Neuroscience Looks At THE JAUNT

art: Darek Cokurek

Stephen King is everywhere!  How about in neuroscience?  Really. . . NEUROSCIENCE?!

Susana Martinez-Conde has a short review of The Jaunt, titled, "Neuroscience in Fiction: Stephen King’s The Jaunt."

Granted, Stephen King is not the first name that comes to mind when you think about neuroscience insights, but this week’s Neuroscience in Fiction pick will give you a lot to ponder. 

The Jaunt is part of King’s Skeleton Crew short story collection, and one of the most engaging sci-fi tales I’ve read. In the not-too-distant future, humankind has achieved teleportation, or as they call it, jaunting. Unconscious bodies and cargo can travel from the Earth to Mars in a fraction of a second, unharmed and unchanged. But the effect of the Jaunt on a fully conscious, sentient being, is a different creature altogether. 

The Jaunt explores the limits of sustained sensory deprivation on the mind, with just a little bit of gore thrown in for added effect. We’re talking about Stephen King, after all.

I like her conclusion, "We hope you enjoy The Jaunt. If nothing else, the ending will stay with you for longer than you think."