298 | Jeff Lichtman on the Wiring Diagram of the Brain

298 | Jeff Lichtman on the Wiring Diagram of the Brain

The number of neurons in the human brain is comparable to the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Unlike the stars, however, in the case of neurons the real action is in how they are directly connected to each other: receiving signals over synapses via their dendrites, and when appropriately triggered, sending signals down the axon to other neurons (glossing over some complications). So a major step in understanding the brain is to map its wiring diagram, or connectome: the complete map of those connections. For a human brain that's an intimidatingly complex challenge, but important advances have been made on tinier brains. We talk with Jeff Lichtman, a leader in brain mapping, to gauge the current state of progress and what it implies.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/09/298-jeff-lichtman-on-the-wiring-diagram-of-the-brain/

Jeff Lichtman received an MD/PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently the Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Santiago Ramón y Cajal Professor of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He is co-inventor of the Brainbow system for imaging neurons. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Avsnitt(415)

AMA | February 2021

AMA | February 2021

Welcome to the February 2021 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). This month is in what has been the conventional ...

17 Feb 20212h 53min

134 | Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do

134 | Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do

A common argument against free will is that human behavior is not freely chosen, but rather determined by a number of factors. So what are those factors, anyway? There's no one better equipped to answ...

15 Feb 20211h 28min

133 | Ziya Tong on Realities We Don't See

133 | Ziya Tong on Realities We Don't See

It's a truism that what we see about the world is a small fraction of all that exists. At the simplest level of physics and biology, our senses are drastically limited; we only see a narrow spectrum o...

8 Feb 20211h 37min

Bonus | AIP Oral History Interview

Bonus | AIP Oral History Interview

Here is a special bonus punishment treat for Mindscape listeners: an interview of me, by David Zierler of the American Institute of Physics's Oral History project. This is a fantastic project that col...

4 Feb 20214h 1min

132 | Michael Levin on Growth, Form, Information, and the Self

132 | Michael Levin on Growth, Form, Information, and the Self

As a semi-outsider, it's fun for me to watch as a new era dawns in biology: one that adds ideas from physics, big data, computer science, and information theory to the usual biological toolkit. One of...

1 Feb 20211h 21min

131 | Avi Loeb on Taking Aliens Seriously

131 | Avi Loeb on Taking Aliens Seriously

The possible existence of technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations — not just alien microbes, but cultures as advanced (or much more) than our own — is one of the most provocative quest...

25 Jan 20211h 40min

130 | Frank Wilczek on the Present and Future of Fundamental Physics

130 | Frank Wilczek on the Present and Future of Fundamental Physics

What is the world made of? How does it behave? These questions, aimed at the most basic level of reality, are the subject of fundamental physics. What counts as fundamental is somewhat contestable, bu...

18 Jan 20211h 16min

129 | Solo: Democracy in America

129 | Solo: Democracy in America

The first full week of 2021 has been action-packed for those of us in the United States of America, for reasons you're probably aware of, including a riotous mob storming the US Capitol. The situation...

11 Jan 20211h 43min

Populärt inom Vetenskap

p3-dystopia
dumma-manniskor
svd-nyhetsartiklar
allt-du-velat-veta
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
rss-vetenskapsradion
rss-ufo-bortom-rimligt-tvivel
medicinvetarna
rss-vetenskapsradion-2
rss-experimentet
det-morka-psyket
sexet
rss-spraket
hacka-livet
dumforklarat
pojkmottagningen
rss-personlighetspodden
rss-arkeologi-historia-podden-som-graver-i-vart-kulturlandskap
paranormalt-med-caroline-giertz
halsorevolutionen