On Demand
Dreams
Astrologers and psychics, move over, labcoat scientists are getting in on the study of dreams. First up, Harvard Professor Robert Stickgold tells us about how he found a foothold into studying dreams, and published the first paper on the scientific study of dreams in 40 years with a little help from Tetris. Then, MIT Prof Matt Wilson peers into sleeping rat brains. He’s learned to read the synaptic brain chatter in the rat brains, and—though he won’t quite say it himself—it seems pretty clear that he’s seeing their dreams.
Podcast
Stay up to date.
Subscribe to the Podcast
Radio Lab Blog
Radio Lab’s got a blog! Check out our rants and ramblings, hear bonus audio, and get all kinds of other goodies like ringtones and videos.
More
Radio Lab Email
Tell Radio Lab What You Think
Have questions about the show? Ideas for topics for Radio Lab to investigate? Heard things you like? Don’t like? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
Email us at radiolab@wnyc.org
Comments
Refresh
I caught this episode tonight completely by chance, while I flipped the radio on in the kitchen. I found it so compelling that I didn't want to leave the kitchen. I ended up cleaning it completely and sweeping. The episode ended just as I was considering mopping. Glad to be saved from mopping, but sorry the episode ended. I'm a big fan of this american life and loved how clearly such high level concepts were delivered. Bravo! And my family thanks you for the clean kitchen, by the way. ; )
This episode confirms that Radio Lab is the greatest show on the radio. I was glued to the radio for the entire hour!
Loved the episode about sleep deprivation. I am planning to use it in my class that I teach about psychology and learning. This was a fun episode and it was very well done and interesting!
keep up a good job, guys!
E.
Thanks, guys, for the RadioLab!
Most exciting show on the radio by far!
I was listening to the show during my lunch time. When Mr. Stickgold talked about reproducing the rock climbing experiment, I was remembering that back in the day, I was a tetris addict, and dreamnt almost constantly about the game. I literaly said outloud, 'HE SHOULD TRY TETRIS', And then they said it. I almost crashed on the tollway. I thought I was the only crazy person who dreamnt about Tetris.
I solve many of my problems during sleep. I am a prolific dreamer and remember them when I wake up. I am amazed at the free association and entertained by the results. My dreams are more elaborate if I forget to take my medication for depression. The other night, I watched two movies, "The Good Shepherd" and "Breach". My dream was a wonderful "movie" of intrigue and espionage. That same night I also dreamed about looking for a house to buy. The next day I sketched the floor plan of my "dream" house. Maybe Matt Wilson at MIT might want to look into how medication, or the lack there of, effects our dreaming. (Maybe I'll dream about that myself tonight).
I listened to RadioLab for my first time and found the 'Dreams' sequence to be fascinating, as in "stop whatever I am doing now and listen." The only thing that annoyed me about the program was the clicking noise in between segments, as if it was a bad editing job. At first I thought, "It sounds like they were editing on tape" but remembered that no one edits on tape anymore. Do you insert these clicking noises deliberately?
My wife says, "Yes," and she won't listen to your program because she finds the sounds so annoying. I will listen anyway because the essence of your program is more important than the clicks. What I find puzzling is that you take so much care to get listeners to the heart of the issue and steer them away with what sounds like sloppy editing. Lose the clicks and you will communicate better, in my humble opinion.
Ken, some people do find our sound design to be too layered. However, your reference to specific 'clicks' sounds like there could be a problem with your sound file. Try listening again from our website, and feel free to send us an email at radiolab@wnyc.org should you continue to have problems.
About 15 years ago, I was a consultant in NYC. At the time I was working on a project for a bank which made far more use of Microsoft Excel than I thought could be done at the time. I put in some serious hours, from 8 or 9 many times to 12 or 1 am for about a week and a half. I remember dreaming with spreadsheets on some nights.
I have no desire to dream with them again.
RadioLab is such a wonderful, wonderful program, that congratulations are due as well as thanks for producing it and for putting it online since I get to listen to it from overseas.
All the best to the RadioLab team.
What's the song that's played from 40:10 to 41:09 in program, just before the last segment? Its sorta a dreamy downtempo song...I like it!
Wow, caught your show on sleep and dreaming on our drive home. My 14 year old son and I were so engrossed that when we got home we took a radio out to the back yard and continued to listen via a lawn chair.
After hearing your show my son was thrilled to relate to me that after playing a video game and getting stuck on it, after going to bed he easily beat it the next morning. He realized that this was not the only time that this had happened. Realizing if he ever got stuck, it was time to give it a break and come back to it the next day.
Was wondering how this would relate to craming for tests the next day verses learning something overtime?
I was also wondering if you know of or about any research done on the relationship of anxiety and the ability to learn. Despite my son's high cognitive level, my Dyslexic 14 year old has developed anxiety phobias to certain types of learning tasks related to his specific learning disability. It seems that this is very common when talking to the many parents of the learning disabled. Although the pieces of the puzzle seems to be all there when listening to the doctors and researchers present, they seem to have yet to put two and two together, connecting what they are saying with that of other researchers.
Thanks for a great show.
Rebecca
Ted - great question! I've been wondering the same thing. I really enjoyed both of the longer musical interludes - I've sent email to the Radio Lab folks, but haven't received any replies as of yet.
Does anyone else recognize these two clips from this episode:
http://andersonfam.org/filez/radiolab_1.mp3
http://andersonfam.org/filez/radiolab_2.mp3
???
Ted and Erik,
I've also been on the hunt for those to musical interludes. If you ever figure them out, please let us know.
Thanks!
Yes! I'm interested in the name of that song too.
I can't get that music clip out of my head...very chill. I do hope someone out there knows what it is.
The idea that people had dreams about Tetris after playing it doesn't surprise me.
When I played for long periods of time I would see patterns and connections when I walked down the street, I was always fitting pieces of trees into cars, into trees, and so on. My problem with this study is that because it is so vivid and so graphic it seems to almost have to leave a mark on your brain, it's that intense. I would think that the alpine game would be more appropriate and more random.
Viva Radio Lab.
While listening to this program I immediately remembered a particular instance from grade school, in which I had to memorize a poem. (I do not remember which one, but I do recall it being rather wordy). I read and recited piece by piece, over and over, but just could not seem to be able to recite the whole thing. Finally my mother, as frustrated as I was, suggested I just go to sleep and work on it in the morning before school.
Astoundingly, as my mother woke me the next morning, I realized that I remembered the whole thing and instinctively recited it for her without hesitation.
Leave a Comment
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Back to EpisodeEmail addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. WNYC reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the WNYC.org Comment Guidelines before posting.