Vilayanur Subramanian Ramachandran, also called V.S. Ramachandran (born 1951) is an Indian scientist and educator. He has written more than 180 scientific research papers. He co-discovered the mirror neuron, a nerve cell that helps human beings understand other human beings' actions. Richard Dawkins called him "the Marco Polo of Neuroscience." "Time" magazine called him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.