The Löwenmensch (Lion Man) and various Venus figurines are evidence of human symbolic thinking around 40,000 years ago. It is unlikely any of them are veridical representations of something that actually existed. The same is true of cave paintings, which go back even further. They are certainly evidence of human…

I will provide a new explanation for this important issue, but it will turn the brain upside down. Hang on. First, let’s review the issue for those not familiar with it. The traditional view of the brain is that of a computer, with sensors running to the brain, and flexors…

Retrieving a memory is an example of an unconscious process of the brain. Animal memories, including our own, are primarily associative. This contrasts with categories and keys, which are primary retrieval mechanisms of computers. In each hemisphere, our memories are connected with each other quite directly, with axons connecting groups…

What does blindsight say about free will? What I will describe is based on A collicular visual cortex: Neocortical space for an ancient midbrain visual structure, published in 2019. Doctors have reported blindsight in patients for several decades, and the phenomenon has been hinted at much longer than that. It…

There is a largely undisputed sixth sense, and then there are lots of others that are more controversial. I believe the proprioceptive system is totally a sixth sense, though it is generally ignored because it doesn’t often reach consciousness. Proprioception is the sense of self-movement and body position. It is…

Spatial reasoning is a whole brain phenomenon, but we can identify some specific areas that contribute to it. The key area for spatial reasoning is the grid cells of the entorhinal cortex in the temporal lobe. …

When we are born, we have no concept of how the world is organized. We don’t know 2D or 3D, and certainly not time. We have senses, and we have lots of uncommitted neurons that can learn. I’ll leave time for another story. The first thing we notice is that…

I will provide an explanation of imagination and creativity that is consistent with current neuroscience knowledge. That does’t mean it is correct or that that a large number of neuroscientists agree with me. Imagination is rooted in the separation of the hemispheres. The separation is not unique to humans, but…

Memories of objects and faces are not stored like memories of experiences and places. The difference takes advantage of the different needs we have for remembering them and the value of speed of recall. Experiences are stored based on their emotional and logical content. They are stored in associative memory…