Featured image: A New Yorker cover from 1987 by Lonni Sue Johnson, artist and pilot who later became the amnesiac inspiration of Mike Lemonick’s The Perpetual Now.
Tonight, we’re finally airing the entirety of The Science of Memory, the live show that we put on with the Council of Science and Technology in February. We brought Mike Lemonick (Scientific American editor) and Sabine Kastner (Princeton neuroscientist) on stage to discuss the science of memory, amnesia, and how our brains learn. You’ll hear how Lonni Sue Johnson, a Princeton artist and airplane pilot, lost her ability to form new memories, and how her personality is intact despite being lost in the present. Alongside the science, the Princeton Laptop Orchestra played three original pieces, from an extended version of our theme song to one that translates neuron signals into noise. We had so much fun putting this show together for a live studio audience, so we hope you’ll enjoy the full performance broadcast!
In addition to the recording, we start off the show with science events and:
- The incredible self-glassification of the water bear, made possible by disordered proteins that freeze shut when dried.
- Science funding appears to be on thin ice, especially in funding for medical and environmental research, as envisioned by the Trump administration’s skinny budget.
- Check out the Princeton Environmental Film Festival, put on from March 27 to April 2 by the Princeton Public Library! There are films to attend every night, from The Islands and the Whales to Chasing Coral.
The full playlist can be found on WPRB.com or below.
These Vibes Are Too Cosmic 
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