Hi Reddit, My name is Colin Blakemore. I’m Professor of Neuroscience and Philosophy at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford (where I worked in the medical school for 33 years). From 2003-2007 I was the Chief Executive of the British Medical Research Council, which provides hundreds of millions of pounds for medical research each year. My current research is on human perception, and especially on how our brains put together information from the different senses. But in the past I’ve also worked on the early development of the brain, on “plasticity”, and on neurodegenerative disease (Huntington’s Disease in particular). A list of most of my publications can be found here. To my amazement, I was I knighted in 2014 and I was particularly pleased that it was given for contributions to scientific policy and public communication, as well as for research. For the whole of my career, I’ve been a strong advocate for better engagement between the scientific community and the public about how we use science. In particular, I’ve campaigned for openness and proper debate about the use of animals, which was vital for much of my own research in the past. I recently gave the 79th Annual Paget Lecture, organised by Understanding Animal Research. My talk, entitled “Four Stories about Understanding the Brain”, covered the development of the cerebral cortex, language, Huntingdon’s Disease and Stroke. Watch it here. This is my first AMA, I’m here to talk about neuroscience, animal research, philosophy and public outreach, but, well, Ask Me Anything! I’m here from 4 – 5pm UTC (EST 11 – noon / PST 8 – 9 am) Edit: I MUST FINISH NOW. IT’S BEEN FUN TALKING WITH YOU - SORRY NOT TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER MORE!