For all that Darwin contributed to our understanding of the biological world, he was haunted by one vexing question: How does the incremental process of evolution suddenly produce, say, humans—animals who walk upright, communicate through language, and possess the brainpower to travel to the moon?

This video is part of our Brilliant Breakthroughs series: our new 20-episode mini-series exploring the “Eureka!” moments and proud accomplishments of the greatest scientific minds of our time. Join us …

With ever more refined techniques for measuring complex brain activity, scientists are challenging the understanding of thought, memory and emotion–what we have traditionally called “the self.”

As long ago as the early 19th century, the poet Keats bemoaned the washing away of the world’s beauty and mystery in the wake of natural philosophy’s reductionist insights—its tendency …

Lemurs, capuchin monkeys, and macaques help cognitive psychologist Laurie Santos understand how we think and are able to use tools, do math, and perform other tasks that make us human. …

Some music makes you dance and other music makes you cry. Concert-trained pianist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis became a cognitive scientist to learn why. Episode filmed live at the 2019 World …