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Our last recording went a little long. We split it in two, and this is the second part. Today we talk about the somewhat gruesome history of studying the electrical activity of the brain.
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The parts of your brain that are working the hardest, need the most blood. Your brain actually pulsates with your heartbeat, and the flow of your blood within your brain changes from minute to minute. One of the ways to study the brain is to track its blood flow. Today, along with the fall of Eastern Rome, assassins, goats and tourniquets, Phil and I talk about early methods of tracking the brain’s blood flow.
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Much of what we’ve learned about how our brain works came from the results of injury and disease. From the work of an ancient Egyptian doctor, to a roman physician patching up gladiators, to an unfortunate gunpowder accident in 1848, we talk about some of what we’ve learned from the brain about the brain when the brain breaks.
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From simple staining, to neurons being stimulated by lasers, today we look at some of the ways we look at our brain, it’s cells, and how said brain cells work.
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Phil and I have decided to look at some of the tools and techniques used to try and understand the human brain. Today, we look at the MRI. Unfortunately, Brad couldn’t follow the physics, and it shows.
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The neuron is not the only type of brain cell. From a celebrity missing body parts, to human cells in a mouse brain, we take a look at your glia.
Here’s a video about the brain, that includes the animation I mentioned in the episode, and information on your Glia.
A Blueprint for the Human Brain
Here’s a simple and quick article about human Glia being placed into mice.
The smart mouse with the half-human brain
Here’s a less simple, less quick article about the same experiments.
Here are a couple of articles about Einstein’s brain.
The Tragic Story of How Einstein’s Brain Was Stolen and Wasn’t Even Special
The strange afterlife of Einstein’s brain
I said that myelinization is an invention of the vertebrates. Well, there are exceptions. It wasn’t in the show, but it’s interesting—something on the evolution of myelination that includes a couple of invertebrates who’ve come up with the same trick.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:16 — 15.1MB) | Embed
If we were to create an artificial intelligence that’s more intelligent than we are, would it take over and force us into extinction? Can a machine have a mind equal to or even better than our own? Today, we take a look at such questions, along with some side trips to sharks and whales and monkeys, and rocks and chocolate. I swear the candy thing really was relevant; I just got distracted.
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Today we talk about your brain and unconscious mechanisms of learning. From losing a skill for no apparent reason, to acquiring languages, to unfortunately learning paralysis and pain, to savants who apparently learn without consciously attempting to, we cover some oddities about the way your brain works and how you learn.
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:59 — 12.2MB) | Embed
Inside your brain, there are individual neurons that correspond to specific places on your body. If you figure out which cell goes to what part, you’ll notice that the map in your brain looks like a nightmare sketch of you, drawn by a mad artist who’s only heard of humans by rough description. The body and legs are way too small, the hands are huge, your lips are oversized, and your face is upside-down. Today, Phil and I talk about these parts of the brain, with many side trips and much confusion.
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Our brains have crossed wires. Each cerebral hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body. When I move my left hand, it’s my right brain that’s doing it. Today, Phil and I look at a theory about how and why that’s true for us, and every other animal with a spine.
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