The brain doesn't tell time like a clock with a single mechanism - it uses completely different neural systems for different timescales (microseconds for sound localization vs. hours for circadian rhythms), relying on neural dynamics rather than oscillators

The brain doesn't tell time like a clock with a single mechanism - it uses completely different neural systems for different timescales (microseconds for sound localization vs. hours for circadian rhythms), relying on neural dynamics rather than oscillators

Mental time travel - the ability to project into the future and remember the past - is uniquely human and was crucial for major cognitive leaps like agriculture and awareness of mortality, possibly co-evolving with religion as an antidote to death awareness

Mental time travel - the ability to project into the future and remember the past - is uniquely human and was crucial for major cognitive leaps like agriculture and awareness of mortality, possibly co-evolving with religion as an antidote to death awareness

Memory and computation are inseparable in the brain, unlike computers where RAM and CPU are distinct - information is stored by changing the strength of connections between neurons, and the patterns of neural activity flowing through these networks serve as both memory and computation

Memory and computation are inseparable in the brain, unlike computers where RAM and CPU are distinct - information is stored by changing the strength of connections between neurons, and the patterns of neural activity flowing through these networks serve as both memory and computation

The perception that time flows forward (presentism) may not be an illusion but rather the brain telling us something true about the physical universe, contrary to the physics view that past, present, and future are equally real (eternalism)

The perception that time flows forward (presentism) may not be an illusion but rather the brain telling us something true about the physical universe, contrary to the physics view that past, present, and future are equally real (eternalism)

Uploading memories or skills directly to the brain (as depicted in The Matrix or Total Recall) is likely impossible because the brain's architecture fundamentally differs from computers - there's no clear separation between memory modules and processing units that would allow such transfers

Uploading memories or skills directly to the brain (as depicted in The Matrix or Total Recall) is likely impossible because the brain's architecture fundamentally differs from computers - there's no clear separation between memory modules and processing units that would allow such transfers

Your Brain is a Time Machine, with Dean Buonomano

Name: Your Brain is a Time Machine, with Dean Buonomano
Uploaded: 2026-02-04T20:44:08.544752
Duration: 49 min 3 s
Description: This StarTalk Special Edition episode explores the neuroscience and physics of time with UCLA Professor Dean Buonomano. The conversation delves into how the brain tells time, the nature of memory, mental time travel, and whether time travel is physically possible. Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson with

By StarTalk

Watch on YouTube (49:03)

Overview

This StarTalk Special Edition episode explores the neuroscience and physics of time with UCLA Professor Dean Buonomano. The conversation delves into how the brain tells time, the nature of memory, mental time travel, and whether time travel is physically possible. Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson with co-hosts Gary O'Reilly and Chuck Nice, the discussion bridges neuroscience, physics, and philosophy to examine time as both a physical phenomenon and a mental construct.

Key Takeaways

The brain doesn't tell time like a clock with a single mechanism - it uses completely different neural systems for different timescales (microseconds for sound localization vs. hours for circadian rhythms), relying on neural dynamics rather than oscillators
Mental time travel - the ability to project into the future and remember the past - is uniquely human and was crucial for major cognitive leaps like agriculture and awareness of mortality, possibly co-evolving with religion as an antidote to death awareness
Memory and computation are inseparable in the brain, unlike computers where RAM and CPU are distinct - information is stored by changing the strength of connections between neurons, and the patterns of neural activity flowing through these networks serve as both memory and computation
The perception that time flows forward (presentism) may not be an illusion but rather the brain telling us something true about the physical universe, contrary to the physics view that past, present, and future are equally real (eternalism)
Uploading memories or skills directly to the brain (as depicted in The Matrix or Total Recall) is likely impossible because the brain's architecture fundamentally differs from computers - there's no clear separation between memory modules and processing units that would allow such transfers