Question: whats your favourite discovery?

Joe Bathelt answered on 10 Nov 2016:

That’s surprisingly difficult. There are so many fascinating findings that it’s hard to pick one. I think one of my favourite studies from the last ten years is an investigation of how learning something new can change the brain. In this study, people were scanned before and after learning to juggle. The results showed that practicing to juggle for a few weeks lead to the strengthening of connections within the brain. Not too long ago, scientists thought that the adult brain cannot be changed, but this study and others changed that view by demonstrating changes even within relatively short time. I think that this is also a very positive story for everyone, because it means that we can adapt to new challenges.