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Neuroscience is in the midst of a revolution: aided by increasingly sophisticated brain-scanning technologies, it offers more insights into the inner working of our brains than we’ve ever had before. But as this animated short featuring the musings of the comparative neuroscientist Danbee Kim and the philosopher of mind David Chalmers explains, a multifaceted approach to cognitive science is necessary for us to make any real progress towards understanding our minds. The extremely complex ‘interplay between brains, bodies and the world’, as Kim puts it, requires squaring the bottom-up business of neuron activity with the top-down methods of psychology, and several biological systems in between.
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Stories and literature
Robert Frost’s poetic reflection on youth, as read in his unforgettable baritone
5 minutes
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Sex and sexuality
After a sextortion scam, Eugene conducts an unblushing survey of masturbation
14 minutes
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Language and linguistics
Closed captions suck. Here’s one artist’s inventive project to make them better
8 minutes
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Anthropology
Why are witchcraft accusations so common across human societies?
4 minutes
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Subcultures
Drop into London’s eclectic skate scene, where newbies and old-timers find community
5 minutes
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Technology and the self
A deepfake porn victim confronts the pain of having her likeness stolen and vandalised
19 minutes
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Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes
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Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
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Love and friendship
Love looks a bit different for a chain-smoking couple in a small apartment
11 minutes