Transcript
Capital One Announcer (0:00)
If you love to travel, Capital One has a rewards credit card that's perfect for you. With the Capital One Venture X card, you earn unlimited double miles on everything you buy. Plus, you get premium benefits at a collection of luxury hotels when you book on Capital One Travel. And with Venture X, you get access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. Open up a world of travel possibilities with a Capital One Venture X card. What's in your wallet?
Capital One Terms Announcer (0:26)
Terms apply.
Kim Stanley Robinson (0:27)
Lounge access is subject to change.
Capital One Terms Announcer (0:28)
See capitalone.com for details.
Verizon iPhone Advertiser (0:30)
Dude, did you order the new iPhone 17 Pro? Got it from Verizon, the best 5G network in America. I never looked so good. You look the same, but with this camera, everything looks better. Especially me.
Kim Stanley Robinson (0:41)
You haven't changed your hair in 15 years.
Verizon Terms Announcer (0:43)
Selfies check please with Verizon, get the new iPhone 17 Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever, plus a new iPad and Apple One. No trade in needed. Offer ends November 5th with a new line on Unlimited Ultimate Best 5G Swears Route Metrics Data United States 12025 all rights reserved. Additional apply for all offers. See verizon.com for details.
Verizon iPhone Advertiser (1:00)
Why Choose a Sleep Number Smart Bed.
Curiosity Weekly Host Dr. Samantha Yamin (1:01)
Can I make my site softer?
Kim Stanley Robinson (1:03)
Can I make my site firmer?
Verizon iPhone Advertiser (1:05)
Can we sleep cooler? Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side your Sleep number setting. Enjoy personalized comfort for better sleep night after night. And now max out your savings. The more you buy, the more you save on beds, bases and more. Plus, get free home delivery on any smart bed with base limited time. Check it out at a Sleep Number store near you or@sleepnumber.com today.
Curiosity Weekly Host Dr. Samantha Yamin (1:34)
This Halloween, we're going to explore some fascinating and maybe even a little bit spooky topics. First, we'll talk about the blurry lines between life and death. You know, there's research that shows that when the heart stops, the brain can sometimes surge with unexpected activity. And what does that mysterious burst mean? Then? Our producer is going to chat with sci fi legend Kim Stanley Robinson about the deep connections between science and science fiction, how one inspires the other in incredible ways. And to make up for all the scary death talk, who doesn't love a warm and fuzzy sea turtle story? Well, green sea turtles are finding a new home in urban waters, and I'm going to tell you all about it. I'm Dr. Samantha Yamin. Welcome to Curiosity Weekly. For centuries, the moment of death was considered absolute, a clean break between life and whatever comes next. But modern neuroscience is challenging that Certainty. Scientists have recorded a surge in brain waves from two people when their life support was withdrawn. As their heart began to fail, their brains didn't go silent. They briefly lit up. The team out of the University of Michigan used an EEG to monitor brainwaves in four patients coming off life support and in two of the patients who were comatose. The researchers found something interesting. A surge of gamma brain waves, patterns associated with consciousness, memory and awareness even after the heart stopped beating. These waves weren't random either. They appeared in the so called posterior hot zone, a region linked to vision and bodily awareness in a pattern that's reminiscent of consciousness. Lead researcher Jimo Borjigian told Popular Mechanics that maybe the dying brain might mount a last ditch search for meaning or survival similar to the descriptions we hear from people who've had near death experiences. Scientists don't have a clear handle on what exactly happens when a person dies. Even in this University of Michigan study, the heart was still beating for a short time after the patient stopped breathing. And research from back in 2021 published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that even a flat lining heart can fluctuate. Now Canada has a unified brain based definition of death, whereas in the United States the call is made based on brain death or loss of cardiovascular functioning. And there are rare but strange cases of a person being declared dead but then waking up. For example, Anthony T.J. hoover, a man from Kentucky, was declared brain dead after a drug overdose in October 2021. But after being taken off life support, when doctors were preparing him for organ donation, he opened his eyes and tracked a family member's movement. Now, of course, the doctor stopped the procedure. Eventually he sat up and spoke with his family before ultimately passing away three days later. But this is just one example where his initial death was a gray area. But are these brain patterns actual signs of consciousness or just like electrical surges that are the brain's final spasms as you're getting lots of movement of all these ions or some other unexplained reason? Either way, this shows us that death might not be such an abrupt event. And we can consider the possibility that it's more like a twilight between life and death that science is only beginning to map. Spooky.
