The Plastic Brain: A Screensaver

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This is the first study that makes quantitative predictions across species. We found 25 different species of primates and looked at how plastic their brains are. Some primates come out very plastic, like homo sapiens. Others, like the gray mouse lemur, it's called is very not plastic. But anyway, for an animal that's not particularly plastic, it has very little dream sleep.

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David Eagleman (@davideagleman) is a neuroscientist, New York Times bestselling author, TED speaker, and Guggenheim Fellow. He is the writer and presenter of the Emmy-nominated series The Brain on PBS, as well as the podcast Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman. In Palo Alto, California, he teaches at Stanford University, runs a startup neurotech company called Neosensory, and directs the Center for Science and Law. Dr. Eagleman also runs a film and television production company, Cognito Entertainment, to bring scientific themes (fiction and nonfiction) to the screen. He is the author of eight books, including the international bestsellers Sum, Incognito, and his newest book, Livewired.

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[07:10] Mnemonists and synesthetes.

[12:13] Creating new senses.

[17:39] Practical applications in practice.

[24:36] Five years from now.

[28:26] The curious resilience and vulnerability of memory.

[32:25] Testing the accuracy of memory.

[34:50] Meeting Francis Crick.

[36:25] The dangerous lumberjack.

[39:43] Dream projects.

[41:23] Exploring consciousness.

[44:38] Dreaming and brain plasticity.

[54:13] Influences.