People I (Mostly) Admire 144. Feeling Sound and Hearing Color
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Nov 9, 2024 
David Eagleman, a Stanford neuroscientist and CEO of Neosensory, shares fascinating insights into the brain's plasticity and sensory substitution. He discusses how our wrists can be trained to interpret sound, enhancing experiences for the deaf. The conversation delves into the purpose of dreams, suggesting they help protect our visual systems. Eagleman also tackles the intriguing concept of Possibilianism and its role in understanding existence, intertwining philosophy with technology in a thought-provoking way.
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Livewired Brain
- The human brain is "livewired," constantly adapting and rewiring itself.
- This flexibility allows the brain to overcome seemingly devastating deficits, like missing an entire hemisphere.
Echolocation & Brain Plasticity
- Blind people can use echolocation to navigate by interpreting sound echoes.
- The brain's visual cortex can be repurposed for echolocation in sighted people in just a few days.
REM Sleep's Purpose
- David Eagleman theorizes that REM sleep and dreaming protect the visual cortex from being taken over by other senses during darkness.
- The amount of REM sleep correlates with brain plasticity across primate species.
