Mysteries of the Human Animal Mind

Enjoyed your informative vlog, Darin. Chomsky's ground-breaking theories on linguistics highlights not only the complexity and plasticity of the human brain, but also its fragility. A tumor, stroke, or head injury affecting Wernicke's or Broca's areas will wipe out language comprehension or expression (respectively) in one fell swoop. It's hard to imagine language being meaningless, but for people with these lesions, it is. You can see the frustration in their eyes because they either can't find the words or can't understand yours. By elucidating redundant neural pathways or short-circuiting existing ones, perhaps science will enable these individuals to fully overcome their language deficits.