Brain Cuttings: Fifteen Journeys Through the Mind [Kindle Edition]

Carl Zimmer (Author)

Book Description

The human brain has long been a mystery, but twenty-first century science is beginning to reveal some of its inner workings. With microscopes and brain scans, with psychological experiments and breakthroughs in genetics, neuroscientists are developing new theories about every aspect of our minds—from the nature of consciousness to the causes of disorders like autism and schizophrenia. In Brain Cuttings, award-winning science writer Carl Zimmer takes readers on fascinating explorations of the frontiers of research, shedding light on our innermost existence—the speed of thought, our perception of time, the complex flashes of electricity that give rise to fear and love, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Carl Zimmer takes us behind the scenes in our own heads. He has ferreted out all the most wondrous, bizarre stories and studies and served them up in this delicious, sizzling, easy-to-digest platter of neuro-goodness.” —Mary Roach, author of Packing for Mars and Stiff

“If you want to jump start your knowledge about how the brain does all those marvelous things for us like think, feel, and deal with others, read these essays. Zimmer has the rare capacity to get the science right and make it all feel like a glass of smooth bourbon.” —Michael Gazzaniga, Director for the SAGE Center for the Study of Mind at the University of California Santa Barbara, author of Human:  The Science of What Makes Us Unique.

“These essays combine that rare blend of precision and wonder, hard-nosed reporting and nose for the poetically spooky. The brain should be very pleased to have Carl Zimmer as its scribe.” —Jad Abumrad, host and creator of Radiolab

“Carl Zimmer is one of the finest science writers around. In this fascinating tour of the brain, he explores the meaning of time, the genetic tug of war between parents, the science of anesthesia and a dozen other absorbing tales of the meaty computer inside our head.” —Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist

Product Details

• File Size: 364 KB
• Print Length: 99 pages
• Publisher: Scott & Nix, Inc. (October 1, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0045U9UFM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,830 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Brain Candy! July 28, 2011

By J. Gomez TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Brain Cuttings by Carl Zimmer

Brain Cuttings is a book of essays about brain science from the excellent author Carl Zimmer. This interesting page-turner of a book takes us for a journey to the fascinating world of brain science. This 364 KB-book is composed of the following fifteen essays: 1. "Does Shame Excite a Blush?" 2. The Googled Mind, 3. The Music of Time, 4. They Imprint Your Genes, Your Mum and Dad, 5. Of Ether and Consciousness, 6. Stalking the Grandmother Cell, 7. The Flash of Desire, 8. Two Brains in One, 9. The Neurobiology of Zoning Out, 10. The Brains Dark Matter, 11. An Intuition for Math, 12. The Speed of Thought, 13. Fear's Anatomy, 14. The Mind's Eye Goes Blind, and 15. Too Clever.

Positives:
1. Carl Zimmer is a fantastic writer. Always produces consistent quality work.
2. One of the most fascinating topics in science, the brain.
3. Fifteen brief yet interesting essays that cover a wide spectrum of topics regarding the human brain. All accessible to the masses.
4. Where would we be without the grand theory of evolution?
5. Fascinating tidbits throughout. "People with Botox may be less vulnerable to the angry emotions..." perhaps somewhat speculative but fascinating nonetheless.
6. The extended mind theory.
7. How fear impacts our neurons, "scary" stuff...
8. Fascinating brain disorders.
9. Gene imprinting.
10. The mystery of anesthesia. The intriguing history.
11. The nature of consciousness.
12. How neurons work.
13. The essay "Flash of Desire" was hilarious yet as with all the essays informative.
14. What we know about areas of the brain and their functions. Including the two hemispheres.
15. Mind wandering, say what?
16. Glia, a sticky subject or is it?
17.... Numbers and the brain, you can count on it.
18. The speed of neurons.
19. Studies of blindsight.
20. The future of neuroscience.
21. Great references section.

Negatives:
1. I wanted more and more depth.
2. Never gets into the more controversial topics like dualism, free will or out of body experiences.
3. A topic on how brain injuries impact the brain and hence the individual would have been welcomed.

In summary, this is a great science appetizer. It's a brief digital book but touches on many on-going fascinating topics in brain science. I enjoyed the book immensely and my only criticism is that it was too brief and left out some of the more controversial topics. That being said, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in brain science, it is such a fascinating world and it has many implications for the future.

Further suggestions: "The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths..." by Michael Shermer, "The Scientific American Brave New Brain: How Neuroscience, Brain-Machine Interfaces, Neuroimaging, Psychopharmacology, Epigenetics, the Internet, and ... and Enhancing the Future of Mental Power..." by Judith Horstman, "The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature" by Steven Pinker, "Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique, "SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable" by Bruce M. Hood, "Hardwired Behavior: What Neuroscience Reveals about Morality" by Laurence Tancredi, "Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality" by Patricia S. Churchland, and "The Brain and the Meaning of Life" by Paul Thagard. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Solid Science Writing June 29, 2011

By NewEnglandBob

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a good, but short, introduction to the current state of neuroscience and its beginnings of figuring out the human brain. Carl Zimmer is always a careful science journalist and uncovers research into the brain from several scientists. There seems to be several recent books on this subject and some of these essays overlap those books and other essays appear to be the first exposure of certain brain phenomena. One recommendation for those who wish to read more about brain research should read "The Tell-Tale Brain" by V.S. Ramachandran.

If you are a fan of Carl Zimmer, he has published a number of wonderful books and magazine articles about various science area. His writings are always delightful to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool for nerds November 24, 2012

By Barbara Talbert

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Being an OT who specializes in neuro patients I am always looking for quirky stories about our noggins. This was another great find

More About the Author

I write books about science. Nature fascinates me, as does its history.

So far, I've written twelve books, including Parasite Rex and The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution. In addition to my books, I also write regularly about science for The New York Times, as well as for magazines including National Geographic and Wired. I've won awards for my work from the National Academies of Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. My blog, The Loom, is published by National Geographic Magazine (http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/blog/the-loom).