The Purpose of Pain
David Julius at the Carnegie Institution for Science

Why do we feel pain? Every child asks this when they first experience their own physical fragility. But believe it or not, the sensation of pain actually has an important evolutionary purpose. The experience of pain affects our behavior and helps keep us safe.

Kavli Prize Laureate Dr. David Julius spoke with Emmy-winning journalist Frank Sesno about pain's profound implications for human health and medicine, including his own work on touch receptors and the search for natural non-addictive pain-management solutions.