So far only two types of mental exertion have been shown to improve or preserve overall cognitive ability.
One is musical training; the other is learning a new language, or practising a second one you have already learned.
This story is from the June 2017 edition of BBC Knowledge.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2017 edition of BBC Knowledge.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Are We Close To Making Our Home Away From Earth?
Our exploration of the cosmos is hampered by our bodies and minds, which struggle in space. So could we ever overcome our Biology and settle among the stars?
Snapshots
This blue and white harlequin shrimp was snapped
Tragedy On The Matterhorn
The conquest of the last great Alpine peak in 1865 should have been a triumph, but instead ended in the deaths of four climbers. Peter H Hansen examines its impact on attitudes to mountaineers
Lake Of Giants
In the Peruvian Amazon, a family of giant otters fends off hundreds of caiman to dominate a lake. Only through teamwork and guile can they beat their reptilian rivals, says PHILIPPA FORRESTER.
The Transformation Of Indra
Indra is within us, writes mythology expert DEVDUTT PATTANAIK, as he traces the changing perceptions of the god, in the first of a series on Indian mythologies history Indian Mythology
Cockatoos Got Rhythm
Birds might generally be better known for their singing, but new research carried out by Prof Rob Heinsohn from the Australian National University (ANU) has proved they can also be a dab hand on the drums.
Computational Origami Takes A Big Leap Forward
An MIT professor of computer science and an assistant professor in civil engineering at the University of Tokyo have joined forces to come up with a better way of… making paper rabbits.
Questions at theFrontiersof..Probability
It’s not all about tossing countless coins and rolling dice, says Robert Matthews. Probability researchers are also working on ways to unravel the secrets of the universe
ARevealing History of Underwear
From riotously colourful corsets and ‘virile’ Y-fronts to punk-rock leggings, underwear has long possessed a rare ability to push creative boundaries and spark moral outrage. Edwina Ehrman, curator of a new Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition, introduces Spencer Mizen to seven of the most influential designs of the past 300 years
King Of The Mountains
Picture a primate that grazes like a cow, climbs cliffs like a mountain goat and forms groups as big as shoals of fish. Noah Snyder-Mackler introduces Ethiopia’s gelada.
