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Podcast: Life Examined
Episode: Are we wired for discovery? Alex Hutchinson on the Explorer’s Gene.
Description: Alex Hutchinson, award-winning journalist and author “The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map,” discusses the reasons behind human exploration. Hutchinson talks about the historical significance of human exploration and delves into the neuroscience and psychology behind why we are driven to test the limits of our abilities and to expand our knowledge. Hutchinson expands on the significant role dopamine plays in providing the fuel and desire and the ‘free energy principle’, which suggests humans seek to minimize surprise and uncertainty. Hutchinson shares his own personal stories, along with what we can...