ABC Radio National’s All in the Mind just broadcast some essential listening with a programme that takes a critical look at the reporting of brain scanning studies and discusses what brain scans actually tell us about human nature.
The panel discussion also covers how cognitive and neuroscience discoveries get translated from lab work to public awareness, and how the core messages might get warped along the way.
The panel members are researchers and science journalists Deborah Blum and Jonica Newby, as well as neuroscientist Fred Mendelsohn.
It’s a rare but important discussion that actually takes a look at how brain scans are used in the media compared to what they actually tell us.
Link to All in the Mind brain scan programme webpage with transcript.
mp3 of programme audio.
Mind Hacks 