Alle afleveringen
1.047 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Mind Reading (Part 2 of 2): The rise of mental surveillance
30 juni 2007 · 30 min
Our lives are increasingly under surveillance. Is the mental wilderness between your ears your last truly private space? Scientists are uncovering new ways to fish for your thoughts, and to decipher the brain's neural code behind your thinking. The applications are potentially revolutionary -- from probing the mental capacity of patients trapped in coma, to lie detection or brain-machine interfaces for controlling computers with thoughts alone. But the ethical questions surrounding this fledgling science are profound. What cost for personal privacy as the cognitive borders of our minds are penetrated? Lees meer
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Mind Reading (Part 1 of 2): Neuroscience in the witness stand
23 juni 2007 · 30 min
'But officer, my brain made me do it!' Brain scans are becoming commonplace as evidence in US courts, in the bid to convict offenders or free them. But is the technology half-baked? Can we biologically categorise people as criminals -- mad, bad and dangerous to know? Free will, privacy and personal responsibility are all up for grabs in the collision between science and the law. Lees meer
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Teaching your brain to be happy
16 juni 2007 · 30 min
Happiness is paradoxical. What we think will give it to us - invariably doesn't. When we think we've got it - we invariably haven't. We're not even good at predicting what will make us happy people. From languishing to flourishing - can even the most troubled mind be primed for happiness? A panel of international trailblazers in the study of emotion, positive psychology and Buddhism get earnest about pleasure. Lees meer
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Chronic fatigue syndrome
9 juni 2007 · 30 min
An exhaustion like none other, disturbed and unrefreshing sleep, aching limbs, cognitive blur - often for many years. The physical impact is immense. Despite this, Chronic fatigue syndrome remains difficult to biologically and medically define, and to treat - even for those most specialized in the condition. World-leading researchers discuss the ongoing challenges and debates, the quest for a diagnostic test, and recent genetic and immunological research. Lees meer
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Writing the Brain: Part 2 - Neuroscience and creativity with Sue Woolfe
2 juni 2007 · 45 min
Acclaimed novelist Sue Woolfe, author of Leaning Towards Infinity, found herself mystified by her own mind as she wrestled with narrative of her book, The Secret Cure: a tale of love, science and autism. She set out to answer a question troubling her, 'What are people who sit in rooms making up stories doing with their minds?' She lays her writer's psyche bare to discuss shame, subversion, control and the creative process. A rare glimpse inside the mind's eye of a storyteller. Lees meer
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The Neurobiology of Suicide
19 mei 2007 · 30 min
Psychiatrist and neuroscientist, John Mann, has a grisly job. He wants to understand why some deeply depressed souls take their own lives, yet others resist. His team's post-mortem studies suggest a distinct neurobiology of suicide. And, for those left behind, might there be a definite 'biology of sadness' too? Also, a bereft father writes to his dead son, and asks 'why?' Lees meer
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Bioterrorism and your brain
12 mei 2007 · 30 min
Knowledge can be dangerous. As neuroscience delves more deeply into our organ of thought and its complex soup of neurotransmitters - could it also be exploited for malign purposes? Is the brain the next target of terrorism? Pharmaceutically enhanced soldiers, chemical torture, incapacitants, neurological weaponry... The possibilities are frightening and progress rapid. Two leading researchers into biological weapons present their concerns, and argue scientists need to take action now. But are we at risk of paranoia? Lees meer
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Is music the universal language?
5 mei 2007 · 30 min
One person's spoken language might sound like gobbledy gook to another - but when it comes to music do we beat to a common evolutionary drum? Could music be the universal language - linking minds across cultures and ancestral time? And, which came first - music or language? Don your headphones and climb aboard for an acoustic adventure. Does music lie at the heart...and brain...of what it means to be human? Lees meer
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You are not your brain scan! Critical reporting on the mind sciences
28 april 2007 · 46 min
The Brain. It's been called the final frontier of science. Colourful fMRI scans light up our TV screens and newspapers promising to reveal the secrets of the psyche. From the search for the brain's God Spot, to the rapid rise of neuroeconomics, neuromarketing and neuroethics - makes for sexy headlines - but have journalists become blinded by the lights and allure of the brain scan? Are we telling too simplistic a story about the human self? Join Natasha Mitchell at the World Conference of Science Journalists with award-winning science journalists Deborah Blum (USA) and Jonica Newby, and Professor Fred Mendelsohn, Director of the Howard Florey Institute. Lees meer
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Jerome Kagan - The Father of Temperament (repeat)
21 april 2007 · 30 min
Why can two children born into the same household be like two different peas in a pod? Harvard's Jerome Kagan trailblazed the controversial science of temperament to investigate why. In a career that spans more than half a century, now he's going into battle for our minds, with a compelling retrospective, An Argument for Mind. To some an iconoclast - one of the biggest names in psychology of our time joins Natasha Mitchell, in this re-airing of a popular interview. Lees meer
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Julie's Story: Diary of a brain tumour
14 april 2007 · 30 min
Like many young Australians in their early 20s, writer Julie Deakin headed to Europe for her first 'Big Adventure'. But holidaying in Hungary with her sister she found herself diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour and scheduled for immediate surgery, in a land whose language she didn't speak. It was the start of an eight-year saga before her death in 1998, confronting a tumour that wouldn't go away, and the finality of a passionate young life. This week, Julie's story. Lees meer
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Borderline Personality Disorder - Challenging the label
7 april 2007 · 30 min
Self harm and self-denigration. Radical mood swings, and diabolical, destructive behaviours. For those labelled as having Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - life is intolerable. Not the least because it's a diagnosis often stigmatised by the very profession responsible for giving it. This week, confronting stories about a confronting condition. Of the estimated 1-2% of the population said to have the disorder, most are women. But are these difficult women, or women with dreadfully difficult histories? Lees meer
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The Blind Brain: Part 2 of 2 - The bionic eye
31 maart 2007 · 30 min
It conjures up images of the Six Million Dollar Man or Star Trek. A bionic eye for the profoundly blind. What are the prospects for a prosthesis or retinal chip to restore vision? Can engineers really replicate the deeply subjective experience that is seeing? And, would near enough be good enough? Could a few spots of light compromise the other well honed senses of touch, sound and smell that colonise the visual centres of blind brains? Graeme Innis, Australia's Federal Human Rights and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, himself born blind, reckon he'd give one a try. Lees meer
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The Blind Brain: Part 1 of 2
24 maart 2007 · 30 min
A completely blind artist paints perfect replicas of the world he's never seen. An Indian child born with cataracts miraculously gains full visual capacity at age 12. People born blind experience their 'seeing' mind in different ways, and are helping scientists challenge the dogma of a brain rigidly hard-wired for vision. And, Zoltan Torey, blinded 56 years ago in an industrial accident, shares his own wildly vivid experience of an 'inner eye'. Lees meer
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PANIC! A cultural history
17 maart 2007 · 30 min
From the collective paranoia of Cold War hysteria to the medicated, disordered mind - sociologist and performance artist Jackie Orr has penned a passionate and political history of panic. She delved into the rich archives of the war-time psyche, confronted her own panic attacks, and even enrolled in the clinical trial of a drug for panic disorder, in her quest to excavate our panicky past and present. Lees meer
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Prospects for a transhuman mind?
10 maart 2007 · 30 min
Transhumanists are hell-bent on extending their lives beyond the current limits of the flesh, by exploiting cutting-edge genomics, stem-cell research, robotics and nanotechnology. Engineering evolution is their goal. But can they re-engineer our Darwinian mind? Leda Cosmides, renowned pioneer of the controversial field evolutionary psychology, asks, 'Are We Already Transhuman?' Don't miss this Templeton Research Lecture recorded for All in the Mind at Arizona State University. Lees meer
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The Zyprexa story
3 maart 2007 · 30 min
Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly (makers of Prozac) have agreed to pay upwards of 1.2 billion US dollars to nearly 30,000 patients who claim their bestseller antipsychotic medication, Zyprexa (Olanzapine) has resulted in diabetes, weight gain and other complications and that these risks were downplayed. Secret documents are leaked, the newspaper headlines start screaming, and citizen journalists spread the word - but where is the real advocacy for better drugs with fewer side effects? Lees meer
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Drug and alcohol abuse: The refugee experience
24 februari 2007 · 30 min
They survive civil war, refugee camps, dispossession, enforced resettlement. Yet nothing can quite prepare a refugee for the challenge of adapting to life in a new and foreign home. This week, are the world's refugees at increased risk of drug and alcohol use and abuse? What's the international evidence, and what interventions work? Members of Australia's Sudanese community share their own concerns. Lees meer
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Our neurotoxic world (part two): Industrial chemicals - a silent pandemic?
17 februari 2007 · 30 min
Lead in paint. Methylmercury in fish. Arsenic in groundwater. Just some of the toxic insults on our vulnerable brains. But are they the thin end of the industrial chemical wedge? Could the world's children be experiencing a silent pandemic in neurodevelopmental disorders? Harvard's Professor Phillipe Grandjean thinks so, and joins Deborah Cory-Slechta at Rutgers University to unpick the latest compelling science. Don't miss two of the world's trailblazers in neurotoxicology. Lees meer
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Our neurotoxic world (part one): Chemotherapy and the brain
10 februari 2007 · 30 min
Your brain is a resilient organ, but vulnerable to nasty environmental insults too. This week, in the first of two shows navigating our neurotoxic world: it's been dubbed 'Chemofog' and 'Chemobrain' by cancer survivors: short-term memory loss, foggy thoughts, fatigue - lingering sometimes years after chemotherapy. Could chemo be doing more than killing off cancer cells? New research suggests it may be more toxic to your nerve cells than cancer itself. Natasha Mitchell investigates. Lees meer
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The mind-body problem Down Under
3 februari 2007 · 30 min
Mind. Brain. Are they the same thing, or is the mind something special? The conundrum has perplexed us for centuries. Descartes split the two - into a spiritual, soul-like mind and fleshly, material brain. But in 1956 a group of 'renegade' Oxford graduates Down Under, now international stars in philosophy, launched a challenge. Consciousness and the brain were united, and any talk of mental spooks and ghosts in the machine was out...almost. Now in their 80s, David Armstrong and Jack Smart and others reminisce on taking Descartes to task. Lees meer
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The psychology of stalking
27 januari 2007 · 30 min
Repeated unwanted advances, being followed, distressing packages and letters in the mail, relentless phone calls and emails - this can all be part of the terrifying experience of being stalked. It's a social problem that's increasing and doesn't just happen to celebrities. What motivates stalkers? The latest research from forensic psychiatry, and one woman's devastating account of the impact a persistent stalker has had on her life. Lees meer
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Breaking the Spell: Daniel Dennett on religion
20 januari 2007 · 30 min
As the world wages war over geographical, religious and historical turf - a growing number of big note scientists want religious faith put under the microscope. Uber-philosopher of mind and popular provocateur, Daniel Dennett, author of Darwin's Dangerous Idea, is one of them. He joins Natasha Mitchell to discuss his latest controversial offering, Breaking the Spell. Be provoked... Lees meer
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In the mind of the child soldier
13 januari 2007 · 30 min
Northern Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sri Lanka, Columbia. Some of the world's conflicted countries where young children are recruited, or violently abducted, to serve as soldiers. Two psychologists at the coalface, and a teenage abductee, join Natasha Mitchell to discuss the complex psychology of child recruitment, reintegration and repatriation. Little innocents or self-aware agents? A confronting issue that's not straightforward. Stories of hope prevail too. Lees meer
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The starving brain (repeat)
6 januari 2007 · 30 min
The pressure to be thin is more intense than ever, and with around 80% of teenage girls going on diets, some slide down the slippery slope into anorexia nervosa. Our knowledge of this puzzling disorder remains limited, but some inroads of understanding are being made into what occurs in the starving brain. Lynne Malcolm reports on the latest scientific research, and meets a young woman on the path to recovery who gives a moving insight into her experience. First broadcast 25 March 2006. Lees meer
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Epilepsy: taming seizures and dispelling myths
30 december 2006 · 30 min
Until the 18th century, epilepsy was associated with the supernatural or seen as the work of the Devil, and it continues to be surrounded by social stigma. There's still a hard core of sufferers who aren't helped by medication - despite the plethora of new drugs under development. Meet a brave young girl who turned to brain surgery after years of daily, debilitating seizures, a woman whose life has been transformed by a nerve stimulator implanted in her chest, and a geneticist who gives us hope for the future. Lees meer
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Brain Surgery - Live on the Wireless!
23 december 2006 · 30 min
Brain Surgery - Live on the Wireless!
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Journeys to Recovery: Accepting the Reality of Unreality
16 december 2006 · 30 min
People who hear voices or have delusions often don't believe they're sick with a psychotic illness. It's their harsh and frightening reality. Coming to terms with the need for treatment can be a mighty battle, for both themselves and their families. Lynne Malcolm speaks with two men who've found their own unexpected routes towards acceptance and recovery. And, psychologist Xavier Amador - a forensic expert in high profile cases such as the Unabomber and the 20th 9/11 highjacker - challenges the denial in unique ways. Lees meer
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The Chimeric Brain
9 december 2006 · 30 min
The Chimera - a creature of Ancient Greek mythology - was part lion-goat-snake. Crossing the boundaries between species is everyday in science. To test the therapeutic potential and behaviour of human stem cells, scientists implant them into animals first. But transplanting our brain cells into our closest primate relatives has raised eyebrows, and the prospect of the 'humanzee'. Could this make their brain more human-like? Might this change their moral status in the lab? Top stem cell scientist, John Gearhart, bioethicist Jason Scott Robert, and neuroscientist Peter Schofield join Natasha Mitchell to discuss the scientific and moral questions at the core of creating chimeric brains. Lees meer
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The Brain Computer Interface
2 december 2006 · 30 min
Artist Pro Hart died of it, so did actor David Niven - the nightmarish legacy of Motor Neurone disease which paralyses the body as the disease progresses. Communication can become restricted to an eye-blink, with the mind remaining intact and active in a frozen body. But the technological cutting edge of the brain-computer interface could make a difference, and help people communicate with the outside world using the only thing they have left...their mind. Turn on the TV, switch off the lights and even send emails, just by thinking about it? No, it's not hocus-pocus. Lees meer
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Moral Minds: The Evolution of Human Morality
25 november 2006 · 30 min
Incest, infanticide, honour killings - different cultures have different rules of justice. But are we all born with a moral instinct - an innate ability to judge what is right and wrong? Could morality be like language - a universal, unconscious grammar common to all human cultures? Eminent evolutionary biologist Marc Hauser and philosopher Richard Joyce take on these controversial questions in impressive new tomes, and to critical acclaim. But could their evolutionary arguments undermine the social authority of morality? Is biology the new 'religion'? Lees meer
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Imps of the Mind Gone Awry: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
18 november 2006 · 30 min
Rituals, checking the stove, repetitive thoughts. Everyday patterns for all of us, but when they go awry, the impact of these imps of the mind is devastating and life-consuming. This week, a provocative theory with new, convincing science - could Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in some children be triggered by a common bout of strep throat? And, nipping the obsessions and compulsions in the bud - one parent's story, and a pilot project already changing the lives of young people plagued by OCD. Lees meer
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Tobacco and Culture: First Nation Peoples face the Challenge
11 november 2006 · 30 min
Sucking on cigarettes. It's a public health nightmare for the world's indigenous peoples. Maori women have the word's highest rates of lung cancer. Smoking rates haven't dropped in 15 years amongst Aboriginal Australians. But, for Native Americans native tobacco still has sacred, ceremonial value. Three First Nation leaders discuss the complex past and present of tobacco use and abuse in their cultures. And, they're making their presence felt - from the first smoke free Native American community, to a public apology by the world's biggest cigarette manufacturer to Maoris. Lees meer
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The Private Life of a Brain Surgeon
4 november 2006 · 30 min
Katrina Firlik's business is brains. Carving into the 'flesh of the soul' is her day job. The first woman admitted into one of the most prestigious neurosurgery programs, she's just penned an insider's account of her world. Part mechanic - part scientist, her intimate encounters of diseased and damaged brains offer a unique, and grisly, lens onto our most mysterious and wondrous organ. Lees meer
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Therapy in the shadow of terror
28 oktober 2006 · 30 min
This week, delivering therapy to the enemy. Meet Jewish psychotherapist and anthropologist Dr Henry Abramovitch, president of the Israel Institute for Jungian Psychology. In Jerusalem he soothes the souls of both Israeli and Palestinian clients. But with suicide bombs exploding in the neighbourhood, politics can't help but creep into the therapeutic setting. Continually confronted with their combined mortality, the boundaries between therapist and client, victim and perpetrator, take on very different dimensions. Dr Abramovitch joins Natasha Mitchell as a feature guest, with powerful insights into the personal nightmares of a population divided by decades of conflict. Lees meer
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Placenta Brain: the cognitive burden of pregnancy?
21 oktober 2006 · 30 min
Ever had a case of 'placenta brain', or 'pregnancy stupidity'? Can carrying a foetus make you drop your cognitive bundle? Expecting women worldwide find themselves suddenly forgetful and absent minded. So why is there so little research into the phenomenon? Are hormones to blame, or the psychological burden of approaching mumhood? Does it have an evolutionary function? Libbi Gorr and others contemplate the hungry placenta.. Lees meer
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Reclaiming imagination: art, psychosis and the creative mind
14 oktober 2006 · 30 min
The imagination of an artist living with schizophrenia can feel like it's been colonised...by diagnostic labels, by medication and by the often unforgiving and frightening contents of hallucinations or delusions. What then does it mean to reclaim imagination? Is madness a muse or a hurdle? Artists Simon Champ and James de Blas are joined by acclaimed pop artist Martin Sharp, to reflect on the perplexing nature of our imaginative selves. Lees meer
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Bird brains: Smarter than the Average...
7 oktober 2006 · 30 min
Bird brains don't deserve the bad rap they get. Like us, songbirds are among the only animals that can learn new and complex vocal skills. Mental time travel isn't beyond them, and even mastering grammar-like patterns could be part of their cognitive repertoire! This week, three top bird brain researchers leave their aviaries and join Natasha Mitchell to discuss the unique heads of our flying feathered friends. Lees meer
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It hurts: the elusive nature of pain
30 september 2006 · 30 min
Chronic pain. Gnawing, throbbing, aching. Like a rotten apple at the core, razor blades down the spine, barbed wire coursing through the body. Talking about it is difficult enough, but does how we think about pain actually change the nature of pain itself? Many of us still consider pain as solely biological, with major implications for the treatment we seek and receive. This week—a philosopher, a top pain psychologist and a young man who understands the intimate interplay between mind and pain better than most. Lees meer
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The Mind-Body Problem Down Under
23 september 2006 · 31 min
Mind. Brain. Are they the same thing, or is the mind something special? The conundrum has perplexed us for centuries. Descartes' split the two - into a spiritual, soul-like mind and fleshly, material brain. But in 1956 a group of 'renegade' Oxford graduates Down Under, now international stars in philosophy, launched a challenge. Consciousness and the brain were united, and any talk of mental spooks and ghosts in the machine was out...almost. Now in their 80s, David Armstrong and Jack Smart join Natasha Mitchell and others to reminisce on taking Descartes to task. (Part of ABC Radio National's The Big 56 celebrations) Lees meer
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In the Family - A Journey through Madness
16 september 2006 · 30 min
This week, a candid family story of life inside. Inside psychiatric hospitals, inside schizophrenia, and inside a remarkable journey towards compassion, activism and understanding. Penelope and Lloyd met and married after years of cycling in and out of Perth's psychiatric institutions. Penelope's 19-year-old daughter, Tynx, reveals a wisdom beyond her years about the impact of growing up with a parent with mental illness. They join Natasha Mitchell in conversation with a story that is sure to move you. Lees meer
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Part 2 of 2: Dream a Little Dream
9 september 2006 · 29 min
What adventures does your sleeping brain take you on at night? Wild rides into vivid landscapes with a strange cast of characters from your past? Or, mundane replays of the day's events? The purpose of dreams remains the focus of heated scientific conjecture. Do they serve to consolidate our memories and experiences, or is their meaning more complex? The second episode in this BBC series leaves the waking world to uncover a phenomenon that some argue offers a window onto our soul. NOTE: The transcript or audio won't be available because of copyright reasons. Instead you'll be able to enjoy a popular show from our archives, Attachment Therapy and Pseudoscience in Psychology, as this week's podcast edition, here... Lees meer
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Part 1 of 2: A Night of Slumber Revealed
2 september 2006 · 29 min
Prick up your ears and eyelids and listen in. Despite over 100 years of theory and research, no-one knows exactly why we need to sleep and dream yet we know we can't survive without precious slumber. Why? Join BBC radio broadcaster Claudia Hammond as she's wired up in a sleep clinic to reveal the inner workings of her own sleepy brain, and yours too. NOTE: The transcript or podcast won't be available because of copyright reasons. Instead enjoy The Dancing Mind as this week's podcast, from our archives. Click here... Lees meer
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Jerome Kagan - The Father of Temperament
26 augustus 2006 · 30 min
Why can two children born into the same household be like two different peas in a pod? Harvard's Jerome Kagan trailblazed the controversial science of temperament to investigate why. In a career that spans more than half a century, now he's going into battle for our minds, with a compelling retrospective, An Argument for Mind. To some an iconoclast - one of the biggest names in psychology of our time joins Natasha Mitchell in conversation...and reflection. Lees meer
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The Nature of Belief : Australian Science Festival Debate
19 augustus 2006 · 30 min
Why do you believe what you do? Is the human mind an organ designed for belief? Why are we so convinced of the existence of things we can't prove or see? Are some beliefs healthy and others pathological? Margaret Wertheim, author of Pythagoras' Trousers, and The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace; cognitive scientist Professor Max Coltheart, co-editor of Pathologies of Belief, and theologian, film-maker and cult-buster, Reverend Dr David Millikan, join Natasha Mitchell to unravel the perplexing power of belief. If you don't believe us - tune in! Lees meer
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In the mind of the child soldier
12 augustus 2006 · 32 min
Northern Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sri Lanka, Columbia. Some of the world's conflicted countries where young children are recruited, or violently abducted, to serve as soldiers. Two psychologists at the coalface, and a teenage abductee, join Natasha Mitchell to discuss the complex psychology of child recruitment, reintegration and repatriation. Little innocents or self-aware agents? A confronting issue that's not straightforward. Stories of hope prevail too. Lees meer
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False memories and young minds
5 augustus 2006 · 29 min
Your memory is your personal archive. But it can trick you too - sometimes with serious consequences. Are children more susceptible to false memories, or adults? Striking new research has important implications for how we handle children in courts and therapy, and for our understanding of this fallible human talent. Join Natasha Mitchell for the latest from the International Conference on Memory. Lees meer
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Breaking the Spell: Daniel Dennett on religion
29 juli 2006 · 30 min
As the world wages war over geographical, religious and historical turf - a growing number of big note scientists want religious faith put under the microscope. Uber-philosopher of mind and popular provocateur, Daniel Dennett, author of Darwin's Dangerous Idea, is one of them. He joins Natasha Mitchell to discuss his latest controversial offering, Breaking the Spell. Be provoked... Lees meer
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Hearing Voices - the invisible intruders
22 juli 2006 · 30 min
Around 10 per cent of the population hear voices that aren't there. Some people can live harmoniously with them, but for those whose voices are associated with a psychiatric illness, they can be frightening and menacingly real. We discuss the latest research on how auditory hallucinations occur in the brain, what it's like to live with voices in your head—and the healing power of the international Hearing Voices Network. Lees meer
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The psychology of stalking
15 juli 2006 · 30 min
Repeated unwanted advances, being followed, distressing packages and letters in the mail, relentless phone calls and emails can all be part of the often-terrifying experience of being stalked. It's a social problem that's increasing and it doesn't just happen to celebrities. From the latest research in forensic psychiatry, we hear what motivates those who stalk, and one woman gives an open account of what impact being the victim of a stalker has had on her life. Lees meer