Ballet is one of those things that just can’t really be categorized. It straddles the line between an art and a sport, blending an eye for visually beautiful movements with the body that supplies the physical power necessary. In fact, the rigid technique requires dancers to be even more aware of their bodies than the average person, making some knowledge of anatomy and biology necessary for the profession. In today’s BioBeyond, we’re going to talk a little bit about the biology of dance.

Nearly everyone experiences intrusive thoughts, which are disturbing thoughts that seemingly materialize out of nowhere. Any sort of disturbing thought that causes distress can be classified as intrusive thoughts, which can cause worry or anxiety. In today’s BioBeyond, we’re going to explore both the social side and scientific side of intrusive thoughts.Sources ListAbraham, M. (2020, October 10). Anxiety and intrusive thoughts: An introduction. Calm Clinic - Information about Anxiety, Stress and Panic. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/signs/intrusive-thoughtsBilodeau, K. (2021, October 1). Managing intrusive thoughts. Harvard Health. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/managing-intrusive-thoughtsScientists identify mechanism that helps us inhibit unwanted thoughts. University of Cambridge. (2017, November 3). Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/scientists-identify-mechanism-that-helps-us-inhibit-unwanted-thoughtsKühn, S., Schmiedek, F., Brose, A., Schott, B. H., Lindenberger, U., & Lövden, M. (2013). The neural representation of intrusive thoughts. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 8(6), 688–693. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nss047 Rebetez, M., Rochat, L., Barsics, C., & Van der Linden, M. (2018). Procrastination as a Self-Regulation Failure: The Role of Impulsivity and Intrusive Thoughts. Psychological reports, 121(1), 26–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294117720695 Koenig-Robert, R., & Pearson, J. (2020). Decoding Nonconscious Thought Representations during Successful Thought Suppression. Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 32(12), 2272–2284. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01617 Schmitz, T. W., Correia, M. M., Ferreira, C. S., Prescot, A. P., & Anderson, M. C. (2017). Hippocampal GABA enables inhibitory control over unwanted thoughts. Nature communications, 8(1), 1311. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00956-z Sreenivas, S. (2021, March 22). Intrusive thoughts: What are they? WebMD. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/intrusive-thoughts

Drug abuse is more prevalent than ever. This BioBeyond episode uses biology to explain the mechanisms of drug abuse, and explores cultural stigma surrounding drug addiction.