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| Brain Science [ 20 Videos ] | |
 Beautiful Minds: The Einstein EffectA fascinating look at the relationship between genius and autism, with particular focus on the phenomenon of savants; a small group of enigmatic talents with extraordinary mental abilities. Savants number less than 100 worldwide. Some can work out five-digit multiplication in their heads, or recite thousands of books by heart. Others can play a piano melody after hearing it only once. Over half of savants are autistic; others develop these super human talents only after brain injury. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
 Daniel Tammet - The Boy With The Incredible BrainA remarkable young man, exhibiting stunning mental abilities. Daniel Paul Tammet born 31 Jan 1979 claims to see colours and sparks, which he can somehow relate to words and numbers. Scientists consider him a gold mine to further investigation into the understanding of brain activity and potential. Daniel claims that since the age of four, he has been able to do huge mathematical calculations in his head. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
 Dr. Norman Doidge ,"The Brain That Changes Itself"Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Dr. Norman Doidge talks about an astonishing new science called neuroplasticity, which is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. His new book, "The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories Of Personal Triumph From The Frontiers Of Brain Science" will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential. (Watch) |
 Brain Story – "All in the Mind"Understanding our minds is becoming a reality. Guided by top neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, Brain Story attempts to answer the question “What is my mind and who am I?” We talk to philosophers, clinicians, neurosurgeons and their patients to discover quite what a finely balanced and complex machine the brain is. (Watch) |
 Enhancing the BrainNeurologist Dr. David Perlmutter discussed how the brain can be enhanced to open pathways for optimal functioning and health, as well as enlightenment. He spoke about the importance of neuroplasticity-- the ability of the brain to rewire itself and make better connections, and outlined a number of techniques to achieve this. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) |
 The Science of Happiness and PotentialShawn Achor from Harvard University speaks on "Positive Pscyhology: The Science of Happiness and Potential." Shawn Achor describes the approach of positive psychology, the research behind how people can change, and the dramatic effects of positive psychology upon productivity, health, relationships, creativity, and success rates. (1, 2, 3) |
 Transform Your Mind, Change Your BrainIn this talk, Richard J. Davidson will explore recent scientific research on the neuroscience of positive human qualities and how they can be cultivated through contemplative practice. (Watch) |
 Your Brain and YouDr. Caroline Leaf neuro-metacognitive learning specialist, has researched the human brain since 1981, with particular interest in unlocking its vast untapped potential. She has developed the Geodesic Learning theory, as well as the unique Metacognitive-Mapping Approach. (1, 2) |
 Mind ScienceCan a person really "re-wire" his or her own brain? In this episode of "Dan Rather Reports: Mind Science" Rather and his team investigate the new scientific field of neuroplasticity. This study examines the brain's never-ending ability to change -- giving researchers new hope for treating disease and improving life as we age. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) |
 The Mind Can Change the Functions of the BodyDr. Herbert Benson from Harvard Medical School conducts an experiment with monk heating up their body temperature during meditation. Dr. Benson is the Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI), and Mind/Body Medical Institute Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. (Watch) |
 Into The Mind: EmotionsIn a compelling and at times confronting series, Dr Michael Mosley explores the history of experimental psychology. Michael reveals the risky psychological experiments, unorthodox treatments and cutting edge neuroscience that have marked attempts to understand and manipulate the brain. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
 MemoryYou might think that your memory is there to help you remember facts, such as birthdays or shopping lists. If so, you would be very wrong. The ability to travel back in time in your mind is, perhaps, your most remarkable ability, and develops over your lifespan. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
 The Secret World of PainHorizon reveals the latest research into one of the most mysterious and common human experiences – pain. Breakthroughs have come from studying a remarkable woman in London who has felt no pain at all in her life, a man in the US who cut off his own arm to survive, and three generations of an Italian family who don’t feel extremes of temperature. (Watch) |
 Is Seeing Believing - BBC Horizon Horizon explores the strange and wonderful world of illusions - and reveals the tricks they play on our senses and why they fool us. But all this trickery has a serious purpose. It's helping scientists to create a new understanding of how our senses work - not as individual senses, but connected together. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) |
 How to Make Better Decisions - BBC Horizon We are bad at making decisions. According to science, our decisions are based on oversimplification, laziness and prejudice. And that's assuming that we haven't already been hijacked by our surroundings or led astray by our subconscious! Featuring exclusive footage of experiments that show how our choices can be confounded by temperature, warped by post-rationalisation and even manipulated by the future, Horizon presents a guide to better decision making, and introduces you to Mathematician Garth Sundem, who is convinced that conclusions can best be reached using simple maths and a pencil! (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
 Susan Polgar - My Brilliant BrainSusan’s remarkable abilities have earned her the label of ‘genius’, but her psychologist father, László Polgar, believed that genius was “not born, but made”. Noting that even Mozart received tutelage from his father at a very early age, Polgar set about teaching chess to the five-year-old Susan after she happened upon a chess set in their home. “My father believed that the potential of children was not used optimally,” says Susan. “Schools, he says, are irremediably broken. Built to supply a mass-production economy with a docile workforce, they ask too little of children, and thereby drain youngsters of curiosity and autonomy. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
 What Makes a GeniusCould you have come up with Einstein’s theory of relativity? If not – why not? This is what Marcus du Sautoy, professor of mathematics, wants to explore. Marcus readily admits that he is no genius, but wants to know if geniuses are just an extreme version of himself – or whether their brains are fundamentally different. Marcus meets some remarkable individuals – Tommy, an obsessive artist who uses his whole house as his canvas; Derek: blind, autistic, and a pianist with apparently prodigious gifts; Claire who is also blind, but whose brain has learnt to see using sound. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) |
 The Secret YouWith the help of a hammer-wielding scientist and a general anaesthetic, Professor Marcus du Sautoy goes in search of answers to one of science’s greatest mysteries: how do we know who we are? While the thoughts that make us feel as though we know ourselves are easy to experience, they are notoriously difficult to explain. So, in order to find out where they come from, Marcus subjects himself to a series of probing experiments. He learns at what age our self-awareness emerges and whether other species share this trait. Next, he has his mind scrambled by a cutting-edge experiment in anaesthesia. (Watch) |
 BiocentrismEvery now and then, a simple yet radical idea shakes the very foundations of knowledge. The startling discovery that the world was not flat challenged and ultimately changed the way people perceived themselves and their relationships with the world. For most humans of the 15th century, the notion of Earth as ball of rock was nonsense. The whole of Western natural philosophy is undergoing a sea change again, forced upon us by the experimental findings of quantum theory. At the same time, these findings have increased our doubt and uncertainty about traditional physical explanations of the universe's genesis and structure. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) |
 The Secret Life of Your BodyclockIf you’re reading this any time after lunch and you’re not dead, well done. You have, in the words of Professor Russell Foster, a chronobiologist, “survived the most dangerous part of the day”. Chronobiologists study the body’s various internal clocks. In this documentary, specialists reveal, among other things, that you are three times more likely to have a heart attack between 6.00am and noon, when the blood is stickier and the vessels stiffer. These are the "danger hours". Why are you more likely to have a heart attack at eight o’clock in the morning or crash your car on the motorway at two o’clock in the afternoon? (Watch) |