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In this bold and groundbreaking book, renowned neuroscientist Sebastian Seung reveals the secrets of the human brain.
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 own particular wiring, or 'connectomes'. Connectome tells the incredible story of how Seung and a dedicated group of researchers are mapping these connections, neuron by neuron, synapse by synapse. They hope to uncover the basis of personality, identity, intelligence and memory, and explain mental disorders such as autism, depression and schizophrenia. Seung also reveals how this new map of a human connectome might even enable us to 'upload' our brains into a computer, making us effectively immortal.
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, both as individuals and as a species.
Sebastian Seung is Professor of Computational Neuroscience at MIT and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He has made important advances in robotics, neuroscience, neuroeconomics, and statistical physics. His research has been published in leading scientific journals, and also featured in The New York Times, Technology Review, and The Economist.
"An amiable guide, witty and exceptionally clear in describing complex matters for the general reader [...] fascinating [...] beautifully explained and analyzed – as I might have expected from a writer who has produced the best lay book on brain science I've ever read"
– Daniel J Levitin, Wall Street Journal
"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, New York Times
"An elegant primer on what's known about how the brain is organized and how it grows, wires its neurons, perceives its environment, modifies or repairs itself, and stores information. Seung is a clear, lively writer who chooses vivid examples"
– Susan Okie, Washington Post
