Encore interview with Eve Marder (BS 148)
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BS 148 is an interview with pioneering neuroscientist Dr. Eve Marder. It was recorded in 2009, but the content remains surprisingly relevant.
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Eve Marder's Life in Neuroscience (BS147)
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BS 147 is a discussion of Lessons from the Lobster: Eve Marder's Work in Neuroscience by Charlotte Nassim. I explain why I think Dr. Eve Marder deserves a Noble Prize for her life time of contributions to neuroscience. Please note that Marder’s original interview (BSP 56) is also now available for FREE download.
Read MoreBiological Mind with Alan Jasanoff (BS 146)
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BS 146 is an interview with Dr. Alan Jasanoff, author of The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are. We talk about how what he calls “the cerebral mystique” causes people to forget that the brain is not autonomous, but relies on its interaction with the body and its environment to create the Mind.
Read MoreThe Reading Brain with Maryanne Wolf (BS 145)
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BS 145 is an interview with Dr. Maryanne Wolf, author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain and Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century: The Literary Agenda. Dr Wolf has spent her career studying how the brain is changed by learning to read. We also explore her concerns about how the shift to digital media will change our reading brains.
Read MoreLanguage in the Brain (BS 144) with Angela Friederici
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BS 144 is an interview with Dr. Angela Friederici, author of Language in Our Brain: The Origins of a Uniquely Human Capacity. This is an extensive review of several decades of research, but this interview makes the field accessible to listeners of all backgrounds.
Read MoreCreativity with Elkhonon Goldberg (BS 143)
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BS 143 is an interview with Elkhonon Goldberg, author of Creativity: The Human Brain in the Age of Innovation. Dr. Goldberg's earlier books were featured during our first year, and he was last interviewed way back in 2007 for BSP 18.
Read MoreMichael Graziano explains Peripersonal Neurons (BS 142)
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BS 142 features the return of Dr. Michael Graziano, who first appeared on Brain Science in BSP 108. In this episode we talk about his new book, The Spaces Between Us: A Story of Neuroscience, Evolution, and Human Nature. This is an exploration of peripersonal neurons. We explore not just how they were discovered, but why they are so important in our daily lives, affecting everything from tool use to getting along with others.
Read MoreRodrigo Quian Quiroga: Memory and Perception (BS 141)
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BS 141 is an interview with Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, author of The Forgetting Machine: Memory, Perception, and the "Jennifer Aniston Neuron."
Read MoreBrain Science Review of 2017 (BS 140)
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BS 140 is our Eleventh Annual Review episode. We look back at the highlights from 2017 and also share a few ideas from this years annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Thank you for your support.
Read MoreJeff Hawkins Explores a New Theory of Cortical Function (BS 139)
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Jeff Hawkins, author of the bestseller On Intelligence tells us about his latest research into how the neocortex produces intelligence. He proposes an exciting new model that could change the way we imagine cortical function.
Read MoreJohn Medina on Aging Well (BS 138)
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Dr. John Medina has spent his career in bio-engineering, but he also has a deep interest in how the brain works. In his latest book Brain Rules for Aging Well: 10 Principles for Staying Vital, Happy, and Sharp, he presents our knowledge brain aging in an engaging manner that can be enjoyed by readers of all backgrounds.
In this month's episode of Brain Science (BS 138) we discuss some of the most important principles for nourishing brains as we age. He describes what he calls the "dopamine lollipop," which is the surge of dopamine created by activities such as teaching and physical activities like dancing. Some of his ideas reinforce what we have discussed in previous episodes, but there are new ideas that are relevant to listeners of all ages.
Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.
FREE: audio mp3 (click to stream, right click to download)
Episode Transcript [Buy for $2]
References
Brain Rules for Aging Well: 10 Principles for Staying Vital, Happy, and Sharp by John Medina (Audible link)
The Mindful Way Workbook: An 8-Week Program to Free Yourself from Depression and Emotional Distress by John D. Teasdale, et. al. (Foreword by Jon Kabat-Zinn)
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina (BS 37)
Announcements
Dr. Campbell will be in Washington, DC November 11-15, 2017 for the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
Our new sponsor is The Great Courses Plus. A free month trial is available at http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/ginger.
Send email feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.
Seth Grant's latest Research (BS 137)
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In BS 137 neuroscientist Seth Grant introduces the "genetic lifespan calendar." He describes a new paper that describes how the genome determines the brain's complexity in "both time and space." This is the first paper to describe evidence that gene expression in the brain follows a predictable schedule that might offer new understanding of diseases like schizophrenia.
Read MoreWhy Reading Science Matters (BS 136)
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Brain Science 136 is a discussion of Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg. We explore some recent discoveries from reading science and ponder why there is such a large gap between these scientific discoveries and current educational practices in the US.
Read MoreLisa Barrett on How Emotions are Made (BS 135)
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BS 135 is an interview with Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of How Emotions Are Made. We explore the evidence AGAINST the classical assumption that emotions are universal and hard-wired, but we also discuss a fascinating new Theory of Constructed Emotion, which is very consistent with current neuroscience.
Read MoreRemembering Jaak Panksepp (BS 134)
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In Brain Science 134 we remember Dr. Jaak Panksepp, pioneer of Affective Neuroscience.
A completely new episode will be out near the end of July.
Read MoreCounting Neurons with Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel (BS 133)
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This is an interview with Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, the scientist who discovered that the human brain has an average of 86 billion neurons, which is significantly less than the 100 billion that was long assumed. She has also written a wonderful book called The Human Advantage: How Our Brains Became Remarkable.
Read MoreHonoring William Uttal's Contributions to Cognitive Neuroscience (BS 132)
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Dr. William Uttal, who died last month at the age of 86, had a very unusual career, going from physics and engineering to psychology and cognitive science. I think his unique background contributed to the refreshing skepticism that he brought to the growing use of imaging (especially fMRI) in the cognitive sciences.
He was a prolific writer on the subject and back in 2012 I had the honor of talking with him about his book Mind and Brain: A Critical Appraisal of Cognitive Neuroscience. In addition to shedding light on the limitations of imaging (such as poor reproducibility), Dr. Uttal also argued that it was premature to abandon other psychological testing methods.
This month I am replaying that 2012 interview. Brain Science 132 includes a new introduction and closing remarks. While Dr. Uttal's writing was aimed at a technical audience I think it is important for listeners of all backgrounds to be aware of these issues because they remain as relevant as ever.
Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.
FREE: audio mp3 (click to stream, right click to download)
Episode Transcript [Buy for $2]
Links and References
Uttal, W. R. (2011) Mind and Brain: A Critical Appraisal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
Uttal, W. R. (2009) Neuroscience in the Courtroom: What Every Lawyer Should Know About the Mind and the Brain.
Ihnen, S. K. Z., Church, J. A.. Petersen, S. E., & Schlaggar, B.L. (2009) Lack of generalizability of sex difference in the fMRI Bold Activity associated with language processes in adults. NeuroImage, 45, 1020-1032.
Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2005). "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False". PLoS Medicine 2 (8): e124.
BSP 46: How fMRI works.
Send feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com
What is Mind? (BS 131)
/In part 2 or our 10 Anniversary Retrospective we consider the question What is Mind? I reflect back on books and guests who have appeared in the last 5 years, and consider how my take on this question has evolved over the 10 years I have been creating Brain Science (formerly called the Brain Science Podcast.) Listener feedback is also included.
Read MoreTen Year Anniversary Show, Part 1 - The Early Years
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In this very special episode, we begin a two part celebration of the 10 year anniversary for Brain Science. The podcast began in December 2006, which makes it one of the longest running shows since the first podcasts were launched in 2004.
Ten years is a lot of ground to cover, so for this episode we are only focusing on the early years from 2006 to 2011. Learn why the podcast began and get a peek into the format changes the show has had over the years. This episode contains something that you rarely see in the show - listener feedback! You'll get to hear what listeners think about the show, how they use the show to help them with their work, and you'll even get to hear from a critic! So many of you have reached out over the years, and although there isn't room for all our feedback in this episode, please know that each and every email that has been received is appreciated!
In today's episode Dr. Campbell discusses:
how the brain makes us human is an endlessly fascinating topic
favorite shows from the first 5 years of Brain Science
BSP 47 provides the best summary of what we know about brain evolution
favorite guests from the first 5 years
some of the decisions about the podcast frequency and the reasons beind them
the book review that got the show started
the best way to access past episodes of the show
shows mentioned are tagged with the term Embodied Cognition, so search for them that way
Listen in your Favorite Audio app: Audible, Amazon music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and many more.
FREE: audio mp3 (click to stream, right click to download)
Episode Transcript [Buy PDF for $1]
Important Links
Dr Great Art (podcast) hosted by Mark Staff Brandl
This Week in Science with Dr. Kiki Sanford
Astronomy Cast with Dr. Pamela Gay
Bibliography of all books features on Brain Science (with Amazon and Audible links)
Full list of first 129 episodes of Brain Science
Full list of Guests who have appeared on Brain Science
References
Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty by Ginger Campbell (buy PDF)
On Being Certain: Believing You’re Right, Even When You’re Not by Dr. Robert Burton
Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan
Please send your feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.
Brain Science 10th Anniversary Preview
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Original 2006 Logo
The first episode of the Brain Science Podcast (now Brain Science) was released on December 5, 2006. I am preparing a very special 10th Anniversary episode and I have just posted a brief audio asking for listener feedback.
My Audible.com pick for November is Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H. M. by Suzanne Corkin.
Please send feedback to brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com
