Science Week 2026: The Invisible Hand - In conversation with Professor Matthew Longo
When:
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Venue:
Birkbeck Clore Management Centre
Our hands are central to human technological and cultural achievement. From Aristotle to Charles Darwin, the hand has been seen as central to what makes us unique. But the real power underlying the hand comes from the brain and nervous system that control it.
In The Invisible Hand: Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Human Hand Function, Prof Matthew Longo discusses the neural and cognitive mechanisms that transform a seemingly ordinary physical appendage into an extraordinary tool shaping human culture and technology.
On Tuesday, June 16th, as part of Birkbeck's Science Week, Matthew will be in conversation with Dr Silvia Seghezzi to discuss the concept of the invisible hand, and to show how it facilitates the extraordinary abilities of the human hand. In addition to introducing the concept of the invisible hand, he will show how it shapes human abilities in several domains, such as skilled action, tool use, and gesture.
About the author
Matthew Longo is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London, where he directs the Body Representation Laboratory. His research explores how the brain creates our experience of our body and shapes our perception of the world around us. He is a recipient of the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions to Psychology, the Experimental Psychology Society's EPS Prize, and the Fellowship of the Association for Psychological Science. He is the co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Bodily Awareness (2023, Routledge) and author of The Invisible Hand: Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Human Hand Function (2025, MIT Press).
This event will begin with the Psychological Sciences PhD prize giving.
Contact name: Charlotte Lowe
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