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Think Tank: Forty Neuroscientists Explore the Biological Roots of Human Experience
A spirited collection of essays by cutting-edge neuroscientists that irreverently explores the quirky and counterintuitive aspects of brain function
“Make[s] us realize that what goes on in our minds is nothing short of magical.” —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Scientific American
Neuroscientist David J. Linden approached leading brain researchers and asked each the same “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 to perception, to learning, to 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 landscape of the human mind and into the cutting‑edge world of neuroscience with a fascinating and enlightening compilation that science enthusiasts and professionals alike will find accessible and enjoyable.
“Make[s] us realize that what goes on in our minds is nothing short of magical.” —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Scientific American
Neuroscientist David J. Linden approached leading brain researchers and asked each the same “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 to perception, to learning, to 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 landscape of the human mind and into the cutting‑edge world of neuroscience with a fascinating and enlightening compilation that science enthusiasts and professionals alike will find accessible and enjoyable.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2018
128 people are currently reading
564 people want to read
About the author
David J. Linden
12 books138 followersDavid J. Linden, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His laboratory has worked for many years on the cellular substrates of memory storage in the brain and a few other topics. He has a longstanding interest in scientific communication and served for many years as the Chief Editor of the Journal of Neurophysiology. He is the author of two bestselling books on the biology of behavior for a general audience, The Accidental Mind (Harvard/Belknap, 2007) and The Compass of Pleasure (Viking Press, 2011) which, to date, have been translated into 14 languages. His most recent book, Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart and Mind will be published by Viking Press (USA/Canada) on January 28, 2015
He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his two pleasure-seeking children.
He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his two pleasure-seeking children.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 1, 2020
This thinking definitely tanked.
A bit interesting-ish... But just a bit.
A lot of provocative headliners that are mostly misnomers. Like this one: 'Life Experiences and Addictive Drugs Change Your Brain in Similar Ways'. So, should we stop living or what?
And this one: ' The Eye Knows What Is Good for Us'. Does it really?
And so on, I'm being lazy-ish today, so I won't list all of the stuff that I felt was not too well-formulated but there were lots of such places that were level with Cosmopolitan and some popular, I dunno, blogs? newspapers?
A lot of not all too innovative stuff:
Q: The Brain Harbors Many Neurotransmitters (c) Who would've guessed?
Q:
We aren’t sure why neurons evolved, but we do know that they appeared at roughly the same time that animals first started to eat each other, with all of the chasing and escaping that entails. So it’s a reasonable hypothesis that neurons evolved to allow for more rapid sensing and movement, behaviors that became useful once life turned into a critter-eatcritter situation. (c)
Q:
In a literal sense, the brain spends most of its effort talking to itself, with the outside world a distant influence. (c)
A bit interesting-ish... But just a bit.
A lot of provocative headliners that are mostly misnomers. Like this one: 'Life Experiences and Addictive Drugs Change Your Brain in Similar Ways'. So, should we stop living or what?
And this one: ' The Eye Knows What Is Good for Us'. Does it really?
And so on, I'm being lazy-ish today, so I won't list all of the stuff that I felt was not too well-formulated but there were lots of such places that were level with Cosmopolitan and some popular, I dunno, blogs? newspapers?
A lot of not all too innovative stuff:
Q: The Brain Harbors Many Neurotransmitters (c) Who would've guessed?
Q:
We aren’t sure why neurons evolved, but we do know that they appeared at roughly the same time that animals first started to eat each other, with all of the chasing and escaping that entails. So it’s a reasonable hypothesis that neurons evolved to allow for more rapid sensing and movement, behaviors that became useful once life turned into a critter-eatcritter situation. (c)
Q:
In a literal sense, the brain spends most of its effort talking to itself, with the outside world a distant influence. (c)
June 10, 2018
An interesting and well researched, diverse collection of essays about one of the most fascinating parts of the human body, the brain.
The premise of the book is that a group of scientists were each asked to contribute an essay about an aspect of the brain that fascinated them, and when collated , the resultant book is educational but irreverent, and an entertaining read. Topics covered range from how the senses work, to the role of the brain in addiction, nature vs nurture, the role of the brain in sexuality and gender identity and even the possibility of creating an artificial brain . Some of the essays were more science heavy than others, but the book would be easily understood and enjoyed by any curious reader, no prior knowledge of the topic is necessary. I learned a lot while reading this, and consider it one of the most interesting and informative books I have read this year.
I read a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are entirely my own.
The premise of the book is that a group of scientists were each asked to contribute an essay about an aspect of the brain that fascinated them, and when collated , the resultant book is educational but irreverent, and an entertaining read. Topics covered range from how the senses work, to the role of the brain in addiction, nature vs nurture, the role of the brain in sexuality and gender identity and even the possibility of creating an artificial brain . Some of the essays were more science heavy than others, but the book would be easily understood and enjoyed by any curious reader, no prior knowledge of the topic is necessary. I learned a lot while reading this, and consider it one of the most interesting and informative books I have read this year.
I read a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are entirely my own.
January 1, 2023
Niezwykle ciekawe tematy, choć podane w mało atrakcyjny sposób. Forma esejów w większości przypadków nie porywa. Napisane bardzo syntetycznie, sucho, aczkolwiek wiedza zawarta w tekstach jest bardzo cenna.
January 28, 2019
'More often, what I was taught in those early days was not dead wrong but rather half right. In 1978, I was told by well-meaning professors that a neurotransmitter was released from nerve terminals when an electrical spike invaded, thereby opening voltage-sensitive calcium channels, allowing Ca ions to rush in. These Ca ions, which have a positive charge, were said to bind to negative charges on the inner surface of the presynaptic membrane and outer surface of the transmitter-laden vesicle, thereby dissipating the electrical repulsion between two negative charges and allowing the vesicle to fuse with the presynaptic membrane. This fusion event then released neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.
This explanation was half right in that spike-triggered Ca ion influx really is a trigger for vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release. But it was also wrong because Ca ion binding to the vesicular and presynaptic membranes to screen opposing negative charges is not the trigger for vesicle fusion. Now we know that there are specialized Ca-sensing molecules called synaptotagmins embedded in the membrane of vesicles. Synaptotagmins bind the Ca ions that rush in, and these Ca-bound synaptotagmin molecules allow for vesicle fusion and “neurotransmitter release by forming a complex with another group of proteins in the vesicle and the presynaptic membrane. In this case, the general idea about Ca influx as the trigger for neurotransmitter release was right, but the molecular details were all wrong. Furthermore, we now know that there are exceptions to this explanation. Certain neurotransmitters, like nitric oxide, are diffusible gases that readily penetrate cell membranes. These so-called gasotransmitters are formed as needed by a Ca-triggered chemical process and are never stored in vesicles. In this way they completely bypass the requirement for Ca-bound synaptotagmin molecules and their binding partners.'
This explanation was half right in that spike-triggered Ca ion influx really is a trigger for vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release. But it was also wrong because Ca ion binding to the vesicular and presynaptic membranes to screen opposing negative charges is not the trigger for vesicle fusion. Now we know that there are specialized Ca-sensing molecules called synaptotagmins embedded in the membrane of vesicles. Synaptotagmins bind the Ca ions that rush in, and these Ca-bound synaptotagmin molecules allow for vesicle fusion and “neurotransmitter release by forming a complex with another group of proteins in the vesicle and the presynaptic membrane. In this case, the general idea about Ca influx as the trigger for neurotransmitter release was right, but the molecular details were all wrong. Furthermore, we now know that there are exceptions to this explanation. Certain neurotransmitters, like nitric oxide, are diffusible gases that readily penetrate cell membranes. These so-called gasotransmitters are formed as needed by a Ca-triggered chemical process and are never stored in vesicles. In this way they completely bypass the requirement for Ca-bound synaptotagmin molecules and their binding partners.'
June 29, 2018
Think Tank is like taking a coach tour of a vast continent on which you get a taster of many different and fascinating places so that at a later date, with the descriptions from the brochures which have been made available, you have a way of exploring a particular area of interest in your own time or slowly working your way through the opus over a life-time.
If you are someone who has delved into aspects of neuroscience before this is a useful book for pulling the many strands of the complex discipline together, particularly with respect to the brain. This branch of science, is multi-disciplinary, networking in the same way as the neurones of the brain.
Each chapter only skims the surface of this vast and multi-layered subject but seems to cover all the essentials in a clear and concise manner, making it possible to take in the concepts in bite-sized pieces and mull them over. What you are left with is the impression that the more we find out about the brain, the less we really know about it and there are wonderful mysteries we do not yet have the technology to explore.
For anyone interested in the neuroscience of the brain, which at times seems almost like something out of science fiction, then this is a highly readable and fascinating introductory book into the subject.
Think Tank was courtesy of Yale University Press via NetGalley.
If you are someone who has delved into aspects of neuroscience before this is a useful book for pulling the many strands of the complex discipline together, particularly with respect to the brain. This branch of science, is multi-disciplinary, networking in the same way as the neurones of the brain.
Each chapter only skims the surface of this vast and multi-layered subject but seems to cover all the essentials in a clear and concise manner, making it possible to take in the concepts in bite-sized pieces and mull them over. What you are left with is the impression that the more we find out about the brain, the less we really know about it and there are wonderful mysteries we do not yet have the technology to explore.
For anyone interested in the neuroscience of the brain, which at times seems almost like something out of science fiction, then this is a highly readable and fascinating introductory book into the subject.
Think Tank was courtesy of Yale University Press via NetGalley.
June 24, 2023
Ksiazka ma nie tylko trudne do wyimaginowania opisy roznych procesow i zaleznosci ale tez wytlumaczenie w rysunkach. Są tam poruszone bardzo ciekawe wątki ktore sa napisane przez specjalistow tylko w danej dziedzinie o ktorej jest rozdzial wiec to nie tak ze pisze to jedna osoba jest to zbior esejow od ekspertow.
Want to read
November 26, 2023RK KINDLE. RECOMMENDED BY LISA FELDMAN BARRETT IN 7 1/2 LESSONS
October 27, 2021
Kiedy zobaczyłam tę książkę w zapowiedziach poczułam niepohamowaną ochotę żeby ją przeczytać, a kiedy odebrałam paczkę od wydawnictwa i z ciekawości zajrzałam do środka, byłam nieco przerażona nie tylko tym, że jest nieco większego formatu, ale też, że ma bardzo dużo tekstu, małą czcionką, upchaną na każdej stronie, na każdym kawałeczku papieru! Stwierdziłam, że będę ją czytać wieczność, a jeszcze gorzej będzie jeśli mi się nie spodoba. A jak było?
O czym jest zatem ta książka? Tak, tak, o mózgu, który umieszczony został również na okładce. W środku znajdziecie zbiór esejów neuronaukowców. Każde z nich miało za zadanie przekazać coś od siebie na temat właśnie mózgu. Co ciekawe, każde chciało opowiedzieć o czymś innym i w ten sposób w środku znajdziecie całe mnóstwo fascynujących faktów na temat tego ważnego organu. Na przykład, na temat uczenia, poznawania, uczuć, czyli w zasadzie o podstawach, ale podkreślone zostało również to, że wiele rzeczy wiemy, ale zapewne jeszcze więcej jest nam obce. Jakie są możliwości mózgu i czy ktoś jest w stanie to określić, czym jest genetyka molekularna i jak właściwie zachowuje się mózg dziecka, jak nastolatka, a jak dorosłego człowieka? Czym się różnią? To wszystko zostało opisane w tej książce!
Linden wpadł na to, jak w sposób naukowy, bo powiem szczerze, że w środku jest mnóstwo typowo naukowych opisów, przekazać to ludziom, którzy niekoniecznie są specjalistami, ale są ciekawi i chętnie się dowiedzą, cóż ten skomplikowany kawałek naszego ciała potrafi, czego nie, dlaczego coś jest dla nas piękne, a coś brzydkie, czemu kogoś kochamy, a kogoś innego nie.
Bardzo dużo tekstu, ciekawostek, informacji i to wszystko zbite w eseje, które ja naprawdę pochłaniałam z zainteresowaniem przeogromnym i co najważniejsze, nie nudziło mi się i nie czułam się traktowana jak głupek, któremu trzeba wytłumaczyć dosłownie wszystko, ale raczej jak osoba, która interesuje się takimi tematami.
Czy polecam? Oczywiście i nie zraźcie się wspomnieniem o dużej ilości naukowych zwrotów. Absolutnie to nie przeszkadza w dowiadywaniu się o sobie czegoś nowego.
Recenzja powstała we współpracy z Wydawnictwem Rebis.
O czym jest zatem ta książka? Tak, tak, o mózgu, który umieszczony został również na okładce. W środku znajdziecie zbiór esejów neuronaukowców. Każde z nich miało za zadanie przekazać coś od siebie na temat właśnie mózgu. Co ciekawe, każde chciało opowiedzieć o czymś innym i w ten sposób w środku znajdziecie całe mnóstwo fascynujących faktów na temat tego ważnego organu. Na przykład, na temat uczenia, poznawania, uczuć, czyli w zasadzie o podstawach, ale podkreślone zostało również to, że wiele rzeczy wiemy, ale zapewne jeszcze więcej jest nam obce. Jakie są możliwości mózgu i czy ktoś jest w stanie to określić, czym jest genetyka molekularna i jak właściwie zachowuje się mózg dziecka, jak nastolatka, a jak dorosłego człowieka? Czym się różnią? To wszystko zostało opisane w tej książce!
Linden wpadł na to, jak w sposób naukowy, bo powiem szczerze, że w środku jest mnóstwo typowo naukowych opisów, przekazać to ludziom, którzy niekoniecznie są specjalistami, ale są ciekawi i chętnie się dowiedzą, cóż ten skomplikowany kawałek naszego ciała potrafi, czego nie, dlaczego coś jest dla nas piękne, a coś brzydkie, czemu kogoś kochamy, a kogoś innego nie.
Bardzo dużo tekstu, ciekawostek, informacji i to wszystko zbite w eseje, które ja naprawdę pochłaniałam z zainteresowaniem przeogromnym i co najważniejsze, nie nudziło mi się i nie czułam się traktowana jak głupek, któremu trzeba wytłumaczyć dosłownie wszystko, ale raczej jak osoba, która interesuje się takimi tematami.
Czy polecam? Oczywiście i nie zraźcie się wspomnieniem o dużej ilości naukowych zwrotów. Absolutnie to nie przeszkadza w dowiadywaniu się o sobie czegoś nowego.
Recenzja powstała we współpracy z Wydawnictwem Rebis.
July 22, 2018
Pretty good, although the chapters are very short, which didn't always allow the necessary background information to be presented before diving right into the thick of it. This sometimes made the material is too dense for me to make sense of what the author was trying to say. My main difficulty with this book is that some things are explained over and over (for example, axons, dendrites, and synapses) using slightly different wording for the same concept. I was sometimes confused about whether I was being presented with a new idea or one that had already been explained, and some of the accounts were somewhat contradictory with each other.
January 2, 2019
The book provides explanations of various human experience related to both neurons and the other biological parts in our body. Different neuroscientists, as per their area of expertise in that domain, reveal in each chapter certain experience we encountered in our life. As a reader one can learn how our feelings, decisions and actions are so closely affected by the neurons' functioning behind the scene ... especially at source is the brain. The chapters covering the brain's developing, changing, signalling, anticipating, sensing, moving, relating and deciding ... with easy to understand description of how it works.
June 18, 2023
I'm sick and tired of these modern collections. You are the editor, you have one job here, select GREAT essays. Great! Not good, not decent, not varied. not anything else. This is not some short story anthology where you headline it with some great piece and then give a chance to the up and coming authors.
There are great articles here, sure but it also wastes your time with the mediocre down to outright drivel, like the one about teenagers when I was wondering if I'm reading some shitty broadsheet. People have different opinions but if you do it in good faith I expect at least half of your selection to match my opinion.
There are great articles here, sure but it also wastes your time with the mediocre down to outright drivel, like the one about teenagers when I was wondering if I'm reading some shitty broadsheet. People have different opinions but if you do it in good faith I expect at least half of your selection to match my opinion.
April 1, 2025
Expertly curated selection from a diverse set of scientists sharing a story they are willing to share
Biological basis of human life
Favorite quotes:
- "Scientists are trained to be meticulous when they speak about their work. That's why I like getting my neuroscience colleagues tipsy."
- "From birth onward, our experience of the world is dominated by the brain's continuous conversation with itself."
Biological basis of human life
Favorite quotes:
- "Scientists are trained to be meticulous when they speak about their work. That's why I like getting my neuroscience colleagues tipsy."
- "From birth onward, our experience of the world is dominated by the brain's continuous conversation with itself."
June 7, 2022
Najgorsza książka jaką czytałam od dawna. Nie mogłam się doczekać skończenia jej i jak na książkę pisaną "przez naukowców" jest za bardzo przepchana stereotypami, błędami, złą klasyfikacją np. zaburzeń. Przedstawianie autyzmu jako choroby i dzielenie go na wysoko i niskofunkcjonujący to żart biorąc pod uwagę jak młoda jest to książka. Nie polecam.
January 5, 2019
Amazing collection of stimulating descriptions. Truly mind expanding, thought provoking and educational
December 20, 2023
Our brains are intriguing. Regardless of your religious beliefs, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and because we are so complex, so much still awaits discovery and understanding.
March 8, 2024
Fine. The structure is powerful, for better and worse.
May 28, 2024
interesting approach but the writing styles varied a lot - some we’re keeping my attention but some made me fight to keep my eyes open.
October 15, 2019
I am reviewing this late because I read this in installments.
It's a great idea. 40 leading neuroscientists talking about the areas that they find most fascinating and would like to explain to the general public.
Some were better written than others. I cared for some more than the others but overall a book worth reading and rereading as new research comes into existence.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.
It's a great idea. 40 leading neuroscientists talking about the areas that they find most fascinating and would like to explain to the general public.
Some were better written than others. I cared for some more than the others but overall a book worth reading and rereading as new research comes into existence.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.
December 1, 2018
Thank you Yale University Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to red this book in return for my honest review.
I was excited to read this book of essays by different scientists. I really enjoy reading books that can teach me more about the mind and also about medicine, this book did not disappoint. This was a book that took me some time to read, in fits and starts but it was highly informative thought provoking and held my interest.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book.
I was excited to read this book of essays by different scientists. I really enjoy reading books that can teach me more about the mind and also about medicine, this book did not disappoint. This was a book that took me some time to read, in fits and starts but it was highly informative thought provoking and held my interest.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book.
December 28, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews