Human Brain Evolution

In this book, E. Fuller Torrey draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to propose a startling answer to the ultimate question. Evolving Brains, Emerging Gods locates the origin of gods within the human brain, arguing that religious belief is a by-product of evolution. Based on an idea originally proposed by Charles Darwin, Torrey marshals evidence that the emergence of gods was an incidental consequence of several evolutionary factors.

V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field - so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience". Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness. Taking us to the frontiers of neurology, he reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved.

Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, human groups have produced ingenious technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions that have permitted us to successfully expand into a vast range of diverse environments. What has enabled us to dominate the globe, more than any other species, while remaining virtually helpless as lone individuals?

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...

Sharing stories and advice rooted in the science of evolutionary psychology, father and son authors Doug Kenrick and David Lundberg-Kenrick pinpoint the dangers of stone-age problem solving for our lives today, and present a new, systematic way to survive and be happy in the modern world.

The extraordinary story of how the human brain evolved… and is still evolving. We’ve come a long way. The earliest human had a brain as small as a child’s fist; ours are four times bigger, with spectacular abilities and potential we are only just beginning to understand. This is...

Humans are awesome. Our brains are gigantic, seven times larger than they should be for the size of our bodies. The human brain uses 25 percent of all the energy the body requires each day. And it became enormous in a very short amount of time in evolution, allowing us to leave our cousins, the great apes, behind. So the human brain is special, right? Wrong, according to Suzana Herculano-Houzel. Humans have developed cognitive abilities that outstrip those of all other animals but not because we are evolutionary outliers.

Discover "The Essence of Consciousness", a transformative eBook, set to journey through the fascinating world of consciousness. Unpack the intricate relationship between consciousness and the brain, while decoding the enigmatic concept that complexly constructs who we essentially are. As you navigate, cultivate a deeper understanding of the human mind and its nuances. Delve deep into the structure, neuropyschology of thoughts, and establish an intimate rapport with emotions. The book curiously explores self-awareness and mindfulness, revealing the nature of self-awareness and the role ...

Nicolelis undertakes the first attempt to explain the entirety of human history, culture, and civilization based on a series of recently uncovered key principles of brain function. This new cosmology is centered around three fundamental properties of the human brain: its insurmountable malleability to adapt and learn; its exquisite ability to allow multiple individuals to synchronize their minds around a task, goal, or belief; and its incomparable capacity for abstraction.

Daniel Levitin follows up his acclaimed New York Times best-selling first book, This Is Your Brain on Music, with The World in Six Songs, an audacious look at how the brain evolved to play and listen to music in six fundamental forms and gave rise to human culture.

Forget the language instinct—this is the story of how we make up language as we go Language is perhaps humanity’s most astonishing capacity—and one that remains poorly understood. In The Language Game, cognitive scientists Morten H. Christiansen and Nick Chater show us...

John Parrington draws on the latest research on the human brain to show how it differs strikingly from those of other animals in its structure and function at a molecular and cellular level. And he argues that this 'shift', enlarging the brain, giving it greater flexibility and enabling higher functions such as imagination, was driven by tool use, but especially by the development of one remarkable tool - language.

A Harvard researcher investigates the human eye in this insightful account of what vision reveals about intelligence, learning, and the greatest mysteries of neuroscience. Spotting a face in a crowd is so easy, you take it for granted. But how you do it is one of science's great mysteries. And...

In what is a monumental and deeply impressive exploration of humanity's next chapter, Homo Sapiens 2.0 delivers a landmark analysis of the advent of self-directed evolution. This is not a simple overview of future technology, but a work of profound intellectual rigor and startling clarity that synthesizes complex science, cutting-edge philosophy, and pragmatic political analysis into a single, masterfully constructed narrative. The book takes the reader on a systematic and unflinching journey. It begins by grounding us in the foundational tools of our new era—from the molecular scalpels ...

Are you curious about what goes on inside your brain? Do you want to unravel the mysteries of your mind? Well, look no further! The Inner Workings of The Human Brain is a comprehensive eBook that explores the fascinating world of neuroscience and brain science. In this book, you'll discover the history and evolution of brain science, as well as the current trends and patterns in the field. You'll learn about the myths and misconceptions surrounding the topic, and the economic, social, cultural, and psychological impacts of studying the brain. You'll also explore the impact of brain science ...

"Scott Billups is the first person - in Hollywood, at least - to reach deep into the heart of his bit-circuited incubator and pull out something imbued with a spark of electronic life." –– WIRED magazine The smartest “person” in the room isn’t human. Welcome to the post-biological era—where AI doesn’t just assist us, it replaces us. MetaSapien: Quantum Darwinism is not speculative fiction. It’s a hard-edged blueprint for the next phase of human evolution, measured not in generations, but in software updates. From humanoid robotics and brain-computer interfaces to synthetic ...

The Trance of Civilization: How Agriculture Remapped the Human Brain by Mark R. Pifer (in collaboration with ChatGPT) What if the root of modern suffering isn’t psychological or political—but perceptual? In this radical synthesis of neuroscience, history, and evolutionary psychology, The Trance of Civilization argues that the Agricultural Revolution did more than change how humans lived—it rewired how we think. With surgical clarity, Mark R. Pifer and ChatGPT trace how agriculture tipped the brain toward left-hemisphere dominance, fostering control, abstraction, hierarchy, and ego. ...

Many of us know people whom society and doctors would consider personality disordered or mentally ill. We often use these labels for diagnoses and treatment. Sometimes the labels aren't accurate due to difficulties in testing for disorders and due to the differing views of the physicians and psychoanalysts. But are these people really disordered after all? Is there truly a normal personality that exists, and if it does exist - what is it?