Ep 26: Smell, Taste & Consciousness with Dr. Stuart Firestein

Neurobiologist Stuart Firestein, one of the world's leading experts on olfaction, joins Bernard Baars to discuss the similarities and surprising differences of smell and taste in relation to vision, hearing and somatosensory systems, like touch. The olfactory system presents us with alternative views of how sensory stimuli are parsed in the brain and how we integrate those into some sort of conscious worldview.

 

Dr. Stuart Firestein specializes in the olfactory system ⎯ why and how our brains and noses sense smell. Stuart is the former chair of Columbia University's Department of Biological Sciences and a neurobiology professor, where his laboratory studies the vertebrate olfactory system, possibly the best chemical detector on the face of the planet.

 

Stuart is devoted to the history, evolution, and future of science. Author of "Ignorance: How it Drives Science" and "Failure: Why Science is so Successful” (OUP), his books cast science as an unending quest to illuminate ignorance and failure as an essential component in that process.

 

Talking Points

• 0:00 - Intro
• 3:59 - The Ups and Downs of Consciousness in Science 
• 12:30 - Stuart’s Journey from Theater to Neuroscience
• 19:14 - Is Olfaction an Idiosyncratic or Unique Brain System?
• 25:30 - The Connection Between Smell, Memory & Emotion
• 34:37 - The Immune System Recognizes a Repertoire of Molecules Just Like the Olfactory System
• 42:51 - The Regenerative Capabilities of Olfactory Neurons
• 51:48 - Are Olfactory Receptors Like Other Chemoreceptors?
• 01:02:34 - The Integration of Olfactory Stimuli into a Chemical Panorama
• 01:10:24 - Is Olfaction a Low- or High-Dimensional Input System?
• 01:16:56 - How to Improve Science Learning
• 01:22:25 - The Value of Ignorance and Failure in Science

 

Producer: Natalie Geld

 

Links

— Website and Social Media —

Website: https://bernardbaars.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernardJBaars

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernardJBaars/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjbaars/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BernardBaarsOnConsciousness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baarslab/?hl=en

 

— Stuart Firestein —

Website: http://stuartfirestein.com/

Columbia University: https://www.biology.columbia.edu/people/firestein

Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq0_zGzSc8g

Books:

- Ignorance: How It Drives Science: Buy at Amazon

- Failure: Why Science Is So Successful: Buy at Amazon