Podcasts

Logo for the Synaptic podcast.

Recent Episodes:

Illustrated portrait of Tim Ryan.
Synaptic Microphone

Timothy Ryan on his pivotal switch from studying particle physics to decoding synaptic transmission

Dissuaded from pursuing theoretical physics and deterred by the “long feedback loop” in experimental physics, the National Academy of Sciences member took inspiration from “polymath” Watt Webb and “visionary” Stephen Smith—and learned to work “completely outside his comfort zone.”

By Brady Huggett
1 October 2024 | 70 min listen
Illustrated portrait of Lin Tian.
Synaptic Microphone

Biosensors and being fearless with Lin Tian

Tian discusses protein function and structure, and the historic city in China where she was born.

By Brady Huggett
1 September 2024 | 62 min listen
Illustrated portrait of Catherine Dulac.
Synaptic Microphone

Male and female brains, Proust, and Catherine Dulac

The 2021 Breakthrough Prize winner explains how reading widely shaped her worldview, and discusses the vomeronasal organ.

By Brady Huggett
1 August 2024 | 81 min listen
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Logo for the "Brain Inspired" podcast: a blue outline of a brain with circuitry in one hemisphere and binary code in the other.

Recent Episodes:

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Brain Inspired Microphone

Vijay Namboodiri and Ali Mohebi on the evolving story of dopamine’s role in cognitive function

Researchers discuss the classic stories of dopamine’s role in learning, ongoing work linking it to a wide variety of cognitive functions, and recent research suggesting that dopamine may help us "look back" to discover the causes of events in the world.

By Paul Middlebrooks
27 September 2024 | 97 min listen
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Brain Inspired Microphone

Kim Stachenfeld on the dance between neuroscience and artificial intelligence

As a researcher at both Google DeepMind and Columbia University, Stachenfeld offers cross-disciplinary insight into how to understand the brain.

By Paul Middlebrooks
11 September 2024 | 93 min listen
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Audio research news logo.

Recent Episodes:

Research image of brain scans showing the structural integrity of white-matter tracts.
Brain imaging Microphone

Repeat scans reveal brain changes that precede childbirth

A detailed look at a “pregnant brain” highlights a need to investigate the neural alterations that occur during a transition experienced by nearly 140 million people worldwide each year.

By Shaena Montanari
16 September 2024 | 9 min listen
Illustration of cranes attempting to assemble a structure out of very small black squares.
Dopamine Microphone

Reconstructing dopamine’s link to reward

The field is grappling with whether to modify the long-standing theory of reward prediction error—or abandon it entirely.

By Angie Voyles Askham
13 September 2024 | 20 min listen
Photo of the U.S. Capitol Building.
Spectrum Microphone

In updated U.S. autism bill, Congress calls for funding boost, expanded scope

The current Autism CARES Act sunsets in late September.

By Rachel Zamzow
5 September 2024 | 6 min listen
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Two people talking to one another create a speech bubble with The Transmitter’s logo above the speech bubble.

Recent Episodes:

Black-and-white illustrated portrait of Jonathan Green.
Spectrum Microphone

‘Emergent and transactional’: How Jonathan Green is rethinking autism and interventions

The experienced clinician discusses writing his recent paper, and its reception in the field.

By Brady Huggett
28 August 2023 | 1 min read
Black and white watercolor-style portrait of Cheryl Dissanayake.
Spectrum Microphone

The story of autism research in Australia: A conversation with Cheryl Dissanayake

With the help of a generous benefactor, autism research in Australia is gathering critical mass.

By Brady Huggett
25 July 2023 | 1 min read
Images of Marie-Eve Lefebvre and Punit Shah sitting at their laptops.
Spectrum Microphone

New journals seek to fill neurodiversity gap

The two journals, although differing in initial support, both realized the need for a publication focused exclusively on the neurodiverse experience.

By Brady Huggett
8 March 2023 | 42 min listen
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