Radiolab is a really great, curious, creative, surprising radio show.

The current episode is eleven meditations on death. It’s not as scientific or funny as other Radiolabs, but some of the stories are exciting and disturbing in equal measure.

A woman is involved in a car accident and lies in hospital, apparently brain dead. Neuroscientists decide to try a new idea, just to see what happens. They tell the patient she’s going to have a brain scan and tell her to imagine she’s playing tennis – she doesn’t respond of course. They wheel her into the machine and, sure enough, when they tell her to play tennis, her brain activity suggests she’s thinking about playing tennis.

The implications are quite frightening. They don’t say what happened to the woman in the end.

Have a listen – the whole show is interesting, but this particular story starts at 17:47.