Neuroscience

Neuroscience

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Neuroscientist Christof Koch on why reflective self-consciousness separates us from intelligent machines.
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1hr 7mins
Members
Neuroscientist David Linden sheds light on the biology behind phenomena that medicine has long struggled to explain, from voodoo death and broken heart syndrome to the placebo effect, and why grief shows up in autopsy results
Book cover of "Tell Me Where It Hurts" by Rachel Zoffness, PhD, featuring a pain scale from green to red under the title and subtitle about the science and 3 pillars of pain and healing.
By better understanding how the brain constructs pain, we may transform how we treat chronic suffering.
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To foster inclusive and compassionate spaces for trauma survivors, we should understand the neurology of trauma and its profound effects, as emphasized by psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk.
Book cover of "Emergence" by David Sussillo, featuring a blue background with fish and circuit patterns, and a subtitle about boyhood, computation, and the mysteries of mind.
In this preview, the Stanford professor muses on how emergence, arriving at complex patterns from simple parts, explains AI, brains, and life itself.
A blue hand holding a tool touches a red illustrated brain, with brain wave patterns shown in the background.
A new framework suggests that bursts of neural chaos could be the fingerprints of a conscious mind at work.
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13mins
Jim Al-Khalili introduces the technologies emerging from the second quantum revolution.
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18mins
Abigail Marsh unpacks what defines psychopathy, how it differs from antisocial behavior, and why terms like “sociopath” only add confusion.
A hand holds a red square above an eye shape, symbolizing the brain after blindness, with a geometric wireframe cube below on a blue circle, all set against a pale green background.
When people born blind gain sight, the hardest part isn’t opening their eyes — it’s teaching the brain how to see.
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19mins
"I call it a tyranny of attention because there's so many demands on our attention coming from so many different directions that we are simply overwhelmed and we don't have the mental bandwidth to cope with it."
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The “dystopian” biotech imagined in these novels is now changing real lives for the better.
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Technology, shifting rules, and human ambition push athletes beyond biology’s perceived limits.
A silhouette of a person reading a book sits on abstract, geometric stairs overlaid on collaged text and blue circular patterns.
Books don’t just stimulate the mind — they trigger physiological changes throughout the body.
A split image explores the nature of life, with a gray rock on a dark background on the left and a colored microscopic view of a cell—hinting at intelligence—in vivid detail on the right.
Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.
A 3D model of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) structure, showing beta sheets and an outer transparent molecular surface against a black background.
By treating the human body as an information system, scientists are using AI to simulate cells, visualize hidden biology, and detect disease at its earliest — and most preventable — stages.
Biohub
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Moltbook is a social media site built for conversation — but not for humans.
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53mins
Members
“Our conscious awareness is everything. And the fact that it's still so mysterious to scientists and to all of humanity, the fact that it's still one of the great unsolved mysteries makes it something that everyone can be excited about and that inspires awe in everyone.”
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1hr 23mins
Why social media is the perfect recipe for kids to become addicted to their smartphones.
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Many top performers start behind — and overtake the early leaders later.
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Elite athletes train their “quiet eye.” What happens if the rest of us do the same?
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The Stoic philosopher argued that most of life is outside our control — but the little we do control defines who we are.
A silhouette of a monkey with brainwave patterns is shown beside a stylized computer, divided by a vertical line on a blue and gray background.
Researchers built a model that behaves like a brain. Without being trained on neural data, the model produced a peculiar signal — one that was later discovered in actual brain activity.
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These cultural lies make normal struggle feel like failure. A habit of experimentation makes it feel like progress.
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7mins
Members
We tend to trust our intuitions about consciousness because they feel immediate and personal, but feeling convinced is not the same as being right. Annaka Harris explores what happens when […]
Ancient-style illustration of three nude male warriors running, each holding a decorated round shield and wearing a crested helmet, inspired by themes explored by thinkers like Ezekiel Emanuel.
Health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel says you don’t have to be obsessed to live a healthy life. Wellness can, and should, be something you enjoy.
Book cover of "Invisible Illness" by Emily Mendenhall, depicting a person holding a mirror with the title reflected, set against a cloudy sky—capturing the hidden struggles of living with an invisible illness.
Emily Mendenhall traces the medical myths, gender bias, and neurological truths behind hysteria, one of history’s most damaging diagnoses.
Illustration featuring a brain, a profile of a man resting his face on his hand, a sketch of a head, and brain scan images in purple and green tones.
Neuroscience isn’t dissolving philosophy’s hardest problems — it’s forcing us to rethink where they live.
Two monkeys sit on a tree branch interacting, with brain diagrams and EEG waveforms in the background, one with a purple arrow pointing to its head.
By tracking brain activity as primates move freely in the wild, neuroethology could reshape what we think we know about our own minds.
A man stands on stage before an audience, with a backdrop reading "A Night of Awe & Wonder" and the John Templeton Foundation logo.
Big Think and the John Templeton Foundation gathered scientists, artists, and storytellers in Los Angeles to explore the power of awe.
A collage of eight panels shows a hand pouring coffee from a French press into cups, each panel with a different background color.
Rituals serve psychological functions that go far beyond mere habit or tradition.