Neuroscientist David Linden confronts mortality

Last year, doctors told Johns Hopkins neuroscientist and author David Linden that he has eighteen months or less to live. Linden has terminal cancer, found during a routine medical test. As he faces the end of life, he’s thinking deeply about how our brains react to such news. Linden has researched the brain for decades, from its evolution and plasticity to sensory perception and memory formation. He talks about approaching his diagnosis and the last chapter of his life, with the same intense curiosity.   Read his piece in The Atlantic, "A Neuroscientist Prepares for Death." Listen to Linden's 2021 interview on Midday, about his latest book, "Unique: The New Science of Individuality." This interview originally aired February 8, 2022.Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472