Radiolab from WNYC: Shorts: Happy Birthday, Good Dr. Sacks

December 11, 2014 12:11 PM

One of our favorite human beings turns 80 this week. To celebrate, Robert asks Oliver Sacks to look back on his career, and explain how thousands of worms and a motorbike accident led to a brilliant writing career.

Absolutely fascinating 24 minutes if you have the time for a listen. Discusses rookie mistakes, and how this led to Sacks' eventual L-DOPA research (which the film, Awakenings, is based upon).

Also discusses the tension between quantitative data and qualitative (descriptive) data, and the value and limitations of each. Alexander Luria is cited as a major transformative figure in Sacks' professional career.

posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (1 comment total)

First 14 minutes or so is an example of a great podcast; then, when you wonder where else there is to go, around the 17 minute mark, it gets even more intensely wonderful.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:12 PM on December 11, 2014