A Year of Neuroverse

2022 is coming to a close, so we have taken the opportunity to reflect on the past year of Neuroverse together.

We're so proud of what we have accomplished, from podcast novices to infiltrating the podcast world. We've learned so much, not only about podcasting, but also about neuroscience, philosophy, biology, physics, biochemistry, and all the many topics we've scratched the surface of!

Including...

1. Individuality

2. The Human Brain, the Evolved Brain

3. Predictive Coding

4. The Entropic Brain

5. Enzyme-Directed Evolution

6. Breathing, the Brain, Being

7. Structure-Function Relationships

8. Sleep, Memory & Forgetting

9. Is Sleep Deprivation Fatal?

10. Materialism and Dualism

11. The Mind-Muscle Connection (with Jubilent Amalendran)

12. Polyvagal Theory and Yoga

13. Oxygen- Friend or Foe: a Debate

14. Reductionism

15. Noise in the brain

16. Silence in the Age of Noise, and on the Brain

17. Understanding the World Through Physics (with Liza Rozenberg)

18. Is Coffee Good or Bad?

19. Science Misinformation: Human-Animal Chimeras

20. The Philosophy of Machine Learning (with Alex Mussgnug)

21. Mycelium

22. Science Misinformation: The Lifestyle Industry

23. Cross-Modal Plasticity (with Johanna Jaansoo)

24. The Hippocampus

25. Scientific Planes of Understanding

26. Science Misinformation: Real Science, Desperate Scientists

27. Science Art (with TakT)

28. Subjectivity

29. Predictive Coding and Dendrites

30. Free Will and Determinism

31. Neurogenesis (with Carlotta Barelli)

32. Communicating Neuroscience in the 21st Century (with Dr Ginger Campbell)

33. The Gut-Microbiome-Brain axis

34. Methodologies of Neuroscientific Investigation: A Philosophical Perspective (with Subham Ganguly)

35. Spatial Cognition

36. Computational Units in the Brain

37. Does Memory Equal Consciousness?

38. Dating Apps: The Architects of Contemporary Relationships (with Olivia Sirley)

We began our Neuroverse journey with a question we continue to ponder... what makes an individual? A theme we continue to circle back to in so many of our episodes already began to emerge- the importance of thinking at different scales, from the micro to the macro. Can we compare the function of a molecule to that of a protein to that of the brain to that of a forest?

With that in mind, we chose to discuss two of our favourite topics in the following episodes- evolution (Clara) and predictive coding (Carolina). The relationship between structure and function, shaped by evolutionary pressures, and the need to question fundamental beliefs about how we perceive reality, became clear. We continue to explore these concepts in Neuroverse, and have really enjoyed linking a variety of topics back to evolution and subjective perception.

Our most popular episode was one we spontaneously decided to record based on a shared struggle of thinking at different scales within our own neuroscience research. We were questioning the significance of linking what happens in terms of molecules and neurons with the behavioural outcomes we can measure. And so we recorded "Scientific Planes of Understanding", which has received over 500 plays to date.

We could go on and on about the realisations we have come and the themes we love, but let's talk about what is important...

This year, since it's launch in February, Neuroverse has had over 2,500 streams and 500 listeners from 50+ countries around the world.

We would like to thank everyone so much for tuning in this year!

With your support and curiosity we have been able to watch Neuroverse expand. We can both be certain that Neuroverse has also helped to keep our own passion for learning and discovering alive. It has been so fun getting to delve deeper into topics we find interesting. We cannot wait for what is to come in 2023, and already have many exciting plans in the works, so stay tuned!