HOW DOES THE BRAIN WORK?

"Watson? Can you hear me?"

PBS's educational science series NOVA scienceNOW is one of those shows that I totally would have dug as a kid. It asks wide-eyed questions about science, but never talks down to the audience, whether you view it as an adult or as a curious younger viewer.

The episode "How Does the Brain Work?" may not entirely answer the question it poses (at least in purely scientific terms), but it offers several scenarios illustrating curious tricks of what goes on inside our noggins. The hour-long episode covers four topics, the most timely of which is a profile of the folks behind the artificial intelligence computer named Watson. IBM's human-brains have been working for many years on a computer that can not only think practically, but creatively. Their goal was to make a computer that not only has a vast storehouse of facts it can access, but has the ability to interpret the often clever or tricky language of a triva game like Jeopardy. This special goes behind the scenes as IBM's programmer ready Watson for his moment in the spotlight, as he practices against human opponents to hone his skills. All that is missing is the epilogue to this fascinating story—Watson did, indeed, kick butt in his Jeopardy debut.

Also covered in this fun special are a profile of scientist David Eagleman who has done experiments on the brain's perception of time (does time really slow down in your brain as you fall?), and studies of synethesia (the overlapping of senses). There is also a portion where scientists work with magicians, trying to figure out why the brain can be so easily fooled by visual illusions. There is even an interview with Teller of the magic duo Penn and Teller. Teller is so adamant that no one sees him talk that he only agreed to speak with the bottom of his face in shadow (ha!). And finally, there is a piece on magnetic pulses being used to treat parts of the brain, including using pulses to treat the part of the brain lobe that is responsible for depression, as well as experiments to see if pulses can temporarily block pain after surgery.