The chemistry between us

Social relationships are critical for mental and physical health and early-life social experiences can have a life-long impact on the ability for form relationships. Dr. Young will discuss how the chemistry in our brain mediate social bonding as well as the consequences of loss of a loved one. Furthermore, Dr. Young will show remarkable parallels between his studies in voles and recent studies in humans that suggest that brain mechanisms involved in how we interact with our loved ones are highly conserved from rodent to man.

Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful human drive. We spend our existence living the story of our lives, reshaping and telling it to ourselves and others. We read and write stories to create and remember. We paint and film them, bringing to life the most beautiful and singular details of the human experience. Sometimes, we even cover our bodies with them. But what are stories for? Why do we tell them? Why is storytelling such an integral part of our brains?

Superhumans

In a society that values performance, how far can/should we go in order to become faster, more efficient, more intelligent? Does enhanced mean better? Which superpowers would you like to have?

Learning and Education

Learning is the mechanism through which we gain an education. What are the biological bases behind such learning, and how do we learn and acquire new knowledge, new skills? What can Neuroscience and education learn from each other?

Society

All society is an ongoing experiment. Whether in human or animal societies the relationship of the individual to the dynamics of the group is fundamental to the lives of its members. What can observation of different animals societies reveal to us about our own? How do our individual interactions influence societies? What would society be like if we experimented with these rules? What could we learn?

Adventures in illegal art

The Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme and Ar would like to invite you to join us for some Adventures in Illegal Art this Wednesday, 18:00 at the Champalimaud Centre for The Unknown.

Mind Invaders

In humans, the concept of play has become increasingly ambiguous as our society and technologies develop. Playing is not just for kids anymore. Sports, card games, and video games have shown us that carefree and spontaneous play can turn into obsessive, sometimes even violent, behaviour. Still, many of the implications of play remain unknown. But something that is becoming a major social and economic force in our society deserves our attention!

Think of a Numb3r

In the next Ar event we will explore how Magic and Neuroscience are tied together through a common link, manipulation. The ability to predictably manipulate our world and its contents has been central to the development of the human species, from fire, to the wheel to computers and the internet. But what about manipulating other Brains?

Food for Thought

Food is fundamental to all life. Animals make surprising efforts to eat enough, just to survive a little longer. Locusts form great swarms devouring everything in their path, ants cultivate large farms of fungus, lions form packs to hunt their prey, while humans have fought wars, built farms and invented supermarkets - all to ensure the survival of our own. Without doubt, we eat to live.

Human 2.0

The drive to enhance human potential is as ancient as our history itself. Some see this quest to surpass our limitations as fundamental, others regard it as dangerous arrogance. The history of human enhancements has seen dark turns, but also great insights and we now stand with many accomplishments behind us. We have catalogued the human genome, developed medical technologies that fight deadly disease and extend human lives. We are at the dawn of regenerative medicine and the first bionic prostheses are being engineered. Humanity has intertwined the development of our bodies and minds with emerging technologies for thousands of years, but never to the extent and speed that we experience now.

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