Tagged: neuroscience

There are a lot of songs about love but perhaps there are even more songs about loss and that raises a serious scientific question: Why are so many songs written about heartbreak and what happens to the brains of people who are experiencing a really bad break-up? Biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher studies what happens in our brains when we are in love and when we are heart broken. She says that Tylenol is helpful but staring at pictures of your ex and listening to a sad song when your brain is essentially going through massive dopamine withdrawal, is not.

Some animals display very human behaviors: chimps grieve, rats love to be tickled, and moths remember living as caterpillars.

Science journalist Virginia Morell explores the complex minds of animals in her new book, "Animal Wise." From field sites to laboratories, Morell shows how animal cognition research has evolved, and how animals possess traits many feel are unique to humans.

She spoke at the Elliott Bay Book Company on April 8, 2013.

Many people say there is a heaven. But few are academic neurosurgeons. Ross Reynolds speaks with Eben  Alexander about a near-death experience he says gave him a glimpse of the afterlife that he outlines in his book, "Proof of Heaven."