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You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English, I'm Mark Griffiths.
A new study shows the bulk of human decision making may occur in one of the smallest parts of the brain.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia have discovered that the tiny lateral habenula plays a crucial role in calculated, cost-benefit decisions.
Researchers say these findings clarify the brain processes involved in the important decisions that we make on a daily basis, from choosing between job offers to deciding which house or car to buy.
According to the researchers, a broader understanding of this brain region may lead to new breakthroughs in psychiatric care and diagnosis. It also offers an explanation as to why blocking lateral habenula activity appears to alleviate major depressive disorder.
Turtles flock to Australia's West Island for two weeks every year to hatch their eggs — swelling the population on the island, which is home to just one permanent family of humans.
Indigenous Sea Rangers are carrying out research on the island to tag and monitor the local turtle population — and help keep it alive.
But rising costs are jeopardizing the future of the "Turtle Camp" project, which has been in operation for around a decade.
So now the rangers are going the way of numerous other environmentalists facing a funding shortage — they are turning to upmarket eco-tourism.
Basic tents and tarps have made room for three luxury tents in order to entice cashed-up volunteers.
It's hoped many more visitors will come, helping to protect this island's turtle population long into the future.
New research shows watching sport on television increases people's heart rate, just as a workout does.
Researchers at the University of Western Sydney found that when people watch a video of someone running, their heart rate and breathing rate increase.
They also noted that these measures return to normal when the person they are watching stops exercising.
For the first time, the researchers have also shown that muscle sympathetic nerve activity — the traffic of nerve impulses to the muscles — increases when people watch physical activity.
