Unpopular Neuroscience

Learning Science, Learning Magic

Everyone knows that learning takes hard work, deep reading, study, and repeated practice. But wouldn't it be rad if it didn't? On this episode Katie and Patrick talk about the science of learning and the often more appealing—but less real—magic of learning. 

AI Winter is Coming

AI oscillates between impressive breakthroughs and laughable failures. In this episode Katie & Patrick discuss AI booms and winters and what makes the technology so brittle. What can AI learn from neuroscience? 

Hat Trick

What's so great about having a "normal" brain? Katie & Patrick discuss a trio of patients from Oliver Sacks' iconic book The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat who have adapted to unusual configurations of their neural hardware. Listen to explore the diverse neuropsychology of the human species.

All the brains I've loved before.

We sometimes talk about "the brain" as if there's only one of them, but there's tremendous diversity in nervous systems between species, and even between individuals. On this episode of Unpopular Neuroscience Katie and Patrick discuss some of the most interesting brains they've encountered in the neuroscience literature and their own research careers. Learn more about the radically different brains, and surprisingly consistent behavior of jumping spiders, orcas, and french white-collar workers.

Weird Little Guys: Vehicles by Valentino Braitenberg

How hard is it to build a working, thinking brain from simple parts like wires, sensors, and motors? According to Valentino Braitenberg, author of this week's Book Vehicles, it's actually easier to build a brain than to figure out how one works. This week Katie & Patrick discuss what the weird little robots Braitenberg describes can do and how it can help us think more clearly about real brains.

Why Study Unpopular Neuroscience?

Everyone is curious about the brain, but what would understanding the brain even look like? On the first episode of Unpopular Neuroscience, neuroscientists Katie and Patrick discuss what it would mean to “understand” the brain, how they think about the brain, and why these questions will probably always be around.