Andres Breivik, the 32-year-old Norwegian man who killed 77 people and injured 151 others in July, was declared insane by state psychiatrists in Oslo on Tuesday. After planting a car bomb near government buildings in Oslo that killed eight people on July 22, Breivik drove to a political youth camp on Utoeya island and gunned down 69 people, many of whom were teens. In an online manifesto that was found later, Breivik claimed to be defending Europe from an Islamic invasion enabled by Norway's Labour Party and the European Union. Alexander Levi, a lawyer in Oslo, discusses the likelihood of Breivik facing a prison sentence after being declared insane.

Scientists have found that babies can become fluent in foreign languages at an extremely fast rate; one that begins to slow down by their first birthday. What is it about the make-up of their brains as newborns that gives them this ability? Could adults train their brains to be more like the brains of babies?

For Dr. Anthony Ritaccio, the idea of being a human-cyborg isn't just something of science fiction books, but a real world possibility. Ritaccio was born without his right hand, and through his work, as the director of the Epilepsy and Human Brain Mapping Program at the Albany Medical Center and J. Spencer Standish Professor of Neurology at the Albany Medical College, he has learned to map intentions of the human brain. In his lab, Ritaccio is mapping out the electrical layout of the brain, in hopes of building interactions that will one day change the lives of millions of Americans with physical and mental disabilities.

According to a new report, scientists have come one step closer in the development of neuroprosthetics that may help restore memory loss. A brain implant, tested in rats, successfully restored lost memories and strengthened old ones. Its use in humans will require far more research. Benedict Carey, science reporter for The New York Times, explains the findings.

A new study shows a way to identify traumatic brain injuries, which have been previously undetectable lending light on why some people exhibit signs of brain injury even while CT and MRI scans are normal. This may have implications for military personnel who survive blasts to be deemed healthy even while they feel the effects of brain trauma. Dr. David L. Brody is the senior author the study says this is a "small, but important step forward... This method is a research method, not available yet for clinical practice."

In America, we’re told from the time we’re born that there’s no one else like us in the world, and that our unique personalities really and truly are one of a kind. But is this really true? And if so, how did our personalities get the way they are? Is there any way to change our personalities to make our lives easier?

We’re going to take a bit of a risk today, and try to explain the science of something extremely visual in a primarily auditory medium. We’re going to talk about magic, why sleight-of-hand works, and what it says about how our brains function. Warning: magic spoilers ahead!

When you hear the word "genius," you might think of Einstein, Mozart, or Da Vinci. But how they became geniuses is the subject of debate. Where they born that way? Or does it come from sheer tenacity? 

We begin a week-long conversation about genius and how any of us can get that way. David Shenk, author of "The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told about Genetics, Talent, and IQ is Wrong," tells us about some surprising research about what it takes to, as he puts it, "get good at stuff." Turns out it's not as hard as you might think.

A few weeks ago, Roz Chast, esteemed New Yorker cartoonist, created a cartoon that had us all charmed. It depicted an imaginary "Google Magazine" with story titles like "Capitol Nebraska What" and "Parakeet Molasses Safe." For this week's tech segment, we talk with Roz about how she came up with her cartoon, and how Google has become a regular part of her life.

Today in The Takeaway's Science segment, we talk about neuroscience. A handful of new studies suggest that in matters of weight loss, will power could lose out to brainpower. The brain, which is an organ designed to seek out calories, could outsmart the tricks we play on it, such as drinking diet soft drinks. Joining The Takeaway to talk about the brains behind our bulk is Jonah Lehrer. He is The Takeaway’s science contributor and author of the books "How We Decide" and "Proust Was a Neuroscientist." Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington Correspondent also joins the conversation to talk about how health policy could be used to encourage better eating habits.

Talk about turning a notion on its head. What if your coveted winter vacation—the time when you leave the bitter, snowy cold behind and head for a few days of palm trees—could actually add to your winter blues? New research in psychology shows that interruptions from things we dislike may make us detest them all the more, whereas interruptions from doing something we really adore say, watching an episode of Friday Night Lights may highlight our appreciation. Benedict Carey, a science reporter from the New York Times, joins The Takeaway to explain.

Read his story on the dreaded commercial break Liked the Show? Maybe It Was the Commercials in today's New York Times.