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Neuroverse in 2024: Moments & Milestones

Looking back at 2024, Neuroverse has had a remarkable journey – our community grew by an impressive 72%. Even more exciting, was that 81% of our listeners were new, and the podcast has reached audiences in over 50 countries worldwide. Beyond these metrics, what truly inspired Clara and Carolina, the voices of Neuroverse, to continue this journey was the ever-running curiosity about how unique disciplines come together to help us understand what makes the human brain and experience extraordinary.


Clara and Carolina at the SWC panel event, a highlight of Neuroverse in 2024
Clara and Carolina at the SWC panel event, a highlight of Neuroverse in 2024

This year, episodes took listeners across a vast journey to uncover the mysteries of the human brain and what it means to the world. Philosophy of Sound questioned whether sound is purely a physical phenomenon or a construct of the mind. Love on the Brain, marking the two-year anniversary of Neuroverse, delved into how neurobiology, philosophy, and history reveal what happens when we find our other half. Moving away from the external world and focusing more on the internal processes, Interoception shined a light on the challenges of probing and measuring subjective internal signals which can greatly vary within and across individuals, discussing insightful solutions that the current developments in the field have offered.


We celebrated Womxn’s Day by hosting Professor Soheir Elneil, a gynaecologist and clinical researcher, to discuss women’s reproductive health and what goes into targeted neuromodulation therapies for women in Women’s Reproductive Health: Where we are and what needs to improve?. We also hosted some other incredible women to share their fascinating diverse research. Evolutionary anthropologist Elodie Freymann joined Clara and Carolina in The Evolution of Self-Medication and What Chimpanzees Know to share her work studying how chimpanzees in Uganda’s Budongo Forest use natural substances to self-medicate—a field known as zoopharmacognosy. The episode on Mice Playing Poker with Dr. Ann Duan explored the neural mechanisms underlying economic decision making in mice, illuminating how animals make flexible decisions under risk, social influence, and the neural circuit mechanisms underlying these choices. These inspiring guests not only discussed the intricacies of their research but also the practicalities behind it, giving the audience an insight into what it means to be a scientist. What stands out is the passion and motivation behind these researchers, whether that be enforcing gender equity in research practise like Prof. Sohier, maintaining flexibility in decision-making when jumping career stepping stones like Dr. Duan, or staying diligent despite the everyday challenges of field work like Dr. Freymann.


Prof. Soheir Elneil, Dr. Elodie Freymann, and Dr Ann Duan (left to right) who featured on the podcast
Prof. Soheir Elneil, Dr. Elodie Freymann, and Dr Ann Duan (left to right) who featured on the podcast

Another important theme throughout the year was the focus on recent novel technology. Some episodes that highlighted what is at the forefront of the neuroscience field included discussions with guests Aaditya Singh, a PhD student at UCL's Gatsby Computational Unit, and Professor Tiago Branco, a PI at UCL's SWC. In Dynamics of Strategy Learning of Deep Neural Networks with Aaditya Singh, we discussed how deep learning systems develop strategies to solve problems. Focusing instead on how instinctive decisions are made, Neural Computation of Naturalistic Behaviours with Tiago Branco highlighted how the development of computational models that mimic behaviour based on experimental data is key for revealing the relationship between behaviour and brain. We also explored the role of brain computer interfaces (BCI) in BCI Breakthroughs: The Therapeutic Progress of Brain-Computer Interfaces one of the most exciting areas within neuroscience research, in allowing patients with motor neuron disorders to communicate their thoughts (Episode: BCI Breakthroughs: The Therapeutic Progress of Brain-Computer Interfaces”).


AI-generated image of "structure-function relationship in RNA and protein", a major theme in our biochemistry mini-series this year
AI-generated image of "structure-function relationship in RNA and protein", a major theme in our biochemistry mini-series this year

We were also able to dive more into biochemistry topics, thanks to the support of The Biochemical Society, with a range of guest speakers sharing their expertise on mRNA and protein structure, synapse biology, protein engineering, and more (see our biochemistry series). Another exciting ongoing mini-series that really took off in 2024 is Tools for Looking into the Brain, where we explore neuroscience techniques and methods, in collaboration with Scientifica. This year, not only did we get to create more episodes focusing on widely-used techniques like two-photon calcium imaging, tetrodes, neuropixels, and voltage imaging, but we were also joined by two early-career researchers (Ashlan Reid and Mari Sosa) who shared advice about gaining independence in research and overcoming challenges on their research journeys (episodes 88 and 89). We hope to expand the series in 2025 with a focus on more tips for young researchers.


One of the most eventful and memorable discussions of the year was not from a podcast episode, but from an in-person panel event hosted by Neuroverse & the SWC in October, commemorating our SWC mini-series, where experts and researchers within the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning unpacked the efficacy and capabilities of computational models in emulating the complex experiences of the brain. This conversation invited a lot of engagement from the audience, and left us all thinking about how the intricacies of the human brain challenge and expand the boundaries of technology and scientific understanding.


A moment from the SWC panel event, where we asked the audience to vote for whether they agreed or disagreed that computational models would be able to replicate the full complexity of the brain
A moment from the SWC panel event, where we asked the audience to vote for whether they agreed or disagreed that computational models would be able to replicate the full complexity of the brain

Finally, we got shortlisted for a public engagement award by King's College London's Engagement Research Network (KERN) and got to attend the awards ceremony.


In the coming year, Neuroverse is excited to explore how different fields like biology, technology, philosophy, and psychology in their own ways pose pressing questions in science, and reveal the strong impact that novel research methods hold to create impactful discoveries, as well as the people behind the work. Thank you for all the support, and tune in to join us on the journey.




This review was written by Shivali Verma and Purnima BR.

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