I’ve just written a book about the science of walking – how we do it, why we do it, where we do it, and why it’s good for us. I’m often asked about country walking (which I enjoy), but, If I’m honest about it, I generally prefer urban to rural walking. It’s right on my… Read More

I’ve read a lot of books in the past year – some good, some not so good. I want to highlight a book published in 2013 that I came late to: ‘Daily Rituals – How Artists Work’ by @masoncurrey. This book is an absolute delight from start to finish. It really is enthralling. How do… Read More

Context: there are many things wrong with academic publishing (the financial winners and losers from the unpaid burden of peer review, for a start). But here’s a simple one: the house style for referencing for journals is utterly inconsistent, user unfriendly and a staggering waste of time. It would make life easier for everyone if… Read More

In Praise of Walking is now available in hardback, paperback and Audible versions. You can get it via: Amazon.com Amazon.uk PenguinRandomHouse Audible Some reviews: New Scientist: ‘’informative and persuasive enough to rouse the most ardent couch potato’ The Times: “Fascinating … O’Mara argues [walking] is intimately connected to our bodies, our brains, and ultimately how we exist… Read More

Originally posted on Psychological Science Accelerator:
The Psychological Science Accelerator (PSA), a network of 300 labs collaborating to collect large-scale international samples of psychological data, is currently accepting study proposals from all areas of psychological science. Anyone can submit a proposal, whether or not they are a member of the PSA. Our mission is to…

My first thread on twitter: It’s a stinking wet evening, I’m on the train on the way home after doing an extra-mural lecture, and I want to float some musical hypotheses as a distraction from my wet shoes. Hypothesis #1: I’ve been listening to do Radiohead’s OK Computer again – it is still, by turns,… Read More

Originally posted on NeuroBanter:
So today I’d been planning to write about a new paper from our lab, just out in Neuropsychologia, in which we show how people without synaesthesia can be trained, over a few weeks, to have synaesthesia-like experiences – and that this training induces noticeable changes in their brains. It’s interesting stuff,…

From Quartz “It was when he became a father that Michael Briggs resolved to somehow bring his ulcerative colitis under control. He was determined to avoid what many people with the disease end up needing—having part or all of their large intestine removed. A trained scientist, manager of a physics lab at the University of… Read More

Originally posted on gcbias:
You might not like to admit it, but you’re related to me. It’s very unlikely that you’re my sibling (I’m not even sure if my family read these posts). You’re one of over seven billion people alive today, and I have only one sister, so the chance that you as a…

Breathing above the brainstem: Volitional control and attentional modulation in humans.  Authors Jose Luis Herrero1, Simon Khuvis2, Erin Yeagle2, Moran Cerf3, and Ashesh D. Mehta4,* 1Feinstein Institute for Medical Research   2Laboratory of Human Brain Mapping,Feinstein Institute for Medical Research   3Northwestern University   4Hofstra North Shore LIJ School of Medicine and Feinstein Institute for… Read More