Last week, neuroscientist David Eagleman came to ALOUD to demystify the inner-workings of the subconscious mind. After an hour and a half conversation with author Susan Orlean about his new book Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, the audience left the Central Library more mystified than ever on the super powers of the human brain.

                 David Eagleman at ALOUD. All photos by Gary Leonard.

From an analogy of how our brain is like a conflicted parliament competing for power, to how America should fix the penal system, to curing drug addicts, determining the sex of chickens, tips for winning at tennis, and more, Eagleman’s talk had everyone scratching their heads.

It’s futile to try to summarize in this post the fascinating research underway at Eagleman’s Baylor Lab and what he has figured out about human nature in relation to how the brain works (for example, he’s currently studying how schizophrenia is caused by a disorder of time perception), so if you didn’t make it to event, listen to the full podcast here. Your brain will appreciate the boot camp. Plus, he tackles the “Do humans have a soul?” question!

Learn more about Eagleman’s work at his website, and check out The New Yorker profile.