The human brain remains the last great unconquered frontier of science. Somehow, that mass of grey sludge locked inside our skulls creates a whole inner world heaving with emotions, memories, ideas and desires. Everything we see, touch, hear and feel - the illusion of reality - is generated by this inscrutable organ.
For centuries scientists have probed the brain, searching for clues that might shed light on its mysterious workings. Recently, however, with the advent of modern technology and developments in neuroscience, the brain has begun to yield its secrets. The time is ripe to start to make sense of how the brain becomes a mind and how it accounts for our uniquely differing personalities.
In this highly readable and often mind-boggling tour, Susan Greenfield brings the reader up to date on the latest theories and controversies. Drawing on the personal stories of many individuals and talking to a wide range of scientists in many parts of the world, she tackles head-on the big questions that touch on all our lives, Where are memories stored? Are our brains a product of nature or nurture? Will we ever build thinking robots? And are free will and consciousness nothing more than illusions produced by the subconscious mind?
Bringing together the different threads of what we are learning now about the brain, Brain Story gives fascinating new insights into what makes you you.