Simon is director of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, and Professor of Language and Genetics at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, both in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is interested in tracing the functional links between genes, brains and human traits like speech, language and reading. Simon’s research aims for a multi-disciplinary viewpoint, trying to integrate data from genomics, psychology, neuroscience, developmental biology and evolutionary anthropology. He is keen on 
communicating science in an accessible but accurate way, on Twitter (@ProfSimonFisher) and beyond. He has given talks at international conferences across a diverse range of fields, and spoken to school, student and public audiences, including at the Rome Science Festival and New Scientist Live. Simon is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, awards include the Francis Crick Lecture and Medal, and the Eric Kandel Young Neuroscientists Prize.
Dear readers, as it’s August again we would like to welcome you to another roundup of research related shows on at the various festivals hosted in Edinburgh in the next few weeks. These include the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, its more prestigious elder, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the Edinburgh International TV Festival. As we have done in previous years we would like to provide suggestions for research-related shows and events for any Research the Headlines readers who may be visiting Edinburgh this month.
All this week we’ve been showcasing the work of students who have been “researching the headlines” as part of their undergraduate studies. Their task was to describe an original research report exploring how lifestyle affects brain health in a manner accessible to non-experts, as well as evaluating the media coverage of the research. If you’re interested in using this approach in your own teaching, you can contact Alan Gow (A.J.Gow@hw.ac.uk) for more information and materials.
For our final “brain blog”, we have…
Do we really lose it if we don’t use it?
by Chloe Meek
All this week we’re showcasing the work of students who have been “researching the headlines” as part of their undergraduate studies. Their task was to describe an original research report exploring how lifestyle affects brain health in a manner accessible to non-experts, as well as evaluating the media coverage of the research. If you’re interested in using this approach in your own teaching, you can contact Alan Gow (A.J.Gow@hw.ac.uk) for more information and materials.
Next up in the “brain blog” showcase, we have…
Say “I do” to a healthier mind
by Aaron Irving
All this week we’re showcasing the work of students who have been “researching the headlines” as part of their undergraduate studies. Their task was to describe an original research report exploring how lifestyle affects brain health in a manner accessible to non-experts, as well as evaluating the media coverage of the research. If you’re interested in using this approach in your own teaching, you can contact Alan Gow (A.J.Gow@hw.ac.uk) for more information and materials.
Next up in the “brain blog” showcase, we have…
Does Aerobic Exercise Improve Alzheimer’s Symptoms In Older Age?
by Kae Cynn Wong
At Research the Headlines we explore how research is discussed in the media. We try to add additional details to existing coverage, or help our readers get a clearer understanding of how new research might make its way from “lab to headline”. Through different activities, we also help others develop the skills needed to become more critical consumers of both research and media reporting; for example, via our How to “Research the Headlines” series and our “Rewrite the Headlines” workshops and competition for primary school children.
In recent weeks there have been lots of of stories in the news about volcanic eruptions that are currently occurring, most notable Kilauea, Hawaii and just last week Fuego, Guatemala. Both of these eruptions have been devastating in one way or another for the local populations who live in the shadow of these two volcanoes, but the risks at each volcano are different.
This post was written by Margarita Kanevski and Sinead Rhodes
A few weeks ago we spoke about the media coverage of Richard Bacon’s diagnosis of ADHD. A second ADHD related story was covered in the media within the same timeframe. The headline ‘ADHD sufferers have smaller brains’ and ‘Children with ADHD have smaller brain size, study says’ appeared in the news. These headlines relate to recent findings that 4-5-year-old pre-schoolers who showed ADHD symptoms had lower cortical volume than children without signs of ADHD. So what is the evidence behind the headlines?
This post was written by Margarita Kanevski and Sinead Rhodes
During a recent school visit, Prince Harry and his fiancé Meghan Markle embarked on a journey to urge young girls to take up STEM subjects. STEM is an acronym that stands for the learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and royalty are not the only ones pushing to narrow the gender gap across these subject areas. With consistently growing technological innovations, the demand for STEM skills is rising, yet there is an alarming shortage of female students and employees in STEM fields, further fuelling the gender wage gap.
This post was written by Margarita Kanevski and Sinead Rhodes
More and more celebrities are publically speaking out about their ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – diagnosis. ADHD is a common childhood disorder, figures vary across the U.K. but many reports converge on a figure of just under 1% of school-aged children diagnosed with the condition in the UK. Our previous blogs posts on this topic have included those about will.i.am – a famous American musician, and Rory Bremner – a Scottish comedian and impressionist. This week another public figure caught the eye of media headlines – Richard Bacon, an English TV and radio presenter, recently diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 42. Bacon is probably best known for his high profile role in the children’s show Blue Peter from which he was dismissed following revelations about illegal substance use. In a recent interview with The Sun the TV star opened up how having ADHD symptoms affected him: “I was going out too late and drinking too much…” he said “It was causing pain and chaos and I was tired all the time.” Bacon went on to talk about how his life has improved since his recent diagnosis “I’m so much better, I’m sleeping a lot better, only drinking a couple of times a week and a lot less… If I’d been diagnosed in my twenties the cocaine debacle wouldn’t have happened.”
