Kyla Duffy from Happy Tails Books (B&I 33)

/
Kyla_Bill-200 Episode 33 of Books and Ideas an interview with Kyla Duffy, the founder of Happy Tails Books where she publishes stories about dog rescue. Her goal is to raise awareness of the plight of puppy mill dogs and to raise funds for a wide variety of canine rescue organizations. I discovered her work through my contact with German Shepherd Rescue of Central Alabama. This episode is more personal than most because I share some of the story of my rescued German Shepherd Jake, and of course, Kyla talks about rescuing a Boston Terrier named Bill (pictured above) led her to start a publishing company.

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Episode 33 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

Links of Interest:

Holiday-doxies-400photo courtesy of Courtney Po

Don't forget to visit http://happytailsbooks.com!

Rush Delivery is Available.

Read More

Brain Science Podcast Celebrates 3rd Anniversary (BSP 64)

/
BrainScience-logo1 Episode 64 of the Brain Science Podcast is our Third Annual Review Episode. It includes a review of some of the major ideas we talked about in 2009 and a look ahead to what I have planned for 2010.

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 64

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

Click here for details show notes including a complete list of this year's guest and our reading list.

Read More

"Unscientific America" with Sheril Kirshenbaum (B&I 32)

/
Sheril-150 Episode 32 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Sheril Kirshenbaum, co-author (with Chris Mooney) of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future. The focus of our interview was on why it is increasingly important that scientists become skilled at communicating what we do to political leaders and to our fellow citizens. Our future depend on solving complex problems (such as global warning and energy issues), which will require accurate scientific knowledge. Unscientific America provides a fresh look at the on-going problem of scientific illiteracy while offering practical suggestions about how we can re-incorporate science into mainstream culture. It calls on scientists of all ages to embrace the role of citizen-scientist.

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Episode 32 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

References and Links:

facebookFanBooksJoin our FaceBook Fan Page

bai_486x60

Send feedback to gincampbell at mac dot com or leave voicemail at 206-984-0358.

Read More

Books and Ideas iPhone application is now available

/
bai_300x300 Last week I announced the new iPhone (and iPod Touch) application for the Brain Science Podcast. This week we are launching  a similar application for the Books and Ideas podcast. It features access to all episodes the episodes going back to December 2006, episode transcripts, and direct links to this website, my email and our new voice mail line at (206) 984-0358.

Go to the iTunes Store

Read More

David Bainbridge from Cambridge University (BSP 63)

/
bainbridge-150 Episode 63 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with David Bainbridge, author of Teenagers: A Natural History. Our focus is on how the brain changes during the teenage years. Bainbridge teaches vetinary anatomy and reproductive biology at Cambridge University and has published several other popular science books including Beyond the Zonules of Zinn: A Fantastic Journey Through Your Brain, which I discussed back in Episode 32.

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 63

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

Visit the Brain Science Podcast website for details show notes and links.

Read More

New iPhone Application is aimed at Brain Science Podcast fans

/
bsp_120x105 The new Brain Science Podcast application is now available in the iTunes Store. You will need an iPhone or an iPod Touch to use the application but it does offer several useful features:
  • Listen to any episode without downloading it via iTunes*
  • Read episode trancripts right on your iPhone or Touch
  • One click links to the website, email, and the new phone-in line at 206-984-0358.
  • Background play*
*Note: Streaming audio works best with a WiFi connection.
Read More

NASA's Les Johnson live at Dragon*Con 2009 (B&I 31)

/
LesDC4 Episode 31 of Books and Ideas is an interview with NASA physicist Les Johnson, PhD. We talked about his new book Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth. Although Dr. Johnson is a lifelong fan of science fiction he challenges the common assumption that eventually we will pollute or damage the earth so badly that humans will be forced to move to outer space. Instead, Dr. Johnson argues that we should develop the technology to get resources from outer space so that we can preserve the Earth for Life.

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Episode 31 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

Additional Links and References:

Books mentioned in this episode: Announcements:
Read More

"Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?" with Warren Brown (BSP 62)

/
W-Brown-150 Episode 62 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Warren Brown, PhD, co-author (with Nancey Murphy) of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will. This book was discussed in detail back in Episode 53, but this interview gave me a chance to discuss some of the book's key ideas with Dr. Brown. We focused on why a non-reductive approach is needed in order to formulate ideas about moral responsibility that are consistent with our current neurobiological understanding of the mind.

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 62

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

Click here for detailed show notes.

Read More

Books and Ideas Podcast #30: Tom Clark on Naturalism

/
TomClark-150 Episode 30 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Tom Clark, the head of the Center for Naturalism and author of Encountering Naturalism: A Worldview and Its Uses. I first became aware of Clark's work when I reviewed Chris Evatt's book The Myth of Free Will back in Episode 12. In this interview we talk about naturalism as a world view and examine its implications for important questions like free will and morality. Naturalism is a world view that is based on using the scientific method to discover the truth about the world. It rejects supernatural explanations. Clark explains that this means that naturalism rejects the idea of contra-causal free will but that it embraces a more compassionate approach to personal responsibility. We also talked about Clark's review of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will by Nancey Murphy and Warren S. Brown. I discussed this book in Episode 53 of the Brain Science Podcast and its co-author Warren Brown will be my guest on next month's Brain Science Podcast (Episode 62).

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Episode 30 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

LINKS:

REFERENCES: RELATED PODCAST EPISODES:
  • Episode 12 (Books and Ideas): Discussion of The Myth of Free Will, edited by Chris Evatt.
  • Episode 53 (Brain Science Podcast): Discussion of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will by Nancey Murphy and Warren S. Brown
  • Episode 62 (Brain Science Podcast): Interview with Warren Brown.

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Episode 30 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

Send Dr. Campbell feedback at gincampbell at mac.com and don't forget to join our new Facebook Fan Page.  facebookFanBooks

Read More

New Facebook Fan Page for Books and Ideas Podcast

/
I just started a new Facebook Fan Page for the Books and Ideas podcast. If you listen to the podcast I hope you will join. I hope to use the page as a launching pad for promoting the podcast to a larger audience. Books and Ideas Podcast The next episode of Books and Ideas will be out on 9/25/09.
Read More

Allen Institute for Brain Research (BSP 61)

/
Allan Jones, PhD
Allan Jones, PhD
Episode 61 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Allan Jones, PhD, the Chief Science Officer of the Allen Institute for Brain Research in Seattle, Washington. The Allen Institute is a non-profit research organization founded by Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft) and is best known for its Mouse Brain Map, which is being used by researchers around the world. The Institute has several other on-going projects including a project to create a map of the human cortex that shows which genes are active in each area. In this interview we discuss both the mouse brain project and the human cortex project with an emphasis on the importance of these projects to neuroscience research. All the maps created by The Allen Institute are freely available on the internet. Dr. Jones also shares his own story and the challenges and rewards of pursuing a career in the non-profit biotech world.

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 61 now

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

Click here for detailed show notes.

Read More

The Importance of Play (BSP 60)

/

In Episode 60 of the Brain Science Podcast Ginger Campbell, MD interviews Dr. Stuart Brown, author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Our focus is on the importance of play for normal mental development and psychological health. We also explore the importance of play in adults.

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 60

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Click here for Detailed Show Notes and Links

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

Join our Discussion Forum: discussionforum

Send email to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac.com.

Read More

Guy Caldwell, PhD on C. elegans (BSP 59)

/
BSP-logo-75-thumb2.jpgEpisode 59 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with Dr. Guy Caldwell who is a molecular biologist at the University of Alabama. Since moving to Alabama ten years ago he has done groundbreaking work in applying the green florescent protein techniques developed by his mentor, Nobel Laureate Martin Chalfie to the study of dopamine neurons in the tiny worm C. elegans. In this interview Dr. Campbell and Dr. Caldwell discuss the growing role of molecular biology as a tool in neuroscience. Dr. Caldwell explains why he thinks there is a good chance that a cure for Parkinson's Disease will be found within the next 10 years.

This interview also contains practical information for students interested in pursuing a career in science.

Play Episode 59

Click here for complete show notes and links

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

Announcements:

Learn more at http://brainsciencepodcast.com or send Dr. Campbell email at gincampbell at mac.com.

Read More

Schedule Announcement for Books and Ideas Podcast

/

Alaska-gin-glacier-web200

I have just posted a brief announcement in the feed for my Books and Ideas podcast. I have decided to take a break for the rest of the summer.

This will allow me to catch up on some professional activities (re-certifying my ACLS and ATLS) and perhaps get some other new projects off the ground. I have several great guests lined up and intend to post the next new episode at the end of September, 2009.

Read More

Philosopher Alva Noë (BSP 58)

/

noe-crop Episode 58 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with philosopher Alva Noë, whose book Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness argues persuasively that our Minds are MORE than just our brains. He says that "the brain is necessary but not sufficient" to create the mind.  Read more...

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 58

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

Join our Discussion Forum: discussionforum

podtrac_survey_125x60_v2

Read More

Dr. Robert Martensen Returns to Books and Ideas (B&I 29)

/
life-worth-living In Episode 29 of Books and Ideas Robert Martensen, MD returns to talk about his book A Life Worth Living: A Doctor's Reflections on Illness in a High-Tech Era. Last month we talked about Dr. Martensen's career as both an emergency physician and as an historian. This month we concentrate on the issues facing patients with life threatening illnesses, including making decisions about end of life care. Dr. Martensen and I agree that the American emphasis on high tech care tends to ignore the needs of people in these situations. We discuss the importance of better communication between physicians and patients as well as the need for fundamental changes in our system.

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Episode 29 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

ninakimberlythemerciless This episode includes a short promo for Nina Kimberly the Merciless by Christiana Ellis. You can learn more about Christiana's work at http://ninakimberly.com.

Send feedback to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com or join the Discussion Forum at http://brainscienceforum.com

Read More

Neurophsychologist Chris Frith, PhD (BSP 57)

/

frith Episode 57 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with neuropsychologist Dr. Chris Frith, author of Making up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World. Our brain processes information about the world outside us (via our senses) in the same way that it processes information from within our bodies and from our own mental world. In this interview Dr. Frith and I explore the implications from recent discoveries about how our brain generates our mental world.

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 57

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 zunelogo-70 feed-icon32x32 mail-sticker-tiny

For detailed show notes and links go to http://brainsciencepodcast.com.

Send feedback to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac.com or join the Discussion Forum at http://brainscienceforum.com.

Read More

Interview with Robert Martensen, MD (B&I 28)

/
martensen-crop Books and Ideas #28 is an interview with Robert Martensen, MD, author of A Life Worth Living: A Doctor's Reflections on Illness in a High-Tech Era. Dr. Martensen worked for 25 years as an emergency physician, but about mid-way through his career he went to graduate school and earned a PhD in history, while continuing to work in the ER at night and on weekends. He is now the Director of the NIH Office of History. This interview is actually the first of two parts. In this first part we talked about Dr. Martensen's career and we also reflected briefly on the history of emergency medicine in the United States. Dr. Martensen also explained the purpose fo the NIH Office of History and described its current and upcoming projects. When Dr. Martensen returns (hopefully next month) we will discuss his book A Life Worth Living: A Doctor's Reflections on Illness in a High-Tech Era.

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Dr. Martensen's Interview

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

Send feed back to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com or join our Discussion Forum.

Read More

Pioneering Neuroscientist Eve Marder, PhD (BSP 56)

/

evemarder2 Episode 56 of the Brain Science Podcast is an interview with neuroscientist, Eve Marder, PhD. Dr. Marder has spent 35 years studying the somatogastric ganglion of the lobster. In this interview we talk about how she got into neuroscience during its early days, her recent tenure as president of the Society for Neuroscience, and how some of her key discoveries have implications for studying more complex nervous systems.

listen-to-audio Listen to Episode 56

Episode Transcript (coming soon)

Subscribe to the Brain Science Podcast: itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

podtrac_survey_125x60_v2

Read More

Jennifer Michael Hecht: Historian & Poet (B&I 27)

/
jmhecht Episode 27 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Jennifer Michael Hecht, author of Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson and The Happiness Myth. As a poet and historian Hecht brings a unique perspective to her examination of the role of science in modern society. She also shares how writing Doubt changed her attitude toward religion. I have wanted to interview Jennifer for several years so I was very grateful that my recent appearance on Point of Inquiry led to this conversation. Hecht earned her PhD in the History of Science and while Doubt was an examination of the history of belief (and non-belief), she said that The Happiness Myth shares  key ideas from the history of science. Hecht argues convincingly that the arrogance of modern science can not be justified,  because history shows how much science, despite its best efforts, is always influenced by the cultural fads of its time. She feels that this knowledge could free us from unnecessary guilt, but that it should also motivate us to question our priorities (such as placing so much emphasis on long life instead of the quality of life). You won't want to miss this thought-provoking conversation.

listen-to-audio-20 Listen to Episode 27

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

Subscribe to Books and Ideas:   itunes-badge-30 feed-icon32x32 zunelogo-70 mail-sticker-tiny

Links:
Read More