The Untold Story of the Neuron with Benjamin Ehrlich

The Untold Story of the Neuron with Benjamin Ehrlich

Author: Indre Viskontas April 4, 2022 Duration: 33:45
This week we’re joined by Benjamin Ehrlich, author of The Brain in Search of Itself: Santiago Ramón y Cajal and the Story of the Neuron. It’s a book about the discoveries and life of Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who has been called the ‘father of modern neuroscience.’  While today relatively unknown outside of his field, Cajal’s discoveries about the brain changed the field of neuroscience forever. In 1906 he won a Nobel Prize for his pioneering work on neurons, which he called “the mysterious butterflies of the soul … whose beating of wings may one day reveal to us the secrets of the mind.” https://inquiring.show/episodes/378-the-untold-story-of-the-neuronSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds

Hosted by neuroscientist and communicator Indre Viskontas, Inquiring Minds digs into the questions that shape our lives, where hard data meets human experience. This isn't just about lab results or abstract theories; it's about how scientific thinking directly influences our culture, our social structures, and the daily choices we all face. Every episode is a deep, thoughtful conversation that starts with curiosity and follows the evidence wherever it leads. You'll hear from researchers, thinkers, and sometimes skeptics, all in service of untangling complex issues with clarity and nuance. The goal is to move beyond headlines and hype to examine what we really know, what remains a mystery, and how that knowledge empowers us. Tuning into this podcast means joining a community that values rigor and open-minded inquiry, recognizing that understanding the mechanisms of our world is the first step toward navigating it more thoughtfully. It's for anyone who has ever wondered how science actually informs policy, art, relationships, and our sense of self, presented not as a lecture but as an engaging, ongoing exploration.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Inquiring Minds
Podcast Episodes
Revealing the Secrets of Supercommunicators with Charles Duhigg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:40
In this intriguing episode, Indre chats with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and renowned author of The Power of Habit and Smarter, Better, Faster, Charles Duhigg, to discuss his latest book “Supercommunicators”. Their…
“The Good Stuff” about Quanta and Fields with Sean Carroll [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:37
Indre welcomes Sean Carroll, Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University and host of the Mindscape podcast, back to Inquiring Minds today for an engaging exploration of his latest book, "The Bigg…
Understanding and Expanding Consciousness with Dr. Christof Koch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:52
In yet another thoroughly intriguing episode, Indre engages with renowned neuroscientist Christof Koch this week to explore the complexities of consciousness and its impact on our understanding of self and free will. Koc…
Are Flukes Actually the Norm? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:50
Indre examines the realm of randomness and its undeniable sway over our lives and the fabric of society, as she welcomes global politics luminary, Brian Klaas, to the podcast today. An Associate Professor in Global Polit…
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Duration: 33:28
Globally recognized neurodiversity expert, thought leader, and public policy professional and champion, Maureen Dunne, joins Indre today to discuss the evolving perceptions of neurological diversity within our society. C…
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Duration: 29:28
In this latest installment of Inquiring Minds, Indre explores the intricate world of photography with the renowned Dan Winters, whose career spans the realms of celebrity portraiture, scientific documentation, and beyond…
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Duration: 43:33
Among his many achievements, the esteemed Venki Ramakrishnan has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth, served as the President of the Royal Society, and shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Today, he adds being a specia…
“X”-amining the Battle for the Bird with Kurt Wagner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:28
Join Indre and guest Kurt Wagner, renowned business and technology journalist and author of Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul, as they embark on an insightful explo…
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Duration: 48:58
Welcome back to Inquiring Minds, where, after a brief hiatus, host Indre Viskontas returns withyet another memorable episode, this time featuring Charan Ranganath, Director of the Memoryand Plasticity Program and a Profe…
Don’t Panic, but Robert Sapolsky Says There’s No Free Will [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:00
This week we talk to Robert Sapolsky—MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford—about his new book Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will.