Brain Inspired

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This podcast, hosted by Paul Middlebrooks, features in-depth conversations with neuroscientists studying natural and artificial intelligence, philosophy, consciousness and other related areas.

Daniel Nicholson discusses how Schrödinger’s book ‘What is Life?’ shaped years of biology, research

Combing through historical archives, Nicholson discovered what drove Erwin Schrödinger to pen “What Is Life,” his famous "little book": Schrödinger feared that new discoveries in quantum physics would influence how we think about free will.

By Paul Middlebrooks
5 November 2025 | 1 min read

Vicente Raja brings ecological psychology concepts to neuroscience

He suggests neuroscientists should pay more attention to the principles of Gibsonian ecological psychology, such as affordances, ecological information and resonance, to better explain perception and action.

By Paul Middlebrooks
22 October 2025 | 99 min listen

Nikolay Kukushkin discusses his book, ‘One Hand Clapping: Unraveling the Mystery of the Human Mind’

He explains how meaning arises in the interactions found throughout nature and evolution, from molecules to minds.

By Paul Middlebrooks
8 October 2025 | 1 min read

Ann Kennedy explains the theoretical neuroscience of survival behaviors

The Scripps neuroscientist calls for a broader theoretical neuroscience approach in her area of research, which focuses on how the subcortex bridges life and cognition.

By Paul Middlebrooks
24 September 2025 | 1 min read

Michael Breakspear and Mac Shine explain how brain processing changes across neural population scales

Breakspear and Shine find a scale-free property of brain activity that is conserved across diverse species, suggesting that a universal principle of brain activity underlies cognition.

By Paul Middlebrooks
10 September 2025 | 1 min read

Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies

Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.

By Paul Middlebrooks
27 August 2025 | 1 min read

Chris Rozell explains how brain stimulation and AI are helping to treat mental disorders

Rozell and his colleagues, using deep brain stimulation and explainable artificial intelligence, have developed tools to help people with treatment-resistant depression.

By Paul Middlebrooks
13 August 2025 | 1 min read

Jennifer Prendki explains why AI needs to emulate life

Prendki describes how her work on large artificial-intelligence models shaped her view that current AI needs inspiration from living organisms.

By Paul Middlebrooks
30 July 2025 | 109 min listen

Keith Hengen and Woodrow Shew explore criticality and cognition

The two discuss their evolving views of brain criticality as a central organizing principle of cognition, development and learning.

By Paul Middlebrooks
16 July 2025 | 94 min listen

Xiao-Jing Wang outlines the future of theoretical neuroscience

Wang discusses why he decided the time was right for a new theoretical neuroscience textbook and how bifurcation is a key missing concept in neuroscience explanations.

By Paul Middlebrooks
2 July 2025 | 112 min listen

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Explore more from The Transmitter

Colored outlines form the silhouette of a human brain in profile.

‘How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist’s Quest to Alter the Past,’ an excerpt

Part scientific exploration, part memoir, Steve Ramirez’s new book delves into the study of memory manipulation and his personal journey of discovery, friendship and grief.

By Steve Ramirez
7 November 2025 | 9 min read
A grabber tool removes several sheets from a stack of paper.

Journal retracts two papers evaluating ADHD interventions

Frontiers in Public Health retracted one paper for its “unacceptable level of similarity” to another paper, and the other over concerns about its “scientific validity.”

By Calli McMurray
6 November 2025 | 5 min read
Mouse brain slices and atlases.

Constellation of studies charts brain development, offers ‘dramatic revision’

The atlases could pinpoint pathways that determine the fate of cells linked to neurodevelopmental conditions.

By Holly Barker
5 November 2025 | 6 min read

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