Elon Musk has created a $1B initiative to help develop direct brain-to-computer interfaces.

While this line of research holds promise to help those suffering from serious brain disorders and paralysis, it also raises all new ethical concerns.

In this fascinating podcast interview, we talk with leading neurosurgeon, research scientist, professor and Catholic Christian, Dr. Robert Buchanan, about this line of research and about his amazing work in treating debilitating and life-threatening brain disorders.

Dr. Buchanan is an associate professor at the University of Texas and the Director of Epilepsy Surgery and Deep Brain Stimulation at Seton Brain and Spine Institute in Austin, Texas. He is also the Chief of Neurosurgery at the Seton family of hospitals as well as the Chief of Neurosurgery at the Seton Brain and Spine Institute.

He also was appointed by Pope Benedict and re-appointed by Pope Francis to serve on the Vatican's International Bioethics Committee (IBC), also called the Pontifical Academy for Life.

On top of all of this, Dr. Buchanan is also a devout Catholic and family man.

Join us as we discuss his amazing work in putting electrodes directly on and deep inside the brain in order to both read the brain's signals as well as to stimulate the brain. Through these methods, Dr. Buchanan is able ease and cure seizures and other symptoms caused by brain disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and psychiatric disorders.

We also explore how he and his collaborating team have developed some ground-breaking techniques in brain-computer research -- work that has caught the attention of Elon Musk and others.

Dr. Buchanan also shares what lead him from a path to priesthood to his current calling and vocation. He walks us through how his faith connects to and supports his difficult work and how he sees it as a means for Christians to help to heal “Christ’s suffering body” here on Earth.

Dr. Robert Buchanan’s biography:

https://www.seton.net/brain-and-spine-care/providers/bio/robert-buchanan

Learn more about the Vatican Academy for Life and Vatican Museum exhibition and Dr. Buchanan's commentary on the Trophime Bigot painting, "Irene Cares for Sebastian" (see pages 14-15 of the PDF):

http://www.academyforlife.va/content/dam/pav/documents/catalogo%20mostra%20ENG.pdf

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