Mind Engineering

John Parrington draws on the latest research on the human brain to show how it differs strikingly from those of other animals in its structure and function at a molecular and cellular level. And he argues that this 'shift', enlarging the brain, giving it greater flexibility and enabling higher functions such as imagination, was driven by tool use, but especially by the development of one remarkable tool - language.

Brilliantly exploring today's cutting edge brain research, Mind Wide Open allows readers to understand themselves and the people in their lives as never before. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works and how its systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives.

As a child, Angela Mathers was the victim of a top-secret experimental program that implanted neural chips in children to correct disorders and enhance intelligence. Shunned by society, she, and others like her were locked away in camps. Now an adult Luman, she is both brilliant and calculating. Her quest for redemption brings her to DC, where she works to get a government bill that would free the Lumans passed into law.

With the ongoing advancement of AI and other technologies, our world is becoming increasingly intelligent. From chatbots to innovations in brain-computer interfaces to the possibility of superintelligences leading to the Singularity later this century, our reality is being transformed before our eyes. This is commonly seen as the natural result of progress, but what if there's more to it than that? What if intelligence is an inevitability, an underlying property of the universe?

No one can escape a sense of awe when reflecting on the workings of the mind: we see, we hear, we feel, we are aware of the world around us. But what is the mind? What do we mean when we say we are “aware” of something? What is this peculiar state in our heads, at once utterly familiar and bewilderingly mysterious, that we call awareness or consciousness? In Physics in Mind, eminent biophysicist Werner R. Loewenstein argues that to answer these questions, we must first understand the physical mechanisms that underlie the workings of the mind.

The universe is a vast, mysterious, and incredibly cool place. It’s filled with things so strange and wonderful they can make your head spin. From the tiniest particles buzzing around beneath the surface of reality to the largest structures stretching across billions of light-years, the cosmos is packed with surprises. And the more we learn, the more we realize just how much we don’t know. When you glance up at the night sky, you’re not just looking at stars. You’re peering into the deep past, through millions or even billions of years.

In the fascinating new audiobook from the best-selling author of Humanology, Luke O'Neill explores some of the big human questions and tells us what science has to say about topics such as gender, addiction and euthanasia. With his trademark easy wit and clever pop-culture references, Luke is a serious scientist with an amazing knack of making science accessible. If you are curious about us, this bizarre animal called the human being, this is a book for you.

An award-winning scientist offers a groundbreaking new understanding of the mind-body connection and its profound impact on everything from advertising to romance. The human body is not just a passive device carrying out messages sent by the brain but rather an integral part of how we think and make decisions.

What will it take for us to preserve what remains of life on the planet? Is humanity itself at risk? These are the overarching questions Said Dawlabani asks in this book’s comprehensive development model.

The Abyss Inside: Mind-Blowing Facts and Discoveries About Your Extraordinary Human Body brings together the latest scientific breakthroughs, intriguing facts, and compelling narratives to illuminate the wonders of human biology. From the intricacies of the brain to the capabilities of the heart, each chapter will deepen your appreciation for the marvel that is the human body.

The emerging field of evolutionary psychology remains controversial, perhaps especially among Christians. Yet according to Justin Barrett and Pamela Ebstyne King, it can be a powerful tool for understanding human nature and our distinctively human purpose. Thriving with Stone Age Minds provides an introduction to evolutionary psychology, explaining key concepts like hyper-sociality, information gathering, and self-control.

The author devoted more than 20 years to this book, proving a philosophical principle and making several critical comments on different theories regarding social problems we are now facing: what is the natural foundation of human subsistence or human phenomena? Why is the progression of civilization and its social development inevitably moving toward an endangering destination? And why are the mental attributes and knowledge system ultimately proved unhelpful or even appear negative?

The Mind of the Market will change the way we think about the economics of everyday life. Drawing on research from neuroeconomics, Michael Shermer explores what brain scans reveal about bargaining, snap purchases, and how trust is established in business. Utilizing experiments in behavioral economics, Shermer shows why people hang on to losing stocks and failing companies, why business negotiations often disintegrate into emotional tit-for-tat disputes, and why money does not make us happy.

How did human minds become so different from those of other animals? What accounts for our capacity to understand the way the physical world works, to think ourselves into the minds of others, to gossip, read, tell stories about the past, and imagine the future? These questions are not new: they have been debated by philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, evolutionists, and neurobiologists over the course of centuries. One explanation widely accepted today is that humans have special cognitive instincts.

Most nerve cells in the outermost layers of the brain end blindly, without any continuing nerve connections. Baumann investigates the possibilities underlying this peculiar medical observation and suggests that these neurons are the very beacons of our human awareness and consciousness.

Join the author on a journey into the mystical realm of electromagnetism and the proven phenomena which allow our infinitesimally weak brainwaves to radiate into space and circle the globe several times over.

¿Qué es la física cuántica? ¿Conoces los misterios más grandes del Universo? La física cuántica es, de todas las teorías científicas, la que quizás más verificaciones y contrastaciones ha recibido al mismo tiempo, y a la vez la más determinante para la vida que llevamos en el siglo XXI. El término “cuántica” proviene de “quantum”, que es la unidad más pequeña que conforma la luz. La física cuántica nos enseña que más allá de todo lo que es material y palpable hay energía.

Leading neuroscience researchers are racing to unlock the secrets of the mind. On the cusp of decoding brain signals that govern motor skills, they are developing miraculous technologies to enable paraplegics and wounded soldiers to move prosthetic limbs, and the rest of us to manipulate computers and other objects through thought alone. These fiercely competitive scientists are vying for Defense Department and venture capital funding, prestige, and great wealth.

Aprender neurociencia es aprender sobre el mundo, sobre nuestra sociedad, y sobre nosotros mismos. Un goce de lectura con asombrosas historias como la del caso del perro castaño; el trampero que alquiló su estómago; el cerebro de la sufragista; el efecto Coolidge; Jekyll, Hyde, Semmelweis, Marilyn, Jenofonte... y muchos otros genuinos personajes que desfilan por las páginas de este nuevo libro del gran escritor de la divulgación científica española.

On the scorching February day in 2009 that became known as Black Saturday, a man lit two fires in Victoria's Latrobe Valley, then sat on the roof of his house to watch the inferno. In the Valley, where the rates of crime were the highest in the state, more than thirty people were known to the police as firebugs. But the detectives soon found themselves on the trail of a man they didn't know.

Stop taking chances when you buy or sell on eBay. The Internet can be a dangerous place, especially where money changes hands. Right this minute there are many criminals planning scams to con innocent people out of their hard earned dollars. At least one of them just posted an auction to eBay. Don't Be One Of Their Victims! Crime On eBay explains how scams on eBay work and how you can easily avoid them. Once you are aware of a scam, it stands out like a sore thumb. You are in trouble if you don't know what to look for.