Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Bookforum - Mysteries of the brain


One of the Bookforum link collections yesterday was on the "Mysteries of the Brain," featuring links on everything from cognition to computational neuroscience, from reviews of several recent brain science books to a look at the emerging global brain (and not the Howard Bloom version). There's even an article on neuroscience and Buddhism (which I think I may have posted here when it originally appeared).

Good stuff - enjoy.

Peter G Burton (Illawarra) Human Cognition: Higher Brain Function and the Science of Human Consciousness. A review of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer (and more) and The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive by Brian Christian. Johan Lehrer on what Watson can learn from the human brain (and more). Intelligence Deficit: What will happen when computers become smarter than people? Robot pains and corporate feelings: Edouard Machery and Justin Sytsma argue that experimental results might undercut the problem of consciousness. An interview with Nicholas Humphrey, author of Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness. A review of The Ego Trick by Julian Baggini. Can science explain the self, or is that just neuro-scientific hubris? There's no need to take sides. A review of The Soul Hypothesis. A review of The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul by Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary. Many of Buddhism’s core tenets significantly overlap with findings from modern neurology and neuroscience — so how did Buddhism come close to getting the brain right? From The New Yorker, an article on David Eagleman and mysteries of the brain. The way our brain is wired has much to do with the choices we make. A review of The Tell-Tale Brain by V.S. Ramachandran (and more). Strange but true — the brain is shaped by bacteria in the digestive tract. Bringing science back to hallucinogens: What can illicit drugs teach us about the brain? A review of Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us About Morality by Patricia Churchland (and more). An interview with Francis Heylighen on the emerging global brain. Ancient "pickled" brain mystery explained? For one, decapitated head's quick burial may have aided preservation.

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