All in the Mind, Another Excellent Australian Podcast

I am grateful for the new listeners I have received thanks to the mention of the Brain Science Podcast in the April/May issue of Scientific American Mind (page 22), but I want to take a moment to recommend the other podcast that was listed.

All in the Mind is actually a radio show from ABC Radio National , which I think is Australian Public Radio.  Obviously, they have more resources than I do as an independent podcaster, which means they have lots of diverse interviews.

I think the last two episodes are particularly relevant to recent discussions on the Brain Science Podcast.

Last week they replayed an interview from 2006 with Harvard psychology professor, Jerome Kagan.  Dr. Kagan pioneered discoveries about temperament in children, but he also argues persuasively against seeing temperament as being hardwired.  He advocates the importance of appreciating that who we are is a combination of genetics and experience.  I highly recommend listening to listening to this interview.

This week's episode is entitled, "You are not Your Brain Scan!"  It is a panel discussion from the recent World Congress of Science Journalists, which was held in  Melbourne April 16-20,2007.  The role of functional MRI and other technologies in communicating science to the public is discussed, along with issues like genetics and neuroplasticity.  One unusual feature of these podcasts is that you can get full transcripts of each episode from the website.