For the past 25 years or so, TED Talks have been a great source of accessible information about cutting-edge research on the brain and its development over a lifespan. We’ve featured several on our blog and in other communications. Here, we’ve gathered a few of our favorites together so you can find them all in…
When you hear the word “echolocation” you probably think of bats. After all, we use the phrase “blind as a bat” and we know that bats use echolocation–bouncing sounds off of hard surfaces–to navigate their space effectively, despite poor eyesight. But did you know that humans are capable of this too? Daniel Kish, who became…
By now, you probably know that it’s not too difficult to trick the brain, but do you know why your brain falls for illusions? In this great ASAP Science video, we learn about fast and slow thinking, and how these 2 different brain systems affect our perception and let our brains be fooled. (If you want to…
Of all the neuroscientists in the world, who had the honor of sharing the stage with the Dalai Lama last week? Our co-founder and chief scientist, Dr. Michael Merzenich, was chosen for a very special on-stage discussion with His Holiness that took place this past weekend week at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. The symposium, titled “Neuroplasticity and Healing,” centered on the topic…
Here is another fun video from the creative minds at ASAP Science – about your brain on coffee. Watch it to find out why caffeine wakes you up, why you feel bad when you try to quit drinking it, and what changes occur in your brain when you drink coffee. Do you love coffee? The good…
You’ve probably seen headlines about how “cheesecake is like cocaine for the brain” and may have noted the growing trend of carbohydrate- and sugar-free diets (like the Atkins or Paleo diets.) This is a great 5-minute TED-Ed video from neuroscientist Nicole Avena that wades through the hype to illustrate how sugar actually affects your brain,…
I always enjoy the fun, approachable, fast-paced science videos from ASAP Science. Here, the team presents a quick primer on the biology of aging. In just three minutes, you can learn why you can blame your father for a shorter life span, why some worms are virtually immortal, and what a telomere is. Enjoy!
I really enjoyed this TED talk from Dr. Read Montague, a scientist who is heading the Roanoke Brain Study. The project’s goal is to take MRI images of 5,000 people of all ages over a period of many years, to learn more about how the brain works and how we interact with one another. Enjoy!
With all of the complex brain science findings out there, I really enjoyed this TED talk from neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert that goes back to one of the most fundamental questions about brains: why do we have them at all? Wolpert argues that the only reason we evolved our brains is because we had to move,…
With all the bad news in the world, this is a terrifically enthusiastic and uplifting talk about research on the positive effects of smiling. Ron Gutman talks about how smiling is a “superpower” and discusses a body of work including some very interesting research. In one example, he notes that based on the smiles in…