To the extent that consciousness is useful, it is useful in small quantities, and for very particular kinds of tasks. It's easy to understand why you would not want to be consciously aware of the intricacies of your muscle movement, but this can be less intuitive when applied to your perceptions, thoughts, and beliefs, which are also final products of the activity of billions of nerve cells.
From the Blog
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My TED talk: Can we create new senses for humans?
Designing how we would like to experience our universe...
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Time perception on the Discovery Channel
Watch an experiment in which we studied time perception by dropping volunteer subjects from a 150 foot high tower. Free fall.
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Radiolab fan? We are too.
We love NPR's Radiolab. If you haven't listened to it yet, you should. Check out several episodes featuring David's science or writing.
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Why public dissemination of science matters
Communicating science to the public can take time away from a busy research career. So why should scientists do it? I offer a manifesto of six reasons in the Journal of Neuroscience.
In other news...
Synesthesia book wins the Montaigne Medal
Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia has been awarded the Montaigne Medal, Eric Hoffer Award for Books.
Sum #2 book in UK
In September, 2009, Sum became the number 2 book in the United Kingdom on Amazon's bestseller list, only behind Dan Brown's Lost Symbol.
Neurolaw: The Brain on Trial
Want to know how neuroscience will force major changes in our criminal justice system? Read David's article The Brain on Trial in The Atlantic. Now anthologized in 2012 Best American Science and Nature Writing.
