Radiolab Live: Tell-Tale Hearts featuring Oliver Sacks

The episode features a firsthand account of open-heart surgery and recovery, detailing how aortic enlargement led to a life-saving procedure and an unusual post-surgical condition where the heartbeat became externally visible and audible. It also includes an intimate interview with Oliver Sacks describing his psychedelic experience of perceiving the color indigo, which he interpreted as a transcendent moment of pure perception. The narrative blends medical detail with philosophical reflection on consciousness and sensory experience.

The Oliver Sacks segment offers a rare, first-person account of a scientifically grounded mind exploring altered states and the mystery of perception.

1. 01Aortic dilation can be asymptomatic yet life-threatening, requiring surgical replacement with a synthetic graft when it reaches critical size.
2. 02Post-surgical scar tissue can transmit heart vibrations through the chest wall, creating a physical sensation and visible pulsation that may persist beyond expected healing time.
3. 03Oliver Sacks described a drug-induced visual experience of 'indigo' as a profound, mystical perception of color, suggesting the brain's capacity to generate transcendent sensory phenomena.