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A neuroscientist investigates mortality after a terminal diagnosis

Credit: David Linden
Credit: David Linden

Six months ago, doctors told 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, "I'm simultaneously furious with the universe and also deeply grateful."

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."

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.