EXHIBITIONSBrain: The World Inside Your Head
Walk through an enlarged brain, complete with lightning shows that imitate the central nervous system—just one part of a 5,000-square-foot interactive traveling exhibit.
The Science Place, Dallas
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Through Jan. 8, 2006
214-428-5555
Body Worlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies
The brains and nervous systems of several real human bodiesfgbk> appear in three-dimensional exploded views. Gunther von Hagens preserved the bodies in plastic and dissected them for display, sometimes in shockingly unusual ways.
The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia
Through April 23, 2006
215-448-1200
The Logic Puzzle Museum
Play with 50 different hands-on brain twisters and mechanical and logic puzzles.
The Logic Puzzle Museum, Burlington, Wis.
Ongoing exhibits
262-763-3946
[break] MEETINGSThe Psychology of Health, Immunity and Disease Conference
Medical and mental health professionals converge for discussions of mind/body/spirit, sponsored by the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine. Sessions include “How Can I Forgive You? A Radical Approach to Healing Intimate Wounds” and “On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself through Mindful Creativity.”
Hilton Head, S.C.
Dec. 5–11
860-456-1153 or 800-743-2226
The Fifth International Conference on Neuroesthetics
The name of the Web site says it all: plaisir is French for “pleasure.” Neuroesthetics is the study of how our brains appraise beauty, flavor and harmony.
University of California, Berkeley
Jan. 21, 2006
510-847-2191
Winter Conference on Brain Research
Clinical psychologists meet molecular neurobiologists in a free exchange of ideas. In past years lecturers have covered topics such as “What’s Up with Ecstasy?” and “The Mind’s Big Bang: Only 50,000 Years Ago.”
Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Jan. 21–27, 2006
217-333-2880
www.conferences.uiuc.edu/conferences
American Psychoanalytic Association Winter 2006 Meeting
The organization, devoted to psychoanalysts, has about 3,200 members across the country.
New York City
Jan. 18–22, 2006
212-752-0450
www.apsa.org/programs/meetup.htm
[break] MOVIES/TVWired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France
The subject of this 40-minute IMAX documentary is how the human brain can power us to incredible achievements, such as winning the Tour de France. Combining personal stories and computer graphics, the film follows riders as they grind over the high passes of the Pyrenees and then race through the perilous descents to the finish line in Paris, explaining how our minds can sustain us through extreme hardship to victory.
PD Productions (distribution by nWave Pictures)
Opening Dec.
The Ringer
Steve Barker, a man of dubious integrity but good intentions, attempts to rig the Special Olympics to help out his uncle and his friend. Pretending to be intellectually disabled, he enters the competition. His fellow Olympians see him for what he is but conspire to help him win in order to dethrone Jimmy, the arrogant reigning champion.
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Opening Dec. 23
www.foxsearchlight.com/theringer/
[break] WEB SITES
Do you think you might suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder? Wonder how you would feel if you couldn’t prove you weren’t an Internet chatbot? In this blog, Tom Stafford and Matt Webb, authors of the book Mind Hacks, keep you up-to-date on the latest ways you can look inside your own mind.
tAPir, the Anxiety Panic Internet resource, is a self-help Web site for those who suffer from anxiety disorders, as well as an information center for anyone who wants to learn about depression or phobias and how to improve his or her outlook on life.
[break] www.brainmuseum.org
Images and information from one of the world’s largest collection of preserved, sectioned and stained brains. Browse and download photographs of brains of more than 100 different species of mammals (including humans).
Oliver Sacks, professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, is the author of such fascinating books as Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. His home page includes a biography, a lecture schedule and an intriguing set of FAQs.
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