Synopses & Reviews
We know that each of us is unique, but science has struggled to pinpoint where, precisely, our uniqueness resides. Is it in our genes? The structure of our brains? Our genome may determine our eye color and even aspects of our personality. But our friendships, failures, and passions also shape who we are. The question is: how? Sebastian Seung, a dynamic professor at MIT, is on a quest to discover the biological basis of identity. He believes it lies in the pattern of connections between the brainand#8217;s neurons, which change slowly over time as we learn and grow. The connectome, as itand#8217;s called, is where our genetic inheritance intersects with our life experience. Itand#8217;s where nature meets nurture. Seung introduces us to the dedicated researchers who are mapping the brainand#8217;s connections, neuron by neuron, synapse by synapse. It is a monumental undertakingand#8212;the scientific equivalent of climbing Mount Everestand#8212;but if they succeed, it could reveal the basis of personality, intelligence, memory, and perhaps even mental disorders. Many scientists speculate that people with anorexia, autism, and schizophrenia are "wired differently," but nobody knows for sure. The brainand#8217;s wiring has never been clearly seen. In sparklingly clear prose, Seung reveals the amazing technological advances that will soon help us map connectomes. He also examines the evidence that these maps will someday allow humans to "upload" their minds into computers, achieving a kind of immortality. Connectome is a mind-bending adventure story, told with great passion and authority. It presents a daring scientific and technological vision for at last understanding what makes us who we are. Welcome to the future of neuroscience.
Review
"Anyone can grasp Mr. Kurzweil's main idea: that mankind's technological knowledge has been snowballing, with dizzying prospects for the future. The basics are clearly expressed. But for those more knowledgeable and inquisitive, the author argues his case in fascinating detail." Janet Maslin, New York Times
Review
"Kurzweil backs his predictions with numerous citations of other experts, and while some of the arguments are dense, the book repays close attention. An attractive picture of a plausible future." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Kurzweil argues in terms borrowed from astrophysics, the approach of a historical 'singularity': a state of affairs so radically different from everything in the past that we can know virtually nothing about it." Foreign Affairs
Review
"Kurzweil links a projected ascendance of artificial intelligence to the future of the evolutionary process itself....Like the graph of a mathematical singularity flipped on its side, it is a road that leads straight upward toward a momentous event." Oregonian
Synopsis
For over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future. In his classic The Age of Spiritual Machines, he argued that computers would soon rival the full range of human intelligence at its best. Now he examines the next step in this inexorable evolutionary process: the union of human and machine, in which the knowledge and skills embedded in our brains will be combined with the vastly greater capacity, speed, and knowledge: sharing ability of our creations.
Synopsis
Startling in scope and bravado. Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Artfully envisions a breathtakingly better world. Los Angeles Times
Elaborate, smart and persuasive. The Boston Globe
A pleasure to read. The Wall Street Journal
One ofCBS News s Best Fall Books of 2005 AmongSt Louis Post-Dispatch s Best Nonfiction Books of 2005 One of Amazon.com s Best Science Books of 2005
A radical and optimistic view of the future course of human development from the bestselling author ofHow to Create a Mind and The Age of Spiritual Machineswho Bill Gates calls the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence
For over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future. In his classic The Age of Spiritual Machines, he argued that computers would soon rival the full range of human intelligence at its best. Now he examines the next step in this inexorable evolutionary process: the union of human and machine, in which the knowledge and skills embedded in our brains will be combined with the vastly greater capacity, speed, and knowledge-sharing ability of our creations."
Synopsis
The great inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil is one of the best-known and mostcontroversial advocates for the role of machines in the future of humanity. In his latest book, he envisions an event the "singularity" in which technological change becomes so rapid and so profound that our bodies and brains will merge with our machines.
The Singularity Is Near portrays what life will be like after this event a human machine civilization where our experiences shift from real reality to virtual reality and where our intelligence becomes nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful. In practical terms, this means that human aging and pollution will be reversed; world hunger will be solved; our bodies and environment transformed by nanotechnology to overcome the limitations of biology, including death; and virtually any physical product can be created from information alone. The Singularity Is Near also considers the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes, and is certain to be one of the most widely discussed and provocative books of 2005.
Synopsis
The bold and thrilling quest to finally understand the brainandmdash;and along with it our mental afflictions, from depression to autismandmdash;by a rising star in neuroscience
Sebastian Seung, a dynamic young professor at MIT, is at the forefront of a revolution in neuroscience. He believes that our identity lies not in our genes, but in the connections between our brain cellsandmdash;our own particular wiring. Seung and a dedicated group of researchers are leading the effort to map these connections, neuron by neuron, synapse by synapse. It is a monumental effortandmdash;the scientific equivalent of climbing Mount Everestandmdash;but if they succeed, they will uncover the basis of personality, identity, intelligence, memory, and perhaps disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Seung explains how this new map of a human andldquo;connectomeandrdquo; might even enable us to andldquo;uploadandrdquo; our brains into a computer, making us effectively immortal.
Connectomeis a mind-bending adventure story, told with great passion and authority. It presents a daring scientific and technological vision for at last understanding what makes us who we are, both as individuals and as a species.
Synopsis
For over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future. In his classic
The Age of Spiritual Machines, he argued that computers would soon rival the full range of human intelligence at its best. Now he examines the next step in this inexorable evolutionary process: the union of human and machine, in which the knowledge and skills embedded in our brains will be combined with the vastly greater capacity, speed, and knowledge-sharing ability of our creations.
Synopsis
The renowned scientist and author of A Life Decoded examines the creation of life in the new field of synthetic genomics In 2010, scientists led by J. Craig Venter became the first to successfully create synthetic life”putting humankind at the threshold of the most important and exciting phase of biological research, one that will enable us to actually write the genetic code for designing new species to help us adapt and evolve for long-term survival. The science of synthetic genomics will have a profound impact on human existence, including chemical and energy generation, health, clean water and food production, environmental control, and possibly even our evolution.
In Life at the Speed of Light, Venter presents a fascinating and authoritative study of this emerging field from the insidedetailing its origins, current challenges and controversies, and projected effects on our lives. This scientific frontier provides an opportunity to ponder anew the age-old question What is life?” and examine what we really mean by playing God.” Life at the Speed of Light is a landmark work, written by a visionary at the dawn of a new era of biological engineering.
Synopsis
The audacious effort to map the brain—and along with it our mental afflictions, from autism to schizophrenia—by a rising star in neuroscience.
Synopsis
“This is complicated stuff, and it is a testament to Dr. Seung’s remarkable clarity of exposition that the reader is swept along with his enthusiasm, as he moves from the basics of neuroscience out to the farthest regions of the hypothetical, sketching out a spectacularly illustrated giant map of the universe of man.”—Abigail Zuger, M.D.,
New York Times Every person is unique, but science has struggled to pinpoint where, precisely, that uniqueness resides. Our genome may determine our eye color and even aspects of our character. But our friendships, failures, and passions also shape who we are. The question is: how?
Sebastian Seung is at the forefront of a revolution in neuroscience. He believes that our identity lies not in our genes, but in the connections between our brain cells—our particular wiring. Seung and a dedicated group of researchers are leading the effort to map these connections, neuron by neuron, synapse by synapse. It’s a monumental effort, but if they succeed, they will uncover the basis of personality, identity, intelligence, memory, and perhaps disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
Connectome is a mind-bending adventure story that presents a daring scientific and technological vision for understanding what makes us who we are, both as individuals and as a species.
“Accessible, witty, imminently logical and at times poetic, Connectome establishes Seung as an important new researcher, philosopher and popularizer of brain science. It puts him on par with cosmology’s Brian Greene and the late Carl Sagan.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer
About the Author
Ray Kurzweil is a prizewinning author and scientist. Recipient of the MIT-Lemelson Prize (the world's largest for innovation), and inducted into the Inventors' Hall of Fame, he received the 1999 National Medal of Technology. His books include The Age of Spiritual Machines and The Age of Intelligent Machines.
Table of Contents
Introductionand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;ix
Part I: Does Size Matter?
and#160;1and#160;Genius and Madnessand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;3
and#160;2and#160;Border Disputesand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;22
Part II: Connectionism
and#160;3and#160;No Neuron Is an Islandand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;39
and#160;4and#160;Neurons All the Way Downand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;60
and#160;5and#160;The Assembly of Memoriesand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;76
Part III: Nature and Nurture
and#160;6and#160;The Forestry of the Genesand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;99
and#160;7and#160;Renewing Our Potentialand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;116
Part IV: Connectomics
and#160;8and#160;Seeing Is Believingand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;137
and#160;9and#160;Following the Trailand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;155
and#160;10and#160;Carvingand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;170
and#160;11and#160;Codebreakingand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;185
and#160;12and#160;Comparingand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;201
and#160;13and#160;Changingand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;216
Part V: Beyond Humanity
and#160;14and#160;To Freeze or to Pickle?and#8194;and#8226;and#8194;233
and#160;15and#160;Save As . . .and#8194;and#8226;and#8194;254
Epilogueand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;274
Acknowledgmentsand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;277
Notesand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;279
Referencesand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;314
Figure Creditsand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;335
Indexand#8194;and#8226;and#8194;336