Navigating our world with a mental GPS | Vijay Balasubramanian | TEDxPenn

Both beautiful and structured, the brain’s many overlapping grid cells are connected by a special ratio, organizing them into something akin to the decimal system. Vijay Balasubramanian seeks to understand the mystery of these cells to hone in on the center in the brain that maintains our geospatial sense of place. This opens up the possibility that our brain is organized like a mental GPS, made up of hierarchical grids that seek to organize the world we’ve traveled.

Balasubramanian is Cathy and Marc Lasry Professor of Physics at the University of Pennsylvania. He studies space, time and information, from their manifestations at the foundations of physics to their perception by humans. As passionate about teaching as about research, he has received the Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching.

[samahadi]

Just finished watching his "The maps inside your head" lecture at CERN.
Truly breathtaking!