Essay Why are habits so sticky? December 23, 2021 Nearly all of us have habits that we would like to get rid of. It might be as innocuous as saying聽鈥渦m鈥澛爐oo often when we speak, or as serious as a pack-a-day smoking habit. Either way, we know that changing our behavior is really difficult, even when the stakes are high. Read More
Podcast What Makes Us Smart: The Computational Logic of Human Cognition October 08, 2021 At the heart of human intelligence rests a fundamental puzzle: How are we incredibly smart and stupid at the same time? No existing machine can match the power and flexibility of human perception, language, and reasoning. Read More
Essay The loneliest neuron June 04, 2021 There it lives, the loneliest neuron. The neuron that lies furthest from the outside world. Furthest from the inputs from your senses; furthest from the outputs to your muscles. Read More
Essay Is artificial intelligence today where brain research was 100 years ago? June 02, 2021 Babies are not born with randomly connected brains and turned on to learn. And yet, 100 years ago, neurobiologists were not so sure. Read More
Essay The dark neuron problem, or mind reading at 90% accuracy March 30, 2021 I鈥檓 going to read your mind. Right now. Ready? Don鈥檛 get freaked out. Deep breath. Here we go鈥� Read More
Podcast On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done March 24, 2021 Why is it hard to text and drive at the same time? How do you resist eating that extra piece of cake? Why does staring at a tax form feel mentally exhausting? Why can your child expertly fix the computer and yet still forget to put on a coat? Read More
Podcast Listen in: The Spike March 19, 2021 Traversing neuroscience鈥檚 expansive terrain, The Spike follows a single electrical response to illuminate how our extraordinary brains work. Start listening to chapter 1. Read More
Essay What鈥檚 it like to be a spike?: What we鈥檙e learning in the Golden Age of neuroscience March 14, 2021 It began as an idle thought. I stood on a chill dimly-lit platform one early winter morning, waiting on my regular, no-doubt delayed train to emerge from the tunnel and pull up with a screech of brakes, ready to convey me through the snow-topped hills from the grey, snowy city where I live to the dark, damp city where I worked. Read More
Video The neuroscientific excitement of ordinary moments February 25, 2021 We see the last cookie in the box and think, can I take that? We reach a hand out. In the 2.1 seconds that this impulse travels through our brain, billions of neurons communicate with one another, sending blips of voltage through our sensory and motor regions. Neuroscientists call these blips 鈥渟pikes.鈥� Read More
Essay Celebrating women in STEM February 11, 2021 International Day of Women and Girls in Science marks an opportunity to celebrate the brilliant women whose ideas have graced our bookshelves and touched our minds. Read More
Essay Multitasking and the pandemic parent August 24, 2020 From my third floor attic office, I can hear my wife鈥檚 muffled voice through the door to the room just off the stairs. I can鈥檛 hear what she is saying, but from its now familiar cadence, I can tell that she is in a meeting. We used to post signs when we were in meetings, but we don鈥檛 bother anymore. Read More
Essay The smart move: we learn more by trusting than by not trusting February 05, 2020 We all know people who have suffered by trusting too much: scammed customers, jilted lovers, shunned friends. Indeed, most of us have been burned by misplaced trust. These personal and vicarious experiences lead us to believe that people are too trusting, often verging on gullibility. Read More
Essay What do you really know about gullibility? January 08, 2020 Not Born Yesterday explains how we decide who we can trust and what we should believe鈥攁nd argues that we鈥檙e pretty good at making these decisions. Read More
Interview Will AI Become Conscious? A Conversation with Susan Schneider November 04, 2019 Consciousness is the felt quality of experience. When you see a wave cresting on a beach, smell the aroma of freshly baked bread, or feel the pain of stubbing your toe, you are having conscious experience. Read More
Video Artificial You: The book trailer October 25, 2019 Humans may not be Earth鈥檚 most intelligent beings for much longer: the world champions of chess, Go, and聽Jeopardy!聽are now all聽AIs. Given the rapid pace of progress in聽AI, many predict that it could advance to human-level intelligence within the next several decades. Read More
