Anil Seth explores Consciousness (BS 188)
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BS 188 is a fascinating interview with neuroscientist Anil Seth about his new book Being You: A New Science of Consciousness. He shares his Beast Machine theory of consciousness.
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David Eagleman explores Brain Plasticity (BS 187)
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BS 187 is an interview with bestselling author and neuroscientist David Eagleman’s latest book Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain.
Read MoreUnderstanding Action Potentials (spikes) with Mark Humphries (BS 186)
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Episode 186 features Mark Humphries, author of The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds. We explore how the brain uses electrical signaling in surprising ways, beginning with a look at how an action potential (aka. "the spike") is produced. This episode is for listeners of all backgrounds.
Read MoreStephen Fleming: The Science of Self-Awareness (BS 185)
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Episode 185 features Stephen Fleming , author of Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness.
Read MoreJeff Hawkins describes a new theory of Intelligence (BS 183)
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BS 183 features the return of Jeff Hawkins and we talk about his new book A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence, which shares the results of nearly two decades of research.
Read MoreIris Berent author of "The Blind Storyteller" (BS 182)
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Brain Science 182 features an interview with Iris Berent, author of The Blind Storyteller: How We Reason About Human Nature. We explore how our inborn biases toward dualism and essentialism influence our response to both science and mental illness.
Read MoreSir Simon Baron-Cohen talks about "The Pattern Seekers" (BS 181)
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BS 181 features Sir Simon Baron-Cohen who was recently knighted for his contributions to autism research. We talk about his new book The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention.
Read MoreBruce Goldstein on "The Mind" (BS 180)
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BS 180 features E Bruce Goldstein, author of The Mind: Consciousness, Prediction, and the Brain. It is a great episode for listeners of all backgrounds and highly recommended to share with potential new listeners.
Read MoreA Review of 2020 (BS 179)
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BS 179 is our 14th Annual Review Episode where we review the highlights and reflect on which ideas connected the diverse guests featured 2020. It is a great place to start if you are new to the show.
Read More"What is Health?" with Peter Sterling (BS 178)
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Brain Science 178 features Peter Sterling, author of What Is Health?: Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design. We explore the importance of the brain’s ability to predict the body’s needs (allostasis) and its role in human health and disease.
Read MoreBernard Baars: "On Consciousness" (BS 177)
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BS 177 is an interview with Dr. Bernard Baars, creator of the Global Workspace Theory that lead to many contemporary theories about how the brain generates conscious experience. He is joined by his colleague Dr. David Edelman.
Read MoreSeth Grant talks about Synapse Complexity (BS 176)
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BS 176 is my fifth interview with molecular biologist and neuroscientist Dr. Seth Grant from The University of Edinburgh. Dr. Grant was recently recognized for his pioneering work by the Federation of European Neuroscientists. He continues to make fundamental discoveries about the structure and function of the synapse and this month we discuss the discovery that synapse complexity and diversity is greater than expected, along with the implications of these discoveries.
Dr. Grant first appeared on Brain Science back in 2008. So in this interview, I also asked him to take us back through some of the key discoveries of his career. These include the discovery that the synapse is much more complex than previously assumed and the fact that this complexity preceded the evolution of animals with brains. More recently he has discovered that synapses are also more diverse than expected and that those in some parts of the brain are more complex than others.
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Links and References:
Seth Grant: University of Edinburgh
FENS EJN Award 2020
Cizeron M, Qiu Z, Koniaris B, et al. A brainwide atlas of synapses across the mouse life span. Science. 2020;369(6501):270-275. doi:10.1126/science.aba3163
Additional references are available in the episode transcript and in the show notes for previous episodes (Listed below)
Dr. Grant’s Previous Brain Science Interviews:
BSP 51: our first introduction to synapse complexity and evolution
BS 101: The role of the synapse in learning and disease
BS 137: How synapses change through out the lifespan
BS 150: Introducing the Synaptome and why it matters
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"The Spontaneous Brain" with Georg Northoff (BS 174)
/BS 174 is an interview with Georg Northoff about his book The Spontaneous Brain: From the Mind–Body to the World–Brain Problem. We explore the surprising discovering that much of the brain’s activity is entirely independent of inputs from the senses, how this spontaneous activity interacts with stimuli, and the implications of these discoveries on our understanding of how the brain generates conscious experience.
Read More"Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty" (BS 173)
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Brain Science 173 features host Dr. Ginger Campbell reading an excerpt from her bestseller Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty. She explains why this topic is extremely relevant during these times of of extreme uncertainty.
Read More"The Brain from Inside Out" with György Buzsáki (BS 172)
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In BS 172 we talk with neuroscientist György Buzsáki about his new book The Brain from Inside Out . Several key ideas emerge including the importance of the brain’s spontaneous activity and the implications for learning and memory.
Read MoreMatthew Cobb on "The Idea of the Brain" (BS 171)
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BS 171 is an interview with neuroscientist Matthew Cobb about his latest book The Idea of the Brain. We explore how culture and the history of ideas has influenced the history of neuroscience. We also talk about why the current computer metaphor provides an inadequate framework for understanding what the brain actually does.
Read More"A Brain for Numbers" with Andreas Nieder (BS 170)
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BS 170 is an interview with Andreas Nieder, author of A Brain for Numbers: The Biology of the Number Instinct. We explore the surprising discovery that there appears to be a universal approximate number system that is shared across species and forms the basis for the symbolic mathematics that is unique to humans.
Read MoreGlial Cells with Doug Fields (BS 169)
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BS 169 is an encore presentation of my interview with R. Douglas Fields, author of The Other Brain: The Scientific and Medical Breakthroughs That Will Heal Our Brains and Revolutionize Our Health. Ten years ago these discoveries about glial cells were controversial, but now they are mainstream neuroscience. Listen to learn why glial cells are essential to our health.
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Stephen Macknik works on Prosthetic Vision (BS 166)
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Brain Science 166 is an interview with neuroscientist Stephen Macknik about recent efforts to development a new visual prosthesis based on recent discoveries about vision. His technique also involves tools like optogenetics. This week’s episode is more technical than usual but Dr. Macknik makes his work accessible to all listeners.
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