How our brains shape our destiny | Hannah Critchlow | TEDxExeter

NOTE FROM TED: Research discussed in this talk around genetics, development, and behavior remains an ongoing field of study. See below for additional context. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/t...

What made you the person you are today? Renowned neuroscientist, broadcaster and author Dr. Hannah Critchlow explains how the answers to fundamental questions about fate and free will lie in our understanding of the human brain.

In this investigation Hannah reveals how neuroscience shapes our lives, drawing vividly on everyday life to show the potential, as well as the dangers, of being able to predict our likely futures.

Her latest book, The Science of Fate, which made the Sunday Times Bestseller list, is a highly accessible and awe-inspiring examination of the science of who we are.
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0:00 - Introduction
1:02 - Your brain operates as a prediction machine
4:31 - The power of electricity in the nervous system
6:28 - How much of our destiny is inherited?
8:12 - Epigenetics - memories passed down generations
11:57 - How easy is it to break habits in our behaviour?

More to explore: https://hannahcritchlow.com/2021/07/1...
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1. Footnote:
7:28 - Correction: Scientists are studying this in newborn babies, but further research is needed on 20 week pre-term infants. For more, see: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4139...
 
2. Footnote: 
10:15 - Clarification: This study found that severe paternal hardship as a prisoner of war led to high mortality among sons born after the US Civil War who survived to the age of 45. https://www.pnas.org/content/115/44/1...

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CURATOR: Claire Kennedy   / clairekennedy__​​  
PRODUCTION: Andy Robertson http://www.taminggaming.com​​ and First Sight Media   / firstsightmedia​​   Hannah is an internationally-acclaimed neuroscientist with a background in neuropsychiatry. She is Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge University where she also conducted her PhD research.

She regularly appears on the TV and Radio, most recently as Science Presenter in BBC series Family Brain Games with Dara Ó Briain. Her book on Consciousness: A Ladybird Expert Guide, was published with Penguin in 2018, whilst The Science of Fate, published with Hodder in May, 2019, made The Sunday Times Bestseller list.

In 2019 Hannah was named by Nature as one of Cambridge University's 'Rising Stars in Life Sciences'. She was recognised as a 'Top 100 UK scientist' by the Science Council in 2014 and one of Cambridge University's most ‘inspirational and successful women in science’. Hannah’s choice of career stemmed from working as a Nursing Assistant at St Andrews Psychiatric Hospital. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx