On Monday we were treated to another public lecture in the series “The Brain and Its Mysteries” by Ethan Newnham. The focus was “Why is your brain so good?” and the presentation was both captivating and enlightening. Ethan’s depth of knowledge and engaging style made the complex subject matter accessible and fascinating. Ethan began by contrasting real and artificial neural networks, emphasizing the incredible capabilities of the human brain. He asked us to ponder what makes our brains exceptional, noting that the brain’s ability to perform tasks critical for survival is key. Unlike computers, which excel at simple computations, the […]

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On Monday, I attended the third lecture of “The Brain and Its Mysteries” by Ethan Newnham, a talented neuroscience student at U3A Box Hill. Ethan’s presentation on Free Will was engaging and thought-provoking, offering deep insights into the enigmatic workings of the human brain and challenging our understanding of free will. The lecture began with a discussion on free will, prompting us to consider our own definitions of this concept. Ethan described free will as the ability to act based solely on our conscious decisions, a notion that seemed intuitive yet difficult to articulate. He highlighted that our decisions might […]

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On Monday, I attended a captivating lecture about how we see the world around us titled “Vision”, part of a series of 8 lectures on “The Brain and its Mysteries”, presented by the exceptionally talented neuroscience student, Ethan Newnham, at U3A Box Hill. Vision is a fundamental way we navigate the world, and it was both enlightening and engaging. Ethan began by emphasizing that while eyes are often called the windows to the soul, they are also windows to the brain. He guided us through the brain’s visual system, promising that the seemingly disconnected pieces of information would eventually make […]

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Experiments that changed our minds. This lecture series is open to the general public. Neuro-science student Ethan Newnham kicked off his eight-part series with a captivating exploration of the frist of the “experiments that changed our minds.” Building on the success of last year’s “The Brain and its Mysteries,” Ethan delved into groundbreaking studies that have revolutionized our understanding of the human mind. Patient H. M. The series commenced with an in-depth look at the most studied brain in history – that of Henry Molaison, famously known as Patient H.M. Ethan meticulously unveiled lesser-known details of these pivotal experiments, leaving […]

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