How can we use 26 symbols to capture everything in the cosmos of human experience? Where do our written symbols in English come from? What ancient ghosts are still hiding inside the letters you read every day? Does learning to read reconfigure the circuitry of your brain? Does dyslexia reveal how unnatural reading really is? And could AI freeze the evolution of language for the first time in history? Today we dive into the alphabet with linguist Danny Bate, who’s just written a book on the surprising history of every letter.

How can we use 26 symbols to capture everything in the cosmos of human experience? Where do our written symbols in English come from? What ancient ghosts are still hiding inside the letters you read every day? Does learning to read reconfigure the circuitry of your brain? Does dyslexia reveal how unnatural reading really is? And could AI freeze the evolution of language for the first time in history? Today we dive into the alphabet with linguist Danny Bate, who&rsquo;s just written a book on the surprising history of every letter.

Neuroscientist and author David Eagleman discusses how our brain interprets the world and what that means for us. Through storytelling, research, interviews, and experiments, David Eagleman tackles wild questions that illuminate new facets of our lives and our realities.

Neuroscientist and author David Eagleman discusses how our brain interprets the world and what that means for us. Through storytelling, research, interviews, and experiments, David Eagleman tackles wild questions that illuminate new facets of our lives and our realities.

Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman

Ep157 "Where Did the Letter "A" Come From?" with Danny Bate

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/62193523-12c5-4272-b5f5-b46300287db1/transcript

Why do we read so much into how a robot moves, and what does that tell us about human brains? Why did our history make us so sensitive to movement? Why do we trust graceful motion? Should we make a robot 'look' at an object it’s about to pick up, even if it doesn’t need to? Is movement the original form of animal intelligence? Join Eagleman with guest Catie Cuan, a roboticist, dancer, and choreographer. Catie’s an expert on the strange social interface between humans and machines, and she’s gotten there by dancing with robots.

Why do we read so much into how a robot moves, and what does that tell us about human brains? Why did our history make us so sensitive to movement? Why do we trust graceful motion? Should we make a robot 'look' at an object it&rsquo;s about to pick up, even if it doesn&rsquo;t need to? Is movement the original form of animal intelligence? Join Eagleman with guest Catie Cuan, a roboticist, dancer, and choreographer. Catie&rsquo;s an expert on the strange social interface between humans and machines, and she&rsquo;s gotten there by dancing with robots.

Ep156 What Do We Learn About AI by Dancing with Robots? with Catie Cuan

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9f178f26-b545-4e19-b707-b45c00183bfe/transcript

Why do brains generate strange thoughts sometimes? And why do some brains refuse to let go of those thoughts? Today we'll talk about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with expert Jon Hershfield, getting a view from the inside and the outside. Why do some people lock the door but go back repeatedly to check it, and still have a feeling of uncertainty that it’s locked? Why do some people wash their hands over and over and never feel that they reach a point when it’s “done”. How, for some people, are intrusive thoughts like junkmail that the brain just cant help opening? We’ll see how obsessive thoughts can get caught in loops, and how those loops might therapeutically be broken.

Why do brains generate strange thoughts sometimes? And why do some brains refuse to let go of those thoughts? Today we'll talk about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with expert Jon Hershfield, getting a view from the inside and the outside. Why do some people lock the door but go back repeatedly to check it, and still have a feeling of uncertainty that it&rsquo;s locked? Why do some people wash their hands over and over and never feel that they reach a point when it&rsquo;s &ldquo;done&rdquo;.&nbsp;How, for some people, are intrusive thoughts like junkmail that the brain just cant help opening? We&rsquo;ll see how obsessive thoughts can get caught in loops, and how those loops might therapeutically be broken.

Ep155 "Why Can’t Some People Stop Thinking Certain Thoughts?" with Jon Hershfield

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ceb607d1-41bc-4a2b-bf47-b455003a813c/transcript

What if your brain got stuck in sadness and never reset? What does it feel like when joy disappears completely? Can a person love their family deeply and still want to die? What do you do when treatment after treatment fails? What if the difference between despair and recovery is electrical? How can we better recognize invisible struggles in those around us? Join Eagleman with guest Jon Nelson, a man who suffered for years under the grip of depression, and finally found a science-fiction like treatment which gave him relief.

What if your brain got stuck in sadness and never reset? What does it feel like when joy disappears completely? Can a person love their family deeply and still want to die? What do you do when treatment after treatment fails? What if the difference between despair and recovery is electrical? How can we better recognize invisible struggles in those around us? Join Eagleman with guest Jon Nelson, a man who suffered for years under the grip of depression, and finally found a science-fiction like treatment which gave him relief.

Ep154  "Can a Depressed Brain Find Its Way Out?" with Jon Nelson

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9dbbed21-ac2f-4cff-a984-b44e001e680f/transcript

Ep157 "Where Did the Letter "A" Come From?" with Danny Bate

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Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman

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