Some neuroscientists have pegged an area of the brain known as the insula, which helps us detect what's going on within our bodies. But an unusual case of a man with extensive damage to this region suggests that the insula cannot be the sole source of self-awareness. Tucked deep inside the brain, the insula responds to pain, a full stomach, changes in body temperature, and other internal sensations. A research team led by SAHIB KHALSA and DAVID RUDRAUF of the University of Iowa studied the man's ability to detect visceral sensations, concluding that parallel pathways in the brain -- one involving the insula, the other involving the sense of touch -- mediate the ability to feel the heartbeat. A similar story appeared in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.