The unbearable feeling of science

He did not seem self-conscious when he was introduced. The host went on:“… Director, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, recipient of the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research in 2005, Signoret Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience; his books include Descartes’ Error in 1994, The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness in 1999, and Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow and the Feeling Brain in 2003.” He remained composed as pointed accolades rained and spread to be heard throughout the room. And then, finally…“Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Antonio Damasio.”

He approached the podium appearing serious but measured and calm. He looked at his audience seated in a hall, filled to the brim. He paused and began, “How wonderful it is to be here among people who love science.” We were a mixed group of people from interdisciplinary professions all devoted to promote the public understanding of science. I sat in the middle of the audience eager to listen to this man whose mind’s work has been gracefully and deeply wrought in books that he has written for the public seeking a continuing understanding of the workings of the human brain. I have one of his books, “Looking for Spinoza…” which I loved reading and which has helped me in many columns shed light on what goes on in our brains when we feel.

Hmm, “feeling” and neurology — the science of feeling. I noted how curious it was that we were discussing “feelings” among a “science” crowd whose minds the public usually perceive as cold and objective — “unfeeling.” But in at least the last 20 years or so, the works of Damasio, Steven Pinker and other neuroscientists, have begun to invade this once isolated “cold” brain with the “warmth” of understanding that bridges “logic” and “emotions.” They have illuminated the neurobiological paths of emotions — showing the underlying electro-chemical basis of “feelings” — those that once belonged only to the arts or religion.

Damasio’s lecture showed slides of the “insula,” the “hippocampus” and the “amygdala” — parts deep in our brains largely responsible for our moods and emotions. The “insula” has been extensively studied by Damasio and he found out that it is largely responsible for the emotional context that shapes our sensory experiences. Without the insula, the smell of your mom’s signature dish will mean nothing to you. It also appears that the insula has a significant, if not a main role in addictions like cigarette smoking. In his case studies, he has come across patients who quit a life of smoking when their insula was damaged in an accident or stroke, claiming that they no longer derived any pleasure from it like before. However, regardless of how desperately you want to quit smoking or be free from any addiction, please do not try this at home and remove your insula. If you want to see what the hippocampus and amygdala look like, go to www.brainexplorer.org. To me, they looked like a cul de sac. I think in real estate, cul-de-sacs are prized dearly and this one we have inside our brains certainly should be, in terms of who we are. This neurological drive-thru is where you have to process the options of your emotional meals — whether happy, sad, aroused, disappointed, etc.

The final question asked of Damasio was, given what he knows about how the brain melds emotion with reason, how could we guarantee to ignite a sense of wonder for science? He said he has no definitive answer on that but he pointed to something he said we humans are all wired for — the feeling of mystery, of suspense, of questioning, of discovery.

What Damasio answered with findings from his research as a scientist, two other fellows answered by setting their butts on fire (well, just one butt). These fellows love science and this is what they have come to be known for all over the world. I heard these two fellows share their love for science the day after I heard Damasio speak. The minute they walked from the entrance to the stage, our crowd cheered and applauded. They are Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman — the Mythbusters!

Adam said he has been making things since he was five. Since then, he has not only made things but made them with such pizzazz as a special effects expert for many blockbuster films such as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Terminator and the Matrix sequels, among others. To be that, he became “animator, graphic designer, stage and interior designer, carpenter, welder and scenic painter, and he’s worked in everything from metal to glass, plastics to injection molding, and pneumatics to animatronics.” Jamie also has many “selves.” He is described to be a “wilderness survival expert, boat captain, diver, linguist, animal wrangler, machinist and cook,” among many other things. They both admitted to us that they have very different personalities but what they have in common are: their love for finding things out by experimenting and their passionate love for reading.

As a “gift,” as they called it, to this crowd who loved science as much as they did, they showed us the finale of an episode from Mythbusters that they said could not be shown on cable. It showed Adam agreeing to work himself up to the point of expelling gas southward to see if he could produce enough methane to light his butt. After what Jamie called several “false alarms,” Adam (positioned as if on stirrups), finally had his “spirit” flow out and with the help of slow motion, revealed to us, that indeed, it has enough methane that gave his behind a glorious illumination, if not burn it. (Again, please do not try this at home.)

Applause and laughter echoed throughout the halls. The Mythbusters — who they are and how we react to them are proof that science is not a mere subject, nor a club. The Mythbusters set science on fire! No matter how science as a subject or even scientists themselves sometimes make you feel — like an idiot, or an outsider — do not let that stop you from deriving pleasure from finding things out, or from understanding things even just a little bit more, every day. That feeling is as fundamental to being human as all the other kinds of emotion. Science has feelings — it is joy, it is the tickled satisfaction from understanding, or in trying to understand something. It is what makes you different from the self you woke up with at sunrise when you simply wanted to find out — whether by reading, by doing experiments or even setting your butt on fire. That is science — a shot at clarity that is so refreshing. And tomorrow, you aim for a bit more because there is so much of the universe, and you have so little time…

* * *

For comments, e-mail [email protected]