Do humans have the biggest brain?
Is it true that we only use 10% of our brain?
Is our brain turned off, while we are sleeping?

Find the answers to these questions here (around minute 35) (PT)

The video contest Invest in Our Future – Invest in Science, an initiative launched by a group of CNP members, is entering the Online Voting Phase this coming Monday (July 15th).

We have received some great videos, coming from near and far – Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Israel and UK, by individuals who want to show their support in Science and Research with fun short videos.

(…) let’s face it: academic life is very demanding, and so are kids and parenting. While it is early to say whether I will succeeded in both being a scientist and a mum, for I have been leading my own group for about only a year, and my sons are 18 months old, I should say that I was wrong when I thought developing a professional career and a family are exclusive endeavors. If you want to do it, have faith on yourself, get well organized, be sure you look for a supportive environment and ask for help. TONS of help!

Zach Mainen, Rui Costa and Isabel Campos were recently interviewed for “DOC Portugal”, a story about Science Research in Portugal that was broadcasted on RTP News.

This Grant will fund the research project “Circuits of Conspecific Observation”, which aims at unraveling how the brain uses defense behaviors as signals of danger and how it contributes to defense mechanisms at the population level.
Listen to Marta’s explanation of how this grant will impact future research in her lab.(PT)

What if we could actually see what individual neurons do in real time inside a living brain?

CNP researchers, Michael Orger and Sabine Renninger, tell all about how this is now possible to “Futuro Hoje” from SIC newscast.

Out of the 278 research projects that applied to the 2012 BIAL Foundation call only 27% of the projects were granted and CNP received 6 of these grants.

Congratulations to Joseph Paton, Adam Kampff, Catherine French, Michael Orger, Eugenia Chiappe and Ekaterina Vinnik.

Lisboa – Para pesquisadores brasileiros, a opção de estudar e trabalhar em Portugal vai além da facilidade de ter o mesmo idioma. As condições dos laboratórios, o acesso a recursos e a facilidade de contato com cientistas da União Europeia têm levado muitos brasileiros a se fixar em terras lusitanas.

Source: Agência Brasil

Evidence from previous studies has shown that the dorsal medial striatum is necessary for goal-directed actions while the dorsal lateral striatum is necessary for habitual actions. What was not known, and this new study published by Rui Costa in Nature Communications reveals, is that the orbital frontal cortex (OFC), is critical for shifting between these two types of actions.

A group of 25 students from the “Semester at Sea” ship visit, a study-away program for university students run by the University of Virginia-USA visited the CCU on August 16th.