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Faraneh Vargha-Khadem on memory

Faraneh Vargha-Khadem talks to Jim about how memories are made, and her work on the FoxP2 gene that may explain why humans talk and chimps don't.

Self-taught Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Faraneh Vargha-Khadem has spent decades studying children with developmental amnesia. Her mission: to understand how we form memories of the events in our past, from things we've experienced to places we've visited and people we've met. She talks to Jim about the memories we lay down during our lives and the autobiographies stored in our brains that define us as individuals. Faraneh was also part of the team that identified the FoxP2 gene, the so called 'speech gene', that may explain why humans talk and chimps don't. Plus Faraneh discusses how her Baha'i faith informs her scientific thinking.

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28 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Tue 5 Jul 2016 09:00
  • Tue 5 Jul 2016 21:30

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