Best Mark Baars Podcasts (2024)

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214 FREE Transcript PDF

4M ago

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This is the FREE Transcript for BS 214: Seventeenth Annual Review. If you are a Premium (MyLibsyn) Subscriber LOGIN to access additional transcripts in your browser or in the free Brain Science mobile app. Click here if you are a Patreon supporter. Scroll up/down for the audio.

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BS 214 Seventeenth Annual Review Episode 52:27

4M ago52:27

52:27

This is the 17th Annual Review episode of Brain Science, celebrating the first episode which aired on December 15, 2006. We review the highlights of 2023, which included both new guests and the return of several favorites. Episodes Released in 2023: BS 204 (Encore) and BS 205 featured molecular biologist Guy Caldwell, PhD from the University of Ala…

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213 Premium Transcript PDF

6M ago

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This is the Premium Transcript for BS 213 with Kevin Mitchell, author of Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. If you are a Premium (MyLibsyn) Subscriber LOGIN to access this transcript in your browser or the free Brain Science mobile app. Click here if you are a Patreon supporter. You may also buy this transcript separately at https://brai…

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BS 213 Kevin Mitchell explores Free Will 1:26:15

6M ago1:26:15

1:26:15

In the this episode of Brain Science we talk with neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell about his new book Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. While many neuroscientists and philosophers argue that free will is an illusion, Mitchell argues that the ability to make meaningful choices is part of our evolutionary heritage. He also addresses the impo…

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212 FREE Episode Transcript

7M ago

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This is the FREE Transcript for BS 212 with is an encore presentation of an interview with Thomas Metzinger, author of The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self. Additional transcripts are available to Premium (MyLibsyn) subscribers and some Patreon supports. Learn more at https://brainsciencepodcast.com/premium. Scroll up/do…

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BS 212 Thomas Metzinger on "The Ego Tunnel" (Encore) 1:06:36

7M ago1:06:36

1:06:36

This month's episode of Brain Science features Thomas Metzinger, author of "The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self." Metzinger is a philosopher with a longstanding interest in Philosophy of Mind with a focus on incorporating the findings of neuroscience. We discuss the implications of the discovery that consciousness is a …

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BS 211 Molecular Biologist Seth Grant 1:10:15

8M ago1:10:15

1:10:15

This episode of Brain Science features the return of molecular biologist Seth Grant. We briefly review his decades of research into the complexity of the protein structure of the synapse and then we focus on his most recent paper, which describes how the life-span of synapse proteins appears to change as animals age. Grant reflects of the significa…

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BS 210 Introduction to Neurotransmitters 1:06:48

9M ago1:06:48

1:06:48

This episode is our first review of neurotransmitters since episode 8 way back in 2007. We start with some basics of neuron function and brain anatomy, but the meat of the episode is a discussion of neurotransmitters and how they work. The key idea is that a simple molecule, such as dopamine, can have a wide variety of effects because of the existe…

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BS 209 Luiz Pessoa "The Entangled Brain" 1:07:22

10M ago1:07:22

1:07:22

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Luiz Pessoa, author of The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together. This is Pessoa's first book aimed at a general audience and it provides a concise overview of our current understanding of basic brain function. However, he also explains the limitations o…

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BS 208 "Foolproof" with Sander van der Linden 1:09:21

11M ago1:09:21

1:09:21

This month's episode is an interview with Cambridge Psychology professor Sander van der Linden, author of "Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity." We discuss the important topic of how techniques like appealing to emotion contribute to the spread of misinformation. Dr. Campbell reflects on why this topic is impor…

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BS 207 Free Episode Transcript

12M ago

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This is the FREE Transcript for BS 207 with Luiz Pessoa. Go to brainsciencepodcast.com/premium to learn how you can get transcripts for every episode. Scroll up/down for the audio.

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BS 207 Luiz Pessoa "The Cognitive-Emotional Brain" 1:05:38

12M ago1:05:38

1:05:38

This month's episode is an encore presentation of an interview with neuroscientist Luiz Pessoa discussing his fascinating book "The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration." We explored the surprising role of the amygdala in decision making and learned that cognition and emotion are deeply intertwined at every level. Links and R…

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#27 — Is Willpower Like Muscle Power? with Roy F. Baumeister 1:06:21

1y ago1:06:21

1:06:21

How do we regulate our impulsive emotions, resist temptation, break bad habits, and come up to our best potential - and why do we sometimes run short? Is willpower anything like muscle power? In this episode, we welcome prominent social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, who has published some 700 scientific works, including 40 books. A recipient of m…

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BS 206: Paco Calvo explores Plant Intelligence 1:16:04

1y ago1:16:04

1:16:04

This month we have an intriguing interview with Dr. Paco Calvo from the Minimal Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Mercia in Spain. We talk with him about his new book Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Intelligence. We discuss the scientific evidence for plant intelligence while acknowledging that intelligence and consciousness are not t…

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BS 205 Molecular Biologist Guy Caldwell (Part 2) 1:03:35

1y ago1:03:35

1:03:35

In this follow-up interview with molecular biologist Dr. Guy Caldwell we learn more about how the tools of molecular biology are used to unravel questions in neurobiology and provide hope for better treatments for problems like Parkinson's Disease. Links and References: Guy Caldwell, PhD (University of Alabama) LinkedIn BS 204 Encore of 2009 interv…

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#26 — Smell, Taste & Consciousness with Dr. Stuart Firestein 1:31:06

1y ago1:31:06

1:31:06

Neurobiologist Stuart Firestein, one of the world's leading experts on olfaction, joins Bernard Baars to discuss the similarities and surprising differences of smell and taste in relation to vision, hearing and somatosensory systems, like touch. The olfactory system presents us with alternative views of how sensory stimuli are parsed in the brain a…

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204 Free Episode Transcript

1y ago

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This is the FREE transcript for BS 204 with Guy Caldwell. Additional transcripts are available via MyLibsyn Premium, Patreon, and at brainsciencepodcast.com. Scroll up/down for the episode audio. © copyright 2023 Virginia Campbell, MDBy Ginger Campbell, MD

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BS 204 Guy Caldwell: The Role of Molecular Biology in Neuroscience 1:15:59

1y ago1:15:59

1:15:59

This month's episode is an encore presentation of an interview with Dr. Guy Caldwell from the University of Alabama. Dr. Caldwell explains how tools from molecular biology make it possible to use the famous C. Elegans roundworm to improve our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease. Dr. Caldwell will return to Brain Sci…

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#25 — Human Consciousness and AI: What Does the Future Hold? with Susan Schneider and Rachel St. Clair 1:32:21

1+ y ago1:32:21

1:32:21

In this episode, we examine Human Consciousness and AI, and particularly the popular idea that AI will become conscious at some point. Because conscious brains are the product of enormous periods of evolution and environmental conditions that keep changing in basic ways, the popular idea that machine consciousness is just around the corner is quest…

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203 FREE Episode Transcript

1+ y ago

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This is the free episode transcript for BS 203, which is the 16th Annual Review Episode. Scroll down for the free audio file. For transcripts to ALL EPISODES sign up for MyLibsyn Premium. Patreon supporters ($4/month minimum) get new transcripts every month.By Ginger Campbell, MD

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BS 203 Sixteenth Anniversary of Brain Science 1:18:29

1+ y ago1:18:29

1:18:29

This month's episode (BS 203) celebrates the 16th Anniversary of Brain Science with the annual review episode. This is a listener favorite providing highlights and key ideas from the episodes of Brain Science that were posted in 2022. Topics included hearing, grief, emotion, embodied cognition, consciousness and more. Note: This month's episode tra…

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BS 202 Is Meditation Mind Science? with Evan Thompson 53:08

1+ y ago53:08

53:08

The idea that meditation is a "mind science" is popular, but in this interview Canadian philosopher Evan Thompson argues that this claim does not stand up to either scientific or philosophical scrutiny. As one of the pioneers of the Embodied Cognition movement Thompson reminds us that the Mind is not restricted to the Brain and we must also conside…

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#24 — The Conscious Brain Evolved with David Edelman, Jay Giedd & Mark Mitton 43:06

1+ y ago43:06

43:06

The home of the late Nobel Laureate, Gerald Edelman, is the setting for this elevated discussion on human consciousness. In this episode, Bernie is joined by Gerald's son and neuroscientist David Edelman, developmental neuropsychiatrist Dr. Jay Giedd, and professional magician Mark Mitton. What level of biology is relevant to the study of conscious…

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BS 201 Brain Development with Bill Harris 1:08:49

1+ y ago1:08:49

1:08:49

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with WA (Bill) Harris, author of Zero to Birth: How the Human Brain Is Built. We explore how the human brain develops from the fertilized egg up until birth. There are some surprises along the way, including the fact that we actually have more neurons before we are born than we will ever have ag…

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#23 — Global Workspace Theory (GWT) and Prefrontal Cortex: Recent Developments (Baars et al., 2021) 1:23:34

1+ y ago1:23:34

1:23:34

We think of the cortex in terms of anatomical regions, but the cortex works as a whole. Static, gross anatomical divisions are superseded by the dynamical connectome of cortex. This holistic viewpoint is detailed in the recent paper in the Journal Frontiers in Psychology: Consciousness Research, titled "Global Workspace Theory & Prefrontal Cortex: …

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BS 200 Embodied Cognition in Education with Sheila Macrine and Jennifer Fugate 1:18:55

1+ y ago1:18:55

1:18:55

This month's episode is a discussion with the editors of a fascinating new book Movement Matters: How Embodied Cognition Informs Teaching and Learning. We explore how embodied cognition challenges long standing dualist approaches to both cognition and learning. Sheila Macrine and Jennifer Fugate also share some of the innovative approaches that imp…

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BS 199: Batja Mesquita on Cultural Origins of Emotion 1:02:41

1+ y ago1:02:41

1:02:41

This month's episode is an interview with Batja Mesquita, author of "Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions." This is an important book because it describes the evidence that Emotions are not just something people experience "from the inside out," but they also occur between people, which means that culture plays a critical role. We also explore …

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198 Free Episode Transcript

1+ y ago

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This is a free transcript for BS 198 with Evan Thompson, author of "Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind." Since this is an encore episode the transcript if being provided for free to give a sample of the content available to Premium subscribers. Premium subscribers also get the entire back catalogue of audio content. You …

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BS 198 Embodied Cognition with Evan Thompson 56:12

1+ y ago56:12

56:12

This month's episode of Brain Science is a free encore playing of my interview with Evan Thompson about his book Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind. We discuss how the enactive approach to embodied cognition offers potential clues to the mystery of how the brain can generate Consciousness. A free episode transcript is al…

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BS 197 Free Transcript: Frank Amthor "Neuroscience for Dummies"

2y ago

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This is the free transcript for Episode 197 with Frank Amthor, author of Neuroscience for Dummies. For unlimited access to all transcripts and the entire back catalogue of Brain Science sign up for our Premium Subscription. You can cancel any time.By Host: Ginger Campbell, MD; Guest: Frank Amthor

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#22 — Consciousness Has an Integrative Function with Neuroscientist, David Edelman 26:19

2y ago26:19

26:19

“Can consciousness be seen as the key to understanding our surroundings and organizing our actions?” — David Edelman, PhD, Neuroscientist and Visiting Scholar in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College Ep 22: Consciousness Has an Integrative Function with Neuroscientist, David Edelman Episode 22 of our podcast On Con…

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BS 197 (Encore) Neuroscience for Dummies with Frank Amthor 1:03:54

2y ago1:03:54

1:03:54

This month's episode of Brain Science features an encore playing of my interview with Dr. Frank Amthor, author of Neuroscience for Dummies and Neurobiology for Dummies. It is a great episode for newbies and will be a good review for longtime listeners. This is a FREE sample of my Premium content and the episode transcript is also FREE. Links and Re…

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#21 — The Duet of Physics & Psychology with Psychophysicist, Stanley Klein 1:03:19

2y ago1:03:19

1:03:19

"Subjectivity and consciousness are the two main mysteries that science is still faced with. I'm an optimist. I believe that in the next half a century we might make progress on understanding consciousness." - Stanley A. Klein, psychophysicist, professor of Vision Science and Optometry at the University of California, Berkeley and a member of the B…

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BS 196 Consciousness with Hakwan Lau 56:16

2y ago56:16

56:16

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Hakwan Lau, author of In Consciousness we Trust: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Subjective Experience. Lau talks about shortcomings in current theories about how the brain generates consciousness, but he also introduces something he calls perceptual reality monitoring. Although this is a som…

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#20 — Neural Traffic Flow in the Conscious Brain with Dr. Jay Giedd 36:04

2y ago36:04

36:04

The brain seeks meaning and patterns. It would be very adaptive to do so in nature, because you need to know how to predict danger and to develop social ties. So our brains are very good at recognizing patterns, but also at creating them, even when they're not there. - Dr. Jay Giedd, Chair of Child Psychiatry at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego…

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BS 195 Neuroscience of Emotion with David Anderson 1:11:26

2y ago1:11:26

1:11:26

This month's episode is an interview with David J Anderson from Cal Tech. We talk about his new book The Nature of the Beast: How Emotions Guide US. We talk about how emotion CAN be studied in animals by using methods that focus on brain states rather than verbal descriptions. Dr. Anderson also explains why this experimental work is essential to de…

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BS 194 Mary-Frances O'Connor, author of "The Grieving Brain" 54:01

2y ago54:01

54:01

The neuroscience of grief and grieving is a relatively new field, but one that offers practical discoveries for people of all backgrounds. This month we talk with Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How we Learn from Love and Loss. We talk about what has been learned from a variety of approaches, including…

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#19 — The Sleeping Brain: Better Than a Cup of Coffee 25:41

2y ago25:41

25:41

Studies show that, especially for young children, if you prematurely wake them up and deprive them of that much needed sleep, it becomes detrimental to their proper cognitive development further down in life. I just wonder about the amount of damage we're doing to kids with 7:20 AM school start times. - Ilian Daskalov, senior undergraduate student …

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#18 — Global Workspace Functions, the Brain and Consciousness: Connectivity, Waking, & Sleep - Part III 1:43:27

2y ago1:43:27

1:43:27

Global Workspace Theory is probably oversimplified, just like the Newtonian theory of the planets and their orbits. And that's what framework theories usually do. You don't want to go to them for the details, you want to go to them for the overview. And Global Workspace is really an overview. – Dr. Bernard Baars, originator of Global Workspace Theo…

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BS 193 "Embodied Mind:" What does this mean? 17:54

2y ago17:54

17:54

In this month's episode of Brain Science I explore two big picture questions: What does it mean to claim that the Mind is "embodied?" and How does this change our understanding of our place in the world? The conversation was inspired by the book "Out of the Cave: A Natural Philosophy of Mind and Knowing" by Mark L Johnson and Donald M Tucker. This …

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BS 192 Nina Kraus talks about Sound and the Brain 53:15

2y ago53:15

53:15

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Nina Kraus, author of "Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World." Dr. Kraus has spent 30 years exploring how the brain processes sound. We explore why sound processing involves much more that just the auditory cortex as well how the sounds we experience change our br…

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BS 191 15th Annual Review Episode 1:20:21

2+ y ago1:20:21

1:20:21

This is our 15th annual review episode, which highlights the guests and key ideas we have shared in 2021. Interviews included return visits from Jeff Hawkins and David Eagleman. New guests including Anil Seth and Antonio Damasio, who both emphasized the importance of our bodies (not just our brains) in understanding Consciousness. Available soon: F…

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BS 190 How our Brain gets things done with David Badre 56:27

2+ y ago56:27

56:27

This month's episode of Brain Science features David Badre, author of "On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done." He gives us an overview of recent research in the field of cognitive control, which has has actually overturned some popular assumptions about things like willpower. Our focus is on the practical implications of this research. Links and …

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#17 — ”Global Workspace Theory: Exploring Evidence for Widespread Integration & Broadcasting of Conscious Signals - Part Two” 1:50:53

2+ y ago1:50:53

1:50:53

"I think in terms of consciousness, it seems to me that these Feelings of Knowing are perhaps the conscious tip of the iceberg for this huge amount of unconscious processing that's going on of all this information in our environment, where maybe I couldn't tell you why I know there's danger, but I know." - Alea Skwara, PhD Candidate in the Percepti…

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#16 — ”Global Workspace Theory: Exploring Origins and Evidence - Part One” 1:10:56

2+ y ago1:10:56

1:10:56

"One of the major features of the Global Workspace hypothesis began with limited capacity, that there has to be a compensatory event in the brain happening, and the most plausible one, for various reasons, including other people's work, of course, was that there's some kind of very wide recruitment of brain resources that happens as a function of b…

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BS 189 Antonio Damasio, author of "Feeling and Knowing" 52:50

2+ y ago52:50

52:50

Neurologist and best-selling author Antonio Damasio is one of our most requested guests. This month we finally had the opportunity to talk about his newest book "Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious," which he explained is somewhat different from his previous efforts. His goal was to write something "briefer" and more accessible. Thus it is de…

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BS 188 Anil Seth on Consciousness 1:14:44

2+ y ago1:14:44

1:14:44

BS 188 features neuroscientist Anil Seth discussing his new book "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness." We have had many guests talk about consciousness, but Seth represents the newer generation who have actually been able to devote their careers to this fundamental question: How does the brain generate conscious experience. His perspective i…

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BS 187 David Eagleman on his new book "LiveWired" 52:38

2+ y ago52:38

52:38

BS 187 features bestselling author and neuroscientist David Eagleman. We talk about his latest book "Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain." It is a great overview of the current science of brain plasticity appropriate for both new listeners and longtime fans. Links and References: Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing B…

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BS 186 Mark Humphries author of "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds" 48:54

2+ y ago48:54

48:54

This month's episode features Mark Humphries, author of "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds." We explore how the brain uses electrical signaling in surprising ways, beginning with a look at how an action potential (aka. "the spike") is produced. Then we consider what Humphries calls "the dark neurons," which are neurons tha…

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BS 185 Stephen Fleming on "the neuroscience of self-awareness" 1:22:19

3y ago1:22:19

1:22:19

This month's episode of Brain Science is an interview with Dr. Stephen Fleming, author of "Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness." We explore the concept of metacognition and learn that while explicit metacognition (thinking about thinking) may be unique to humans, it is built on building blocks shared with other species. We also explore what…

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