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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 | 88 min watch

In this episode of “Brain Inspired,” Paul Middlebrooks is joined by Nikolay Kukushkin, clinical associate professor of life science at New York University and author of “One Hand Clapping: Unraveling the Mystery of the Human Mind.” Kukushkin finds “essences”—the meaning of natural processes—recurring at all spatial scales throughout nature and across evolution. These essences underly the emergence of complexity, from simple molecules to the origins of life to our human brains and minds.

Read the transcript.

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