In this technology-driven age, it's tempting to believe that science can solve every mystery. After all, it's cured countless diseases and sent humans into space. But as Jonah Lehrer explains, science is not the only path to knowledge. In fact, when it comes to understanding the brain, art got there first. Taking a group of artists-a painter, a poet, a chef, a composer, and a handful of novelists-Lehrer shows how each one discovered an essential truth...

Michael S. Gazzaniga, one of the most important neuroscientists of the twentieth century, gives us an exciting behind-the-scenes look at his seminal work on that unlikely couple, the right and left brain.

"A grand new vision of cognitive science that explains how our minds build the world, learn from it, and sometimes deceive themselves For as long as we've studied the mind, we've believed that our senses determine what our mind perceives. But as our understanding of neuroscience and psychology has advanced in the last few decades, a new view has emerged that has proven to be both provocative and hugely powerful-that the mind is not a passive observer,...

Can science and art find common ground? Are scientific and artistic quests mutually exclusive? In this new book, neuroscientist Eric Kandel, whose interests span the fields of science and art, explores how reductionism-the distillation of larger scientific or aesthetic concepts into smaller, more tractable ideas-has been used by scientists and artists alike to pursue their respective truths. Their common use of reductionist strategies demonstrates...

The world's leading neurologist on out-of-body and near-death experiences shows that spirituality is as much a part of our basic biological makeup as our sex drive or survival instinct. In his cutting-edge research, Nelson has discovered that spiritual experiences take place in one of the most primitive areas of the brain. In this eloquent, reverent book, he relates the moving stories of patients and research subjects, brain scan analysis, evolutionary...

"A groundbreaking exploration of the parental brain that untangles insidious myths from complicated realities, Mother Brain explodes the concept of "maternal instinct" and tells a new story about what it means to become a parent. Chelsea Conaboy delves into the neuroscience to reveal unexpected upsides, generations of scientific neglect, and a powerful new narrative of parenthood"--

"In this mind-bending book, an esteemed neuroscientist explains why perfectionism is pointless - and argues that mistakes, missteps, and flaws are the keys to success. Remember that time you screwed up simple math or forgot the name of your favorite song? What if someone told you that such embarrassing "brain farts" are actually secret weapons, proof of your superiority to computers and AI? In Scatterbrain, we learn that boredom awakens the muse,...

A compelling career memoir by an award-winning neuroscientist describes how while studying his own family's brain scans for research he made the disturbing discovery that his own reflected a pattern he recognized from those in the brains of serial killers, a finding that offered new insights into the role of biology in behavior.

Describes the transformations that take place in the human brain during adolescence, especially in the prefrontal cortex, which governs decision-making, planning, inhibiting inappropriate behavior, evaluating risk, and understanding others.

"From the world's foremost neuroscientist of romantic love comes a personal story of connection and heartbreak that brings new understanding to an old truth: better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. At thirty-seven, Dr. Stephanie Cacioppo was content to be single. She was fulfilled by her work on the neuroscience of romantic love-how finding and growing with a partner literally reshapes our brains. That was, until she met the...