The brain : big bangs, behaviors, and beliefs / Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall ; illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne.

  • DeSalle, Rob.
Date:
[2012], ©2012
  • Books

About this work

Description

After several million years of jostling for ecological space, only one survivor from a host of hominid species remains standing: us. Human beings are extraordinary creatures, and it is the unprecedented human brain that makes them so. In this book the authors present a step-by-step account of the evolution of the brain and nervous system. Tapping the very latest findings in evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and molecular biology, the authors explain how the cognitive gulf that separates us from all other living creatures could have occurred. They discuss the development and uniqueness of human consciousness, how human and nonhuman brains work, the roles of different nerve cells, the importance of memory and language in brain functions, and much more. Our brains, they conclude, are the product of a lengthy and supremely untidy history, an evolutionary process of many zigs and zags, that has accidentally resulted in a splendidly eccentric and creative product.

Publication/Creation

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2012], ©2012.

Physical description

xiv, 354 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Bibliographic information

Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-336) and index.

Contents

The nature of science : our brains at work -- The nitty-gritty of the nervous system -- Hanging our brains on the tree of life -- Making sense of senses -- Processing information -- Emotions and memory -- Brain EvoDevo -- Words and music by ... -- Decisions, behaviors, and beliefs -- The human brain and cognitive evolution.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatus
    Medical Collection
    WL300 2012D44b
    Open shelves

Permanent link

Identifiers

ISBN

  • 9780300175226
  • 0300175221