This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
, via Wikimedia Commons"]
By Florian Thillmann (de:Benutzer:Flothi) (own work / selbst fotografiert) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)
“
Once the preparations were complete, I was able to place each of my hands on a nest of knobs and levers and control a pair of manipulators situated behind my head, and use the periscope to see what they worked on. I would then be able to dissect my own brain.”
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Our “Neuroscience in Fiction” selection for this Friday is Ted Chiang’s short story “Exhalation” (2008), published in the anthology, "Eclipse 2: New Science Fiction and Fantasy”, and winner of the British Science Fiction Association, the Locus, and the Hugo Awards.
Chiang does not write very often, but when he does the result is usually spectacular. “Exhalation” takes place in a pneumatics-based universe, where a scientist’s discovery reveals the neural correlates of consciousness and the mechanics of the upcoming end of life and time. Best of all, the neuroscience at the heart of the story originates in a memorable self-dissection of the protagonist’s own brain.
We hope that you will read “Exhalation” this weekend, and that you will let us know your thoughts. For extra credit, check out Chiang’s “Stories of Your Life and Others” (Tor, 2002), a compendium of his first eight stories.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
