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A History of the Human Brain
- From the Sea Sponge to CRISPR, How Our Brain Evolved
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
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A History of the Human Brain
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Publisher's Summary
Just over 125,000 years ago, humanity was going extinct until a dramatic shift occurred—Homo sapiens started tracking the tides in order to eat the nearby oysters. Before long, they’d pulled themselves back from the brink of extinction. What saved us during that period of endangerment? The human brain, and its evolutionary journey, is unlike anything else in history.
In A History of the Human Brain, Bret Stetka takes listeners through that far-reaching journey, showing exactly when and how the human brain evolved to shape who we are today. A History of the Human Brain also tackles the question of where the brain will take us next, exploring the burgeoning concepts of epigenetics and new technologies like CRISPR.
What the critics say
“A History of the Human Brain is a unique, enlightening, and provocative account of the most significant question we can ask about ourselves.”—Richard Wrangham, author of The Goodness Paradox
“One of the most lucid, clear-eyed, and talented science writers of our time—Bret Stetka—now turns his attention to the evolution of the human brain, taking us on a captivating journey from its origins to the present, enhancing our understanding of how this phenomenal organ and its 100 billion neurons work.”—Eric Topol, MD, author of Deep Medicine
“There are lots of ideas out there about consciousness and the human brain—the untidy product of millions of years of evolution. Bret Stetka comes as close as you could hope to making sense of them in this entertaining and wide-ranging book.”—Ian Tattersall, curator emeritus, Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History
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What listeners say about A History of the Human Brain
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- George Young
- 2023-08-31
He has not read Lisa Feldman Barrett
Having read Lisa Feldman Barrett's book, How Emotions are Made, with its brilliant analysis of previous poor research on the brain, and her book was published in 2017, I was surprised to hear in this book previous experiments mentioned without comment, like the one done with facial photos from the 60s. Feldman Barrett makes in clear that this experiment, and others based on it, are misrepresenting the brain.
Mr Stetka does not seem to know that the brain is now seen as a networked prediction machine designed to keep us alive by creating conceptions/predictions from our experiences. There is an intimate connection between society and our bodies. If he had read Feldman Barrett's book, his own would have been structured differently.
I had the impression listening to this book of listening to a farmer discussing cars, when he knows about horses more. That was not a good feeling.
This book is out of date. Get Lisa Feldman Barrett's books if you don't believe me. You will see what I mean.
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