Did you ever notice when you see a close up of Julia Roberts smiling on the big screen, you have an urge to smile back?  That’s an effect of your brain’s “Mirror Rule” according to Dr. Jeff Zacks of Washington University.  Watching movies in a theater stimulates the signals in our brains more than almost any other activity.  Dr. Zacks investigates the various ways your brain is being manipulated while you are watching movies – including how propaganda movies embed into your memory more powerfully than books or any other medium. 

Plus – how “the talkies” changed us!

"Nothing generates a bigger signal in the brain than commercial cinema" according to Dr. Jeff Zacks of Washington University.

In our next episode he explains how our brains respond to the big screen, and why movies are a potent medium for propaganda.

Placental stem cells have the potential to stop cancer and autoimmune disorders in their tracks, slow or even halt the aging process, and perhaps even tackle the next pandemic. Dr. Robert Hariri, a surgeon and stem cell entrepreneur, explains how a temporary product of pregnancy, often discarded as waste, is actually an example of evolution at its best, a veritable "nature's supermarket" for cells with amazing regenerative properties.

Plus - learn how some cells are more "potent" than others. 

Dr. Robert Hariri, a surgeon and stem cell entrepreneur, explains how a temporary product of pregnancy, often discarded as waste, is actually an example of evolution at its best, a veritable "nature's supermarket" for cells with amazing regenerative properties.  

The past 30 years have produced an epidemic of obesity -- mostly because evolution did not prepare us for so many calories and so little physical activity.

Dr. Louis Aronne, a leading authority on obesity, explains how a period of caloric excess can damage the neural connections that manage your metabolism, throwing your weight regulation out of whack. More importantly, he talks about the new drug that tackles obesity at two different hormonal sites and promises to become an actual "weight loss pill."

Plus... the real reason to skip the bread basket (it's in your brain)

The past 30 years have produced an epidemic of obesity -- mostly because evolution did not prepare us for so many calories and so little physical activity. Dr. Louis Aronne, a leading authority on obesity, explains how a period of caloric excess can damage the neural connections that manage your metabolism, throwing your weight regulation out of whack.

All of life is set to music -- or at least to a rhythm. From the graceful undulation of a jellyfish to the irresistible urge to bop along to our favorite songs, the urge to sway is hard-wired. Dr. Laurel Trainor, a professor of psychology, neuroscience, and behavior at McMaster University and director of the "LIVELab" there, conducts research into auditory development. She has found that our unconscious movements connect us in surprising ways, whether it's band members playing in concert, a mother singing to her infant, or couples on a speed date. As it turns out, it can even make us better, more altruistic people.

Plus, what's it like to be inside a performers head? 

https://livelab.mcmaster.ca/

All of life is set to music -- or at least to a rhythm. From the graceful undulation of a jellyfish to the irresistible urge to bop along to our favorite songs, the urge to sway is hard-wired.  Dr. Laurel Trainor has found that our unconscious movements connect us in surprising ways, whether it's musicians playing in concert, a mother singing to her infant, or couples on a speed date.

https://www.neurology.columbia.edu/profile/scott-small-md