Present at the Future
From Evolution to Nanotechnology, Candid and Controversial Conversations on Science and Nature
Chapter One
The Mind's Window
A Fox enters the storeroom of a theater. Rummaging through the contents, he is frightened by a face glaring down on him. But looking at it closely he discovers it is only a mask, of the kind worn by actors. "You look very fine," says the Fox. "It is a pity you haven't any brains."
—Aesop's Fables
Is it possible to understand our minds? To understand what consciousness is all about? What happens in our brains when we learn or remember? What goes on when we "enjoy" or feel "depressed?"
Understanding the complex biochemistry that turns electrical and chemical energy into thoughts, memories, and feelings is one of the greatest challenges of science. Neuroscience has become "the neurosciences" as genetics, physics and engineering, pharmaceuticals, psychology and psychiatry, and computer science have gotten into the act and contributed to what we know. But the brain is so complex that neuro ... read full excerpt from Present at the Future ebook
