Imagine a busy restaurant: dishes clattering, music playing, people talking loudly over one another. It's a wonder that anyone in that kind of environment can focus enough to have a conversation. A new study by researchers at Brown University's Carney Institute for Brain Science provides some of the most detailed insights yet into the brain mechanisms that help people pay attention amid such distraction, as well as what's happening when they...

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Researchers have developed a way to measure stress in baby chicks using vocalizations, offering new insights into animal emotions.

Human echolocation repurposes parts of the brain’s visual cortex for sound, even in sighted people

The agency endorsed additional doses for people at high risk.

The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it's happening right now.

Hurricane Kristy is forecast to continue strengthening Wednesday as it remains away from land, according to the National Hurricane Center.

McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers have been linked to an outbreak of E. coli, a bacteria that can make people sick. Here's what to know.

Locate X was used to track an Alabama resident’s phone as they made several stops along the highway until they got to a Florida abortion clinic.

“Climate change comes with irreversible consequences.”

The Danish political scientist Bjorn Lomborg has told the US cable host its biggest threat is not the climate crisis, but do his claims stack up?

How deeply someone can be hypnotized—known as hypnotizability—appears to be a stable trait that changes little throughout adulthood, much like personality and IQ. But now, for the first time, Stanford Medicine researchers have demonstrated a way to temporarily heighten hypnotizablity—potentially allowing more people to access the benefits of hypnosis-based therapy.

Scientists found that the molecule KIBRA helps stabilize memory by binding to PKMζ, an enzyme that strengthens brain connections, allowing memories to last for years despite the constant turnover of proteins in the brain.

The woman was safely rescued, sustaining just scratches and bruises, in the rescue earlier this month. However, she and officials were unable to retrieve her phone.

Scientists at NTNU's Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Norway have discovered a pattern of activity in the brain that serves as a template for building sequential experiences.

Food sold in shrink wrap, on cardboard trays or in paper containers might contain any of nearly 200 chemicals linked to breast cancer, a new study warns.

Destructive land use, mismanagement and climate change are fueling a water disaster set to wreak havoc on economies and lives, a new report warns

As of Friday afternoon, there are 13 confirmed human cases of the Bird flu in the state and hundreds of infected cows.