Admit it: Your maths could be better. Well, neuroscientist Roi Cohen Kadosh might have just the thing. He is using the gentle currents of tDCS to improve the way people handle numbers. He gave subjects the task of learning a set of numbers. Then half of the subjects got stimulation and half did not. After training, the stimulated subjects responded more automatically than the non-stimulated group, indicating that they were processing them more efficiently. Remarkably, Cohen Kadosh says, “the effect lasted for six months.”
However, the effects of training on their own can go some way to explaining the improvement seen in these studies, Jenny Crinion says. So one lesson the studies can teach us is about the power of putting in the hours. Plus, the stimulation does not work in isolation. “Whatever you’re practicing has to be the right thing and you need to pair this with stimulation in the right bit of the brain,” she says.
What if the brain is not infinitely malleable? “If I improve your ability in one cognitive area, such as memory, could I at the same time be making it worse in another?” Chambers asks.
This has not stopped commercial companies from pricking up their ears. Medical technology firms such as Soterix and Magstim supply researchers with their kit, but do not sell to the general public, though some outfits have sprung up offering DIY versions for US$99.
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) has long wielded influence through the power of words. Her articles once served as a moral compass for a society in transition. However, as her April 1 guest article in the New York Times, “The Clock Is Ticking for Taiwan,” makes all too clear, even celebrated prose can mislead when romanticism clouds political judgement. Lung crafts a narrative that is less an analysis of Taiwan’s geopolitical reality than an exercise in wistful nostalgia. As political scientists and international relations academics, we believe it is crucial to correct the misconceptions embedded in her article,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
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