The most complex and mysterious object in the universe is unprepossessing in appearance. It is covered in a dull grey membrane and resembles a gigantic, convoluted fungus. Its inscrutability has captivated scientists, philosophers and artists from the ancient Egyptians to modern times. It is, of course, the human brain.

In the last century, exciting technological developments have helped us understand how the brain has given rise to the human mind. We can now see the extraordinary complexity of the brain's circuits and, with brain imaging equipment, watch which regions use energy and which nerve cells generate electricity, as we fall in love, tell a lie or dream of a lottery win. And inside the 100 billion cells of this rubbery network is something remarkable: you.

In this accessible and entertaining book, which accompanies a major BBC1 series, Robert Winston tells us how our senses, emotions, personality, feelings and intelligence are the result of a ballet of genes and environment that shapes the path of our lives. He explains how memories are formed and lost, how the ever-changing brain is responsible for toddler tantrums, teenage angst, the battle of the sexes, even the insights gained from Shakespeare, Pirandello and Larkin. And he reveals the truth behind extra-sensory perception, deja vu and out-of-body experiences.

Professor Winston takes us deep into the workings of the enigmatic human mind and shows us how we can boost our intelligence and dip into creative powers we never new we had. By becoming the master of our own mind, we can break old habits, fight bad moods, keep our brain fit as we enter old age, and prevent illness. But perhaps the great paradox is this: because ultimately the human mind is all we have to enable us to understand it, science may never quite explain everything about the remarkable mechanism that makes each of us unique.

Robert Winston is one of the country's best-known scientists. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, University of London, and Director of NHS Research and Development and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, he has made advances in fertility medicine and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. His television series include Making Babies, The Human Body, Superhuman, Human Instinct and Walking with Cavemen, and have made him a household name across Britain. He became a life peer in 1995.

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I know Professor Winston best from his "Child of Our Time" series and have seen some of his other documentaries, i found him very easy to listen to and understand, which was the reason I decided to pick up this book. I found most of this book easy to understand but there is a lot to take in and have now forgotten most of it but the topic still interests me. I'll dip back into it from time to time. If i'd seen this book written by another author i would most likely have walked right past it but Professor Winston has a welcoming tone of voice and facial expressions on tv so I couldn't resist.

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Time to declutter my shelves and make this into a bookring.

1) Vekiki, London, UK. (UK/EU)

Back to me :)

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Sent to Vekiki :)

This looks really interesting - thanks for sharing it Ythan

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Boomeranged back to you! Thanks!

Back home safe and sound :)

Picked out of my RABCK Boom 2022 list by dutch-book.

Started reading this a couple of days ago, tried to find it on my virtual bookshelf, couldn't find it. Turns out I never journalled it...
So sorry Ythan, but it's here and I'm reading it. Thank you for sending this to me.