Neuroscientists uncovered an energy-saving mode in vision-system neurons that works at the cost of being able to see fine-grained details. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Unanswered Questions” by Kevin MacLeod.
Yesterday
Is Particle Physics Dead, Dying, or Just Hard?
Particle physics hasn't yet found the new physics needed to resolve its deepest mysteries. It’s hard to know what to think about or look for. But the most devoted particle physicists are thinking and looking all the same. On this episode, host Samir Patel and columnist Natalie Wo ... Show More
26m 24s
Jan 20
Does Dad's Fitness Make Its Way Into Sperm?
We already know that what we eat, drink, and inhale can affect which parts of our DNA are expressed, and which aren’t. But recent research poses a shocking idea: A dad’s habits may be encoded in molecules and transmitted to his future kids. On this episode, host Samir Patel and b ... Show More
32m 24s
May 2021
Medical Innovations of the Brain with James Temperton
Disorders of the brain affect 1/5 of the population. Little to no research has been made to understand the molecular causes of psychiatric disorders within a decade, but James Temperton, author and Digital Editor for Wired Magazine, is optimistic.Today, Temperton shares the poten ... Show More
15m 48s
Mar 2021
The Theory of a Thousand Brains
<p>In this episode, we talk with Jeff Hawkins—an entrepreneur and scientist, known for inventing some of the earliest handheld computers, the Palm and the Treo, who then turned his career to neuroscience and founded the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience in 2002 and Nume ... Show More
39m 36s
Oct 2021
Can we grow a conscious brain?
<p>Philosophers have long pondered the concept of a brain in a jar, hooked up to a simulated world. Though this has largely remained a thought experiment, CrowdScience listener JP wants to know if it might become reality in the not-too-distant future, with advances in stem cell r ... Show More
35m 46s