Synopses & Reviews
What does drug withdrawal
have in common with a broken heart? Why is the enemy of memory not time
but other memories? How can a blind person learn to see with her tongue,
or a deaf person learn to hear with his skin? Why did many people in
the 1980s mistakenly perceive book pages to be slightly red in color?
Why is the world's best archer armless? Might we someday control a robot
with our thoughts, just as we do our fingers and toes? Why do we dream
at night, and what does that have to do with the rotation of the Earth?
The answers to these questions are right behind our eyes. The
greatest technology we have ever discovered on our planet is the
three-pound organ carried in the vault of the skull. This book is not
simply about what the brain is; it is about what it does. The magic of
the brain is not found in the parts it's made of but in the way those
parts unceasingly reweave themselves in an electric, living fabric.
In
Livewired, you will surf the leading edge of neuroscience atop
the anecdotes and metaphors that have made David Eagleman one of the
best scientific translators of our generation. Covering decades of
research to the present day,
Livewired also presents new discoveries from Eagleman's own
laboratory, from synesthesia to dreaming to wearable neurotech devices
that revolutionize how we think about the senses.
Review
"Delivers an intellectually
exhilarating look at neuroplasticity....Eagleman's skill as teacher,
bold vision, and command of current research will make this superb work a
curious reader's delight."
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"There is much to extract
from this fascinating work, that is recommended for readers interested
in neuroscience, technology, and the intersection of the two." Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"Masterful....Outstanding popular science."
Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Vivid....Since the
passing of Isaac Asimov, we haven't had a working scientist like Mr.
Eagleman, who engages his ideas in such a variety of modes." Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
Eagleman renders the secrets of the brain's adaptability into a truly compelling page-turner."
--Khaled Hosseini, author of
The Kite Runner
"
Livewired reads wonderfully like what a book would be if it were written by Oliver Sacks and William Gibson, sitting on Carl Sagan's front lawn."
--The Wall Street Journal What does drug withdrawal have in common with a broken heart? Why is the enemy of memory not time but other memories? How can a blind person learn to see with her tongue, or a deaf person learn to hear with his skin? Why did many people in the 1980s mistakenly perceive book pages to be slightly red in color? Why is the world's best archer armless? Might we someday control a robot with our thoughts, just as we do our fingers and toes? Why do we dream at night, and what does that have to do with the rotation of the Earth?
The answers to these questions are right behind our eyes. The greatest technology we have ever discovered on our planet is the three-pound organ carried in the vault of the skull. This book is not simply about what the brain is; it is about what it does. The magic of the brain is not found in the parts it's made of but in the way those parts unceasingly reweave themselves in an electric, living fabric.
In Livewired, you will surf the leading edge of neuroscience atop the anecdotes and metaphors that have made David Eagleman one of the best scientific translators of our generation. Covering decades of research to the present day, Livewired also presents new discoveries from Eagleman's own laboratory, from synesthesia to dreaming to wearable neurotech devices that revolutionize how we think about the senses.
About the Author
Dr.
David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and internationally
best-selling author. He teaches brain plasticity at Stanford University,
is the creator and host of the Emmy-nominated television series
The Brain, and is the CEO of Neosensory, a company that builds
the next generation of neuroscience hardware. The author of seven
previous books, Eagleman lives in Silicon Valley in California.