StarTalk Radio Your Brain is a Time Machine with Dean Buonomano
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Jan 9, 2026 In this engaging discussion, Dean Buonomano, a UCLA Professor specializing in neurobiology and psychology, delves into how our brains perceive time. He contrasts artificial clocks with our brain's organic timing processes and explains the evolutionary value of timekeeping. Dean explores mental time travel, revealing its significance in foresight and societal development. He also discusses the complexities of memory storage and how our neural dynamics influence our perception of time. Prepare to rethink how you experience the past and future!
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Galileo's Boredom Sparked The Pendulum Clock
- Neil recounts Galileo observing a swinging chandelier and checking period against his pulse, inspiring pendulum clocks.
- This anecdote shows early curiosity leading to precise timekeeping inventions.
Timing Enables Social Coordination
- Humans evolved sophisticated timing for social coordination and language, not just basic environmental sensing.
- Buonomano links timing ability to cooperation and complex behaviors like synchronized work and speech.
Brain's Flow Perception Vs Physics
- The perceived flow of time (past→future) conflicts with physics' time-symmetric equations and fuels philosophical debate.
- Buonomano argues our brain's flow perception may reflect a real, mesoscopic feature of the universe.
