Life Sciences, Mind & Health: what Hacker News watches
11 topics, 559 videos. Pick a topic for a focused list, or scan the 100 best-scored across the whole area below.
- 15 HN recommenders 15 months 2012–2026One of the most consistently recommended lecture series on HN, praised as fascinating, funny and eye-opening about human behavior across many scales.
- 14 HN recommenders 12 months 2009–2026HN returns to it repeatedly as the best single introduction to understanding clinical depression.
- 12 HN recommenders 11 months 2018–2024T The Artificial Intelligence Channel · talkHN regularly calls it mind-blowing and recommends it as an introduction to Levin's work on bioelectricity and regeneration.
- 10 HN recommenders 11 months 2012–2023HN commenters frequently recommend it as an eye-opening case against heavy porn use, though it is contested science.
- 12 HN recommenders 10 months 2021–2024HN recommends it repeatedly to people struggling with motivation, distraction or phone and internet addiction, as a science-based guide to dopamine.
- 6 HN recommenders 9 months 2008–2024HN has recommended it for years as the most useful and entertaining talk on sleep, often to people struggling with tiredness or productivity.
- 12 HN recommenders 9 months 2018–2020HN readers recommend it as an accessible, motivating summary of Why We Sleep for people who will not read the book.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2021–2024HN users repeatedly credit it with fixing their sleep, especially its advice on morning light and dimming lights in the evening.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2022–2023HN commenters say it convinced them to quit or cut down on drinking, and point to it as a more comprehensive treatment than most articles.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2016–2025HN returns to it constantly in consciousness and decision-making threads as a clear, entertaining explanation of split-brain.
- 5 HN recommenders 6 months 2019–2025B Beckman Institute at Illinois · lectureHN commenters recommend it as an entertaining and informative explanation of how stress affects health.
- 7 HN recommenders 5 months 2012–2017Recommended as a simple, elegant explanation of dropout and its connection to how the brain works.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2025It is the go-to demonstration of how hypoxia silently disables decision making, cited in threads on altitude, flying, diving, CO2 and breathwork.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2018HN commenters recommend it as a clear, in-depth lecture on consciousness as a process of prediction.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2016A Andrew Johnson · demoHN recommends it as a dramatic, moving demonstration of what deep brain stimulation can do for tremors.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2025Recommended to people with chronic pain, fatigue or RSI as a rigorous but balanced case that pain does not always mean injury.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2025HN points to it as the standard explanation of why perfect pitch is a childhood window, in threads about absolute pitch training.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2025HN cites it widely in discussions of tacit knowledge, habit, unlearning and adult versus child learning.
- 6 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025HN links it in threads on absolute pitch as a musician's useful summary of its downsides and age-related decline.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2025N NOVA PBS Official · documentaryRecommended in threads on consciousness, anesthesia and perception as a fascinating look at how much of experience the brain constructs.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2023Recommended as an accessible neuroscientist's overview of gut microbiome science with practical takeaways.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2026S Stanford Iranian Studies Program · lectureHN recommends Sapolsky as an exceptional storyteller and points to this lecture on the biology of human behavior and violence.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2024HN recommends it, and the whole course, for understanding the brain and language acquisition.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2024Recommended as a vivid first-person view of the right hemisphere in control, often linked to meditation and non-dual experience.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2026Cited whenever biocomputing or neurons-on-chip come up, as an accessible example of how such a system can be built.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2021Recommended as an accessible animated introduction to McGilchrist's thesis on hemispheres and narrow versus diffuse attention.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2024Cited in discussions of perception, consciousness and what is real, though some commenters find his conclusions hand-wavy.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2022HN commenters recommend it to people with ADHD for helping them understand their behavior and how their brain works.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2025D Daniel Simons · demoHN uses it constantly as the classic demonstration that attention is selective, in threads on driving, motorcycles, AI and perception.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2023V Virtusan · tutorialHN commenters recommend it as a short, practical guided rest session to use during a midday break or nap.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2025HN cites it as an impressive garage-science example of neuron-computer interfaces and hard-science DIY biology.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2024Cited in threads about perceived time as a good, detailed explanation of the effect.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2019HN suggests it as an easy alternative to the book for people who want Walker's sleep findings.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024HN people offer it as practical focus and ADHD advice from a credentialed neuroscientist, though some treat it as only a reference.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Q Qualia Research Institute · lectureHN commenters point to it as an interesting lecture related to psychedelics, brain geometry and hyperbolic space, with a good intro to hyperbolic geometry.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2021HN people send others here to hear Hawkins explain his theory in his own words, including reference frames and the old versus new brain.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2016J Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory · news clipHN cites it as an astonishing glimpse of advanced thought-controlled prosthetics.
- Matter to Mind:Bioelectricity, Body Intelligence, Future of Regenerative Medicine- Dr. Michael Levin2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2024H Harvard Extension Student Psychological Club · talkRecommended as an approachable look at Levin's work on regrowth and collective cellular intelligence, and used as an example of intelligence beyond brains.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024HN cites it for the argument that LLMs capture language form but not meaning, and for how the brain's language network works.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2023HN points to it as a foundational neuroscience primer, with some commenters crediting it for practical changes to learning and sleep.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2023S Serious Science · lectureOffered as a high-level, approachable introduction to Friston's idea of the brain as a prediction machine.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2020N Non-Dual Couch · interviewCited to explain the default mode network and how meditation may quiet it.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2023Commenters credit it for practical routines, such as morning walks and circadian timing, and for helping with burnout recovery.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2023J JAMIEvstheVOID · commentaryHN points to it as a vivid first-person description of aphantasia and an example of an aphantasic artist.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2023W World Science Festival · demoHN shares it as a delightful demo of the pentatonic scale's near-universal appeal and of a crowd syncing without instruction.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2025HN links it as a popular, accessible introduction to indoor CO2 and its effect on thinking, in air quality threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2023Cited as an accessible overview of Kernel's technology whenever its brain-sensing helmets come up.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2025A Aprendiendo Juntos · lectureRecommended when religion, mental health or psychedelics come up, for Sapolsky's biological framing.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2024T TheSymposionNights · lectureHN shares it as a compact explanation of how hierarchy and stress affect health, pointing to the longer full lecture.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2020HN uses it as the standard demonstration that the brain reinterprets perception, in threads on speech, AI audio and illusions.
- 4 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2024HN commenters point people dealing with concussions or brain injuries to it as a hopeful first-hand story of recovery.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2015HN links it as an accessible visual explanation of the problem of mapping brain connectivity.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2016HN cites it in MBTI threads as an attempt to link personality types to measurable brain activity patterns.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2017HN links it in caffeine threads as a quick, clear explanation of caffeine's effects.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2025Pointed to in threads on training absolute pitch in children as a practitioner's account.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2015HN commenters point to it as a general overview of the cognitive science of insight and focus that is useful for developers and knowledge workers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2023Pointed to when people ask for science-based ways to boost concentration or arrange a home office.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2021HN cites it in depression and brain health threads for its message that the brain can be improved, and that brain injury is common and overlooked.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2024HN points people to it as an accessible explanation of what qualia are.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2020K Kevin Hayward · demoLinked as a vivid demonstration of how fast hypoxia incapacitates people, often without them noticing.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2023HN commenters point to it in threads on fasting, cancer and Alzheimer's as a clinician's overview of metabolic therapy.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2026R Real Stories · documentaryHN points to it as the extended documentary on an extreme case of amnesia whenever memory loss or consciousness comes up.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2026HN cites it whenever threads touch consciousness, perception or predictive-processing, especially for its examples of expectation changing what you perceive.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2020HN commenters point to it as an accessible interview with a leading figure in the field, especially for toxo and baboon social behavior.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2024HN cites it as a fascinating look at ultrasound-based brain treatments.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2023HN people send it to others in addiction and digital-habits threads as an expert explanation of dopamine baselines.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2025P PA Struggles · interviewHN refers to it as a vivid first-person account of anendophasia whenever inner monologues come up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2019HN commenters mention it as an accessible introduction to the theory of constructed emotions.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2025S sixesfullofnines · demoRecommended as a quick demo of vision overriding hearing, and cited as an example of perception producing confident wrong answers.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2017Recommended as Hawkins' own accessible statement of his brain-inspired theory of intelligence and its software implementation.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2021HN cites it as a real academic source to back up or correct claims about emotion, anger and anxiety in the brain.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2018Cited in threads on exercise and cognition as an accessible overview of the movement-brain connection.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2024–2026Mentioned occasionally as an episode on environmental toxins in food and water, though one commenter lumps it in with unregulated quackery.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2024Cited as a source for claims that learning an instrument connects both brain hemispheres, though some commenters note they haven't verified it.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2024HN mentions it as evidence that the Wim Hof method can be learned and as the documentary that led some to try breathing and cold exposure, while others dispute the claims.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2024Pointed to as a clear statement of irreducible complexity, the limits of reductionism, and why simple neuron-level explanations fall short.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2024HN mentions it as a reference for Openwater's approach of light-based deep tissue imaging.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–20256 60 Minutes Australia · news clipHN links it as an example of extraordinary episodic memory in threads on memory and knowledge.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2023HN commenters use it as a fun, accessible demonstration that color perception depends on surrounding patterns and that what we see differs from what the eyes register.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2024J Jack Gallant · demoHN cites it as the landmark brain-decoding demo and compares newer reconstruction work against it.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2025–2026H Harvard Business Review · explainerCommenters cite it when arguing for less phone time and more idle, undistracted thinking.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2021HN points to it as an accessible explanation of how color and reflected light behave, especially under LED lighting.
- cited 4× 0 months 2019–2022HN cites it in discussions of reconstructing images from brain scans and the ethics of future brain reading.
- cited 3× 0 months 2012–2025J Jim Cristea · news clipCited in discussions of perfect memory as an illustration that it can be a burden rather than a superpower.
- cited 3× 0 months 2021–2023I Inside Edition · news clipCited as a concrete example that humans can learn echolocation, in threads about animal and human sonar.
- cited 3× 0 months 2018–2023M Mike Boyd · demoUsed as a reference when discussing inverted-steering analogies and how hard it is to rewire a learned skill.
- cited 5× 0 months 2016–2026Used as the canonical example of striking absolute pitch in children in discussions on how perfect pitch is acquired.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2024HN commenters cite it to explain why people in old photos seem older than they were.
- cited 4× 0 months 2014–20230 0zxr · demoUsed as a vivid example of spinal pattern generators and morphological control in locomotion discussions.
- cited 5× 0 months 2012–2013Linked in threads about Kurzweil joining Google, mostly as a source for his exponential progress charts and his ambitions there.
- 9 HN recommenders 13 months 2015–2025J Jason Salotti · lectureRepeatedly called the best way to understand ADHD, and recommended to anyone before commenting on it.
- 13 HN recommenders 13 months 2016–2026D David Lessig · documentaryHN recommends it often and strongly as an eye-opening account of marketing psychology and the engineering of consumer society.
- 12 HN recommenders 12 months 2008–2023C Carnegie Mellon University · lecturePerennially recommended as an inspirational talk for people facing setbacks or choosing a direction, and a source of oft-quoted lines like the brick wall.
- 4 HN recommenders 11 months 2015–2026A Alain de Botton · documentaryHN recommends it as an illuminating, eye-opening long-form take on status, luck and how we judge the successful and unsuccessful.
- 13 HN recommenders 9 months 2017–2025J JustAdamCurtis · documentaryHN commenters recommend it constantly in threads about advertising, propaganda and manipulation as the origin story of the consumer society.
- 11 HN recommenders 10 months 2010–2022HN uses it in discussions of pay, management, and motivation as the standard short explanation of autonomy, mastery and purpose.
- 9 HN recommenders 9 months 2020–2024Linked in threads about meritocracy, careers and startups as a reminder that luck shapes who ends up on top.
- 10 HN recommenders 9 months 2015–2025HN people with ADHD or ADHD-affected relatives share it as an authoritative, practical talk that helped some seek diagnosis.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2022Several HN commenters credit the lecture series with helping them through depression or personal collapse and recommend it as long-form learning.
- 11 HN recommenders 8 months 2017–2026HN recommends it widely in advice threads on depression, habits, and goal setting as a funny, memorable way to see what to do by seeing what not to do.
Showing the 100 best-scored of 559. Use search to find the rest.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.