Spiders in Budapest: Deeper Understanding of the Brain – Education & Teacher Conferences Skip to main content

Spiders in Budapest: Deeper Understanding of the Brain

“Why can I forget what the capital of Hungary is, but not that I’m afraid of spiders?”

Michael S. C. Thomas kicks off his website “How The Brain Works” with this intriguing question.

Dr. Thomas is a good person to ask. In the first place, he directs the Centre for Educational Neuroscience. He knows from brains.

In the second, he’s got a lively writing voice. Better than most, he can explain important brain concepts without being pedantic, and without relying on Latinate jargon.

The website covers several helpful topics: the importance of sleep, the structure of synapses, the reasons brains have two hemispheres. (And: why being “left-brained” really isn’t a thing.)

I recommend this website as a lively introduction to (or review of) important neuroscience information.

And: if you want to know the answer to that spider/Hungary question, click here.


Recent Blogs

From Facts to Application: The Surprising Power of Repeated Retrieval
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

The more time you've spent in Learning and the Brain...

From Lab to Life: Testing Study Strategies with 2,500+ Real Students
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

Research-based conclusions often appeal to us because of their tidy...

Research Reality Check: ‘More Is Better’ Doesn’t Always Apply to Learning Strategies
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

We've got lots of strong research suggesting that drawing can...