The Fearless Brain of Alex Honnold

The Fearless Brain of Alex Honnold

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

State of the European Union, Mysteries of the Human Brain

Episode: State of the European Union, Mysteries of the Human Brain

  • Jul 28, 2017 11:00 pm
  • 26:31 mins

Guest: Jane Joseph, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina Continuing our exploration of the brain’s mysteries, let’s go inside the gray matter of the world’s best rock climber. Alex Honnold does free solo climbing, meaning no net, no safety gear. In June, he climbed the face of Yosemite’s El Capitan in less than four hours, with nothing but his fingers, his toes and a bag of chalk clipped to his belt. Many, many people have wondered over the years if Alex Honnold is even capable of feeling fear. Is there something wrong with his brain that makes it so he can do these insanely risky things? Neuroscientist Jane Joseph of the Medical University of South Carolina had these same questions, so she put Alex Honnold into an fMRI machine and took a close look at his brain.