A cutting-edge collection of essays by irreverent neuroscientists explores the quirky and counterintuitive aspects of brain function

Neuroscientist David Linden approached leading brain researchers and asked each the same question: “What idea about brain function would you most like to explain to the world?” Their responses make up this one-of-a-kind collection of popular science essays that seeks to expand our knowledge of the human mind and its possibilities. The contributors, whose areas of expertise include human behavior, molecular genetics, evolutionary biology, and comparative anatomy, address a host of fascinating topics ranging from personality and perception to learning and beauty to love and sex. The manner in which individual experiences can dramatically change our brains’ makeup is explored. Professor Linden and his contributors open a new window onto the fascinating landscape of the human mind and into the cutting-edge world of neuroscience with a fascinating and enlightening compilation that both science students and laypersons alike will find accessible and enjoyable.

Contributors: Scott T. Albert, Alison Barth, Allan Basbaum, Amy Bastian, Paul A.S. Breslin, Lucy L. Brown, Anjan Chatterjee, Hollis Cline, Charles E. Connor, Aniruddha Das, Gül Dölen, David Foster, Kathleen A. French, Asif A. Ghazanfar, David D. Ginty, Adrian M. Haith, Julie Kauer, Darcy B. Kelley, Alex L. Kolodkin, John W. Krakauer, William B. Kristan, Jr., Melissa Lau, Liqun Luo, Peggy Mason, Michael D. Mauk, Cynthia F. Moss, Vijay M.K. Namboodiri, Jeremy Nathans, Miguel A. L. Nicolelis, Yael Niv, Michael Platt, Indira Raman, Terrence Sejnowski, Reza Shadmehr, Marshall G. Hussain Shuler, Solomon H. Snyder, Scott M. Sternson, Sam Wang, and Linda Wilbrecht.

 David Linden is professor of neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is author of three books: The Accidental Mind, The Compass of Pleasure, and Touch. He lives in Baltimore, MD.