Time passes like an arrow, but what if it flew like a boomerang? Scientists are learning how to reverse time’s most relentless march: aging. But before we rewind time, let’s try to define it, because there’s plenty of debate about just what time is – a fundamental component of the universe or a construct of our consciousness?

Find out why, even though pondering the future may cause heartburn, mental time travel has an evolutionary survival advantage.

Plus, your brain as a clock; why “brain age” may be more accurate than chronological age in determining lifespan.

And while a million-dollar monetary prize hopes to inspire researchers to crack the aging code, one group claims they already have. By reprogramming special genes, they’ve reversed the biological clocks in mice.  Find out when human trials begin. 

Guests:

  • Dean Buonomano – Neurobiologist and psychologist at UCLA and author of “Your Brain is a Time Machine

  • James Cole – Postdoc studying neuroanatomy, Imperial College London 

  • Joon Yun – Radiologist, head of Palo Alto Investors and creator and sponsor of the Palo Alto Longevity prize

  • Pradeep Reddy – Research Scientist at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California

Segments:
Part 1: Dean Buonomano / Time Travelling Mind
Part 2: James Cole / Brain Age
Part 3: Joon Yun / Longevity Prize
Part 4: Pradeep Reddy / Reverse Aging

Descripción en español

​originally aired May 8, 2017

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

2026 Webby Award Nominee
for our three part series on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Big Picture Science is an immersive radio show and podcast that reveals the unexpected connections in science.

Our Skeptic Check episodes take a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience.

Don’t settle for a science snapshot. Get the big picture. 

Hosted By

Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science  

Seth Shostak Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

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