The Big Questions of Neuroscience

By: Suzana Herculano-Houzel

Narrated by: Suzana Herculano-Houzel

Ever stopped to think about your brain? We mean, really think.

Is your brain - or any brain, for that matter - better than others? Is there something in your brain that makes you you, as opposed to someone else? Certainly, what makes your brain any different from the brain of a mouse? Or a whale?

As you can imagine, there’s a lot going on inside our heads that we’re not aware of. Thankfully, we have neuroscientists out there whose entire mission is to better understand the perplexing nature of how the human brain works. And what they’ve discovered about the diversity of our brains could revolutionize not just science but also your own everyday life.

Encompassing 10 mind-blowing (pun intended) lectures, Big Questions of Neuroscience invites you on a profound journey into the secrets of the human brain. Guided by neuroscience professor Suzana Herculano-Houzel, you’ll investigate some of the most perplexing and misunderstood issues in this cutting-edge scientific field. For example: Can you actually train your brain to become more intelligent over time or are you stuck with the brain you’re born with? Why does it take so long for your human brain to develop and what might some evolutionary benefits be for that tardiness? How does our concept of self-awareness compare with that of a dog’s? If someone asked you to explain consciousness to them, how could you do so in a way that’s scientifically accurate?

Brace yourself for 10 epic conundrums that you’ll be thinking about for quite a while.

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

A good science read..

I truly enjoyed the book as well as the narration and it has stored up my interest in more such as this one.

Interesting, Relevant, and Fun!

The author presented her information in an interesting way, with stories, myths, and I love the cats/dogs intelligence differences explained! I learned more in this book than I learned in any other book. Thank you!

Surprised

This was surprisingly entertaining and answered a lot of my existential questions in a scientific manner! Awesome listen!

A fantastic listen

Every chapter is captivating. The author does a masterful job explaining the complexities in of the human brain.

Informative, clear, and concise. With no annoying anecdotes

This book explores several questions (Why do we sleep? What makes human “smart?” Etc) and answers them using evidences from how our brains and neurons behave.

What I found amazing about this book is how concise and informative it is. With these kind of “did you know” nonfiction, you typically see failed attempts to made the topic “interesting” with anecdotal stories and linking them to some long winded experiments. You might know what I’m talking about here, for example: “this group of blind runners were the fastest in 17th century England, and you know what, research by Harvard in 2012 <insert 2 long paragraphs here> found that XX resulted in better muscle development! Wow!”

None of those crap happened here.

All the experiments involved are explained clearly but quickly. The author just get to the point: “we feel XX because AA caused BB to happen with your brain. And the resulting CC hormones made you feel that”

The end, now you know something new with clear explanation.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in a quick listen on why our brain is the way it is. You don’t even have to like or understand to follow and appreciate the author’s answers.

Excellent course to learn more about your brain

Well spoken and you can hear how much she loves the subject in her voice.

One of my favorites!

So interesting facts narrated smoothly and easy to follow. It's too interesting that you will struggle falling asleep with this one.

great choice.

love it helped me to understand many of my questions about why and how we do what we do.
Gratitude!

Educational and interesting

I liked this being strutted like a series of lectures and found it thought provoking and insightful.

Perfect for non-neuroscientists!

I've listened to (and am still listening to) quite a few audiobooks aimed at explaining consciousness, the brain, and human behavior in a deterministically ordered world. They've ranged from pure philosophy of mind to purely biological explication. Most contain portions worth listening to, although I had to mentally filter out some hot air, repetition, and pontification.

Then I accidentally came across this title and took a chance on it. I'm happy I did: all the bits and pieces are starting to come together, even the neuronal and evolutionary aspects. It breaks down a dense, multi-layered subject into understandable learning blocks, all without being condescending. Most importantly for me, it presents very basic, necessary facts that are, for some odd reason, neglected in the other books.

And too, the narration is enjoyable. I find that can make a big difference in feeling connected to a subject. Learning about what makes us thinking beings becomes both personal and universal.