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    Incognito (Enhanced Edition)

    The Secret Lives of the Brain

    Author David Eagleman
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    Enhanced Ebook
    Knopf | Vintage
    On sale May 31, 2011 | 304 Pages | 9780307907165
    Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
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    The enhanced eBook of David Eagleman's INCOGNITO includes the full text of the book plus 8 videos* in which the author discusses key elements of the book and his research. Topics covered include: How much of the inner-workings of the brain is beyond our conscious control; How reality can be so different inside different people's heads; Time perception; Synesthesia; Neuroscience and the legal system; What research is currently going on in Eagleman's lab; And what drew Eagleman to studying how the brain works.

    If the conscious mind—the part you consider to be you—is just the tip of the iceberg, what is the rest doing?
     
    In this sparkling and provocative new book, the renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman navigates the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising mysteries: Why can your foot move halfway to the brake pedal before you become consciously aware of danger ahead? Why do you hear your name being mentioned in a conversation that you didn’t think you were listening to? What do Ulysses and the credit crunch have in common? Why did Thomas Edison electrocute an elephant in 1916? Why are people whose names begin with J more likely to marry other people whose names begin with J? Why is it so difficult to keep a secret? And how is it possible to get angry at yourself—who, exactly, is mad at whom?
     
    Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence, and visual illusions, Incognito is a thrilling subsurface exploration of the mind and all its contradictions.

    *Video may not play on all readers. Check your user manual for details.
    © Mark Clark
    DAVID EAGLEMAN is an internationally bestselling author and a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action as well as the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. His scientific research has been published in journals from Science to Nature, and his neuroscience books include Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia and Why the Net Matters. He is also the creator and host of the Emmy-nominated television series The Brain, and is the CEO of Neosensory, a company that builds the next generation of neuroscience hardware. The author of seven previous books, Eagleman lives in Silicon Valley in California. View titles by David Eagleman
    “A stunning exploration of the 'we' behind the 'I'. Eagleman reveals, with his typical grace and eloquence, all the neural magic tricks behind the cognitive illusion we call reality.”
    —Jonah Lehrer,  author of How We Decide

    “Eagleman has a talent for testing the untestable, for taking seemingly sophomoric notions and using them to nail down the slippery stuff of consciousness.”
    —The New Yorker

    “Your mind is an elaborate trick, and mastermind David Eagleman explains how the trick works with great lucidity and amazement. Your mind will thank you.”
    —Kevin Kelly, Wired Magazine

    “A fun read by a smart person for smart people…it will attract a new generation to ponder their inner workings.”
    —New Scientist

    “Written in clear, precise language, the book is sure to appeal to readers with an interest in psychology and the human mind, but it will also please people who just want to know, with a little more clarity, what is going on inside their own skulls.”
    —Booklist

    About

    The enhanced eBook of David Eagleman's INCOGNITO includes the full text of the book plus 8 videos* in which the author discusses key elements of the book and his research. Topics covered include: How much of the inner-workings of the brain is beyond our conscious control; How reality can be so different inside different people's heads; Time perception; Synesthesia; Neuroscience and the legal system; What research is currently going on in Eagleman's lab; And what drew Eagleman to studying how the brain works.

    If the conscious mind—the part you consider to be you—is just the tip of the iceberg, what is the rest doing?
     
    In this sparkling and provocative new book, the renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman navigates the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising mysteries: Why can your foot move halfway to the brake pedal before you become consciously aware of danger ahead? Why do you hear your name being mentioned in a conversation that you didn’t think you were listening to? What do Ulysses and the credit crunch have in common? Why did Thomas Edison electrocute an elephant in 1916? Why are people whose names begin with J more likely to marry other people whose names begin with J? Why is it so difficult to keep a secret? And how is it possible to get angry at yourself—who, exactly, is mad at whom?
     
    Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence, and visual illusions, Incognito is a thrilling subsurface exploration of the mind and all its contradictions.

    *Video may not play on all readers. Check your user manual for details.

    Author

    © Mark Clark
    DAVID EAGLEMAN is an internationally bestselling author and a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action as well as the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. His scientific research has been published in journals from Science to Nature, and his neuroscience books include Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia and Why the Net Matters. He is also the creator and host of the Emmy-nominated television series The Brain, and is the CEO of Neosensory, a company that builds the next generation of neuroscience hardware. The author of seven previous books, Eagleman lives in Silicon Valley in California. View titles by David Eagleman

    Praise

    “A stunning exploration of the 'we' behind the 'I'. Eagleman reveals, with his typical grace and eloquence, all the neural magic tricks behind the cognitive illusion we call reality.”
    —Jonah Lehrer,  author of How We Decide

    “Eagleman has a talent for testing the untestable, for taking seemingly sophomoric notions and using them to nail down the slippery stuff of consciousness.”
    —The New Yorker

    “Your mind is an elaborate trick, and mastermind David Eagleman explains how the trick works with great lucidity and amazement. Your mind will thank you.”
    —Kevin Kelly, Wired Magazine

    “A fun read by a smart person for smart people…it will attract a new generation to ponder their inner workings.”
    —New Scientist

    “Written in clear, precise language, the book is sure to appeal to readers with an interest in psychology and the human mind, but it will also please people who just want to know, with a little more clarity, what is going on inside their own skulls.”
    —Booklist

    Additional formats

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