Neuroscience

Neuroscience

episodes

Interviews with neuroscientists about their new books

Francisco Aboitiz, "A History of Bodies, Brains, and Minds: The Evolution of Life and Consciousness" (MIT Press, 2024)

October 19, 2024

A History of Bodies, Brains, and Minds

Francisco Aboitiz

Francisco Aboitiz is a professor at the Medical School and the director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Neuroscience at Pontificia Universidad Cat…

Daniel J Levitin, "Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives" (Dutton Books, 2020)

October 7, 2024

Successful Aging

Daniel J Levitin
Hosted by Victoria Reedman

In Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives (Dutton Books, 2020), Daniel J. Levitin delivers powerful insights…

Neil Vickers and Derek Bolton, "Being Ill: On Sickness, Care and Abandonment" (Reaktion Books, 2024)

October 5, 2024

Being Ill

Neil Vickers and Derek Bolton
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

A serious illness often changes the way others see us. Few, if any, relationships remain the same. The sick become more dependent on partners and fami…

Camilla Nord, "The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health" (Princeton UP, 2024)

September 20, 2024

The Balanced Brain

Camilla Nord

There are many routes to mental well-being. In this groundbreaking book, neuroscientist Camilla Nord offers a fascinating tour of the scientific devel…

Nick Chater, "The Mind Is Flat: The Remarkable Shallowness of the Improvising Brain" (Yale UP, 2019)

August 24, 2024

The Mind Is Flat

Nick Chater
Hosted by John Griffiths

Psychologists and neuroscientists struggle with how best to interpret human motivation and decision making. The assumption is that below a mental “sur…

Iris Berent, "The Blind Storyteller: How We Reason about Human Nature" (Oxford UP, 2020)

August 11, 2024

The Blind Storyteller

Iris Berent
Hosted by Joseph Fridman

Do newborns think-do they know that 'three' is greater than 'two'? Do they prefer 'right' to 'wrong'? What about emotions--do newborns recognize happi…

David Badre, "On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done" (Princeton UP, 2020)

July 21, 2024

On Task

David Badre
Hosted by Joseph Fridman

On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done (Princeton UP, 2020) is a look at the extraordinary ways the brain turns thoughts into actions—and how this sh…

John Thomas Maier, "The Disabled Will: A Theory of Addiction" (Routledge, 2024)

June 26, 2024

The Disabled Will

John Thomas Maier
Hosted by Jeff Adler

John T. Maier's The Disabled Will: A Theory of Addiction (Routledge Press, 2024) defends a comprehensive new vision of what addiction is and how peopl…

Dasha Kiper, "Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain" (Random House, 2023)

June 18, 2024

Travelers to Unimaginable Lands

Dasha Kiper
Hosted by Stephen Dozeman

If you’ve ever worked with dementia patients before, you know how unique and bizarre the experience can be, and how little the stereotypes actuall…

The Reality of Scientific Research: A Discussion with John W. Cave

June 10, 2024

The Reality of Scientific Research

John W. Cave
Hosted by Latent Knowledge

In this episode we speak with Dr. John W. Cave, a scientist and thought leader who has been in the research world for over 20 years. Dr. Cave has wor…

Sharrona Pearl, "Do I Know You?: From Face Blindness to Super Recognition" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2023)

June 8, 2024

Do I Know You?

Sharrona Pearl
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

In Do I Know You? From Faceblindness to Super Recognition (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023), Dr. Sharrona Pearl explores the fascinating category…

Luis H. H. Favela, "The Ecological Brain: Unifying the Sciences of Brain, Body, and Environment" (Routledge, 2024)

May 10, 2024

The Ecological Brain

Luis H. H. Favela
Hosted by Carrie Figdor

Ecological psychology holds that perception and action are best explained in terms of dynamic interactions between brain, body, and environment, not i…

Christian Hansel, "Memory Makes the Brain: The Biological Machinery That Uses Experiences To Shape Individual Brains" (World Scientific, 2021)

April 30, 2024

Memory Makes the Brain

Christian Hansel

If you're interested in memory, you'll find a lot in Memory Makes the Brain: The Biological Machinery That Uses Experiences To Shape Individual Brains…

Charan Ranganath, "Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters" (Doubleday, 2024)

April 27, 2024

Why We Remember

Charan Ranganath

A new understanding of memory is emerging from the latest scientific research. In Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters…

Matt Qvortrup, "The Political Brain: The Emergence of Neuropolitics" (CEU Press, 2024)

April 24, 2024

The Political Brain

Matt Qvortrup
Hosted by CEU Press

In this episode of the CEU Press Podcast, host Andrea Talabér (CEU Press/CEU Review of Books) sat down with Matt Qvortrup (Coventry University) to dis…

Lawson R. Wulsin, "Toxic Stress: How Stress Is Making Us Ill and What We Can Do About It" (Cambridge UP, 2024)

April 15, 2024

Toxic Stress

Lawson R. Wulsin
Hosted by Mark Klobas

Our stress response system is magnificent - it operates beneath our awareness, like an orchestra of organs playing a hidden symphony. When we are heal…

Max Bennett, "A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, Ai, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains" (Mariner Books, 2023)

April 1, 2024

A Brief History of Intelligence

Max Bennett

A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, Ai, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains (Mariner Books, 2023) tells two fascinating stories. O…

Kenneth Miller, "Mapping the Darkness: The Visionary Scientists Who Unlocked the Mysteries of Sleep" (Hachette Books, 2023)

March 8, 2024

Mapping the Darkness

Kenneth Miller
Hosted by Renee Garfinkel

Why do we sleep? How can we improve our sleep? A century ago, sleep was considered a state of nothingness—even a primitive habit that we could learn …

Thomas Metzinger, "The Elephant and the Blind: The Experience of Pure Consciousness: Philosophy, Science, and 500+ Experiential Reports" (MIT Press, 2024)

March 6, 2024

The Elephant and the Blind

Thomas Metzinger
Hosted by Jeff Adler

What if our goal had not been to land on Mars, but in pure consciousness? The experience of pure consciousness—what does it look like? What is the ess…

Sten Grillner, "The Brain in Motion: From Microcircuits to Global Brain Function" (MIT Press, 2023)

February 23, 2024

The Brain in Motion

Sten Grillner

C. S. Sherrington said “All the brain can do is to move things". The Brain in Motion: From Microcircuits to Global Brain Function (MIT Press, 2023) sh…