The Curious Mind Episode 4
For most of human history our brains dealt with pretty straight forward problems. But that brain is the exact same one we now use to grapple with the modern world.
For most of human history our brains dealt with pretty straight forward problems. But that brain is the exact same one we now use to grapple with the modern world.
In episode one, Help Me Adapt, Todd uses the latest science to train his brain to become more adaptable. To prove that it’s possible, he risks his life rock climbing blindfolded up a rock-face in Utah’s Moab Desert. He ascends the 120-metre corkscrew summit of the Ancient Art Tower, a feat never before attempted without sight, after only six weeks of training.
TV personality Todd Sampson puts brain plasticity to the test in Sharpen My Senses, as he radically improves his sensory perception and awareness. He hones his sight, hearing and touch and his heightened senses are put to the test in an incredible challenge - to crack a safe in under an hour, competing against the world’s best at a Master Locksmith’s Convention.
Spiders and snakes are at the top of the list: there are people who at the very idea of seeing one of these animals get totally blocked. But there are also those who are afraid of butterflies, with similar effects as regards the ability to deal with these situations. And then there are those who are unable to get on a plane or get into an elevator and in these cases the consequences on practical life can be heavy.
In order to understand the daily life and experiences of a nursing staff confronted with the coronavirus, filmmakers followed the doctors, nurses and paramedics of the Erasmus hospital in Brussels for three weeks. A moving report of the raw, terrifying reality behind a global pandemic.
This crazy dream belongs to a man who almost lost his mind, and who, having recovered from his own illness, has devoted himself to helping the poorest of Africa’s sick: the insane.In the big cities of Africa, the mentally ill can be seen wandering the streets, yelling and shouting, often completely naked and feeding here and there on waste. In the countryside, their helpless families respond by chaining them to trees, so that they cannot leave, hurt anyone or disappear.
In Episode 3, Make Me Brave, Todd Sampson wants to prove that we can all overcome fear. Todd aims to combine all his previous brain training and learn to face fear to achieve his ultimate challenge – Sky-walking between two buildings across a 3-cm high wire, 21 floors up with minimal training.
When JR Cairns was two years old, doctors diagnosed him as autistic and mentally retarded, and predicted that he would be institutionalized by age 17. But the Cairns family refused to accept this grim life sentence. And against the odds, they won. Now, for the first time ever, JR’s family and therapists unite to celebrate his recovery and share their story of hope.
Love can change our lives - in the truest sense of the word. Recent scientific studies prove that love is more than just an emotion. It is a drive that transforms our brain and our body profoundly. This film shows the fascinating science behind what love is, what it does to us - and whether it is good for us at all.
There is a revolution underway in neuroscience – and it’s centered around the incredible concept of brain plasticity, or the ability for the brain to change itself. The latest secret of the brain is that you can direct that change to improve your life. Dr. Michael Merzenich, renowned researcher and grandfather of neuroplasticity, expands on how the brain works, how it can change throughout your life and how you can use this information to target and improve your focus.
Hunting for Hedonia explores how the burgeoning technology of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) will impact human identity and our sense of self. DBS is a revolutionary tool in neuroscience and as a treatment it is crossing over from movement control in Parkinson's to alleviating mental illness.