num_pages: 320
description: The extraordinary story of how the human brain evolved and is still evolving. Weve come a long way. The earliest human had a brain as small as a childs fist; ours are four times bigger with spectacular abilities and potential we are only just beginning to understand. This is How the Mind Changed a seven-million-year journey through our own heads packed with vivid stories groundbreaking science and thrilling surprises. Discover how memory has almost nothing to do with the past; meditation rewires our synapses; magic mushroom use might be responsible for our intelligence; climate accounts for linguistic diversity; and how autism teaches us hugely positive lessons about our past and future. Dr. Joseph Jebellis In Pursuit of Memory was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize and longlisted for the Wellcome. In this his eagerly awaited second book he draws on deep insights from neuroscience evolutionary biology psychology and philosophy to guide us through the unexpected changes that shaped our brains. From genetic accidents and environmental forces to historical and cultural advances he explores how our brains evolution turned us into Homo sapiens and beyond. A single mutation is all it takes.
language: English
title: How the Mind Changed: A Human History of Our Evolving Brain
publisher: Little, Brown Spark