Mapping the Mind

Scientists find evidence of a perpetual evolutionary battle in the mind. The process, they suspect, is the key to individuality.

Smart children have a different rhythm in their heads — a seesaw pattern of growth that lags years behind other young people — say government scientists who mapped the brains of hundreds of children.

Sandra Witelson had studied scores of brains looking for gender differences. Then she found one that made a difference: Einstein’s.

Economic theory goes only so far in explaining why people buy, sell, save or trust. Scientists are looking inside the mind for answers.

Researchers scan for insight into how marketing may brand the brain’s preference for products and politicians.