Zum Hauptinhalt springen
Dekorationsartikel gehören nicht zum Leistungsumfang.
The Human Advantage: How Our Brains Became Remarkable
Taschenbuch von Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Sprache: Englisch

24,55 €*

inkl. MwSt.

Versandkostenfrei per Post / DHL

Lieferzeit 1-2 Wochen

Kategorien:
Beschreibung
Why our human brains are awesome, and how we left our cousins, the great apes, behind: a tale of neurons and calories, and cooking.

Humans are awesome. Our brains are gigantic, seven times larger than they should be for the size of our bodies. The human brain uses 25% of all the energy the body requires each day. And it became enormous in a very short amount of time in evolution, allowing us to leave our cousins, the great apes, behind. So the human brain is special, right? Wrong, according to Suzana Herculano-Houzel. Humans have developed cognitive abilities that outstrip those of all other animals, but not because we are evolutionary outliers. The human brain was not singled out to become amazing in its own exclusive way, and it never stopped being a primate brain. If we are not an exception to the rules of evolution, then what is the source of the human advantage?

Herculano-Houzel shows that it is not the size of our brain that matters but the fact that we have more neurons in the cerebral cortex than any other animal, thanks to our ancestors' invention, some 1.5 million years ago, of a more efficient way to obtain calories: cooking. Because we are primates, ingesting more calories in less time made possible the rapid acquisition of a huge number of neurons in the still fairly small cerebral cortex—the part of the brain responsible for finding patterns, reasoning, developing technology, and passing it on through culture.

Herculano-Houzel shows us how she came to these conclusions—making "brain soup” to determine the number of neurons in the brain, for example, and bringing animal brains in a suitcase through customs. The Human Advantage is an engaging and original look at how we became remarkable without ever being special.

Why our human brains are awesome, and how we left our cousins, the great apes, behind: a tale of neurons and calories, and cooking.

Humans are awesome. Our brains are gigantic, seven times larger than they should be for the size of our bodies. The human brain uses 25% of all the energy the body requires each day. And it became enormous in a very short amount of time in evolution, allowing us to leave our cousins, the great apes, behind. So the human brain is special, right? Wrong, according to Suzana Herculano-Houzel. Humans have developed cognitive abilities that outstrip those of all other animals, but not because we are evolutionary outliers. The human brain was not singled out to become amazing in its own exclusive way, and it never stopped being a primate brain. If we are not an exception to the rules of evolution, then what is the source of the human advantage?

Herculano-Houzel shows that it is not the size of our brain that matters but the fact that we have more neurons in the cerebral cortex than any other animal, thanks to our ancestors' invention, some 1.5 million years ago, of a more efficient way to obtain calories: cooking. Because we are primates, ingesting more calories in less time made possible the rapid acquisition of a huge number of neurons in the still fairly small cerebral cortex—the part of the brain responsible for finding patterns, reasoning, developing technology, and passing it on through culture.

Herculano-Houzel shows us how she came to these conclusions—making "brain soup” to determine the number of neurons in the brain, for example, and bringing animal brains in a suitcase through customs. The Human Advantage is an engaging and original look at how we became remarkable without ever being special.

Über den Autor
Suzana Herculano-Houzel is Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Biological Sciences and Associate Director for Communications of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute at Vanderbilt University.
Details
Empfohlen (von): 18
Erscheinungsjahr: 2017
Fachbereich: Allgemeines
Genre: Biologie
Rubrik: Naturwissenschaften & Technik
Thema: Lexika
Medium: Taschenbuch
Reihe: Mit Press
Inhalt: Einband - flex.(Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780262533539
ISBN-10: 0262533537
Sprache: Englisch
Einband: Kartoniert / Broschiert
Autor: Herculano-Houzel, Suzana
Hersteller: MIT Press
Maße: 225 x 146 x 27 mm
Von/Mit: Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Erscheinungsdatum: 21.04.2017
Gewicht: 0,357 kg
Artikel-ID: 103340800
Über den Autor
Suzana Herculano-Houzel is Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Biological Sciences and Associate Director for Communications of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute at Vanderbilt University.
Details
Empfohlen (von): 18
Erscheinungsjahr: 2017
Fachbereich: Allgemeines
Genre: Biologie
Rubrik: Naturwissenschaften & Technik
Thema: Lexika
Medium: Taschenbuch
Reihe: Mit Press
Inhalt: Einband - flex.(Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780262533539
ISBN-10: 0262533537
Sprache: Englisch
Einband: Kartoniert / Broschiert
Autor: Herculano-Houzel, Suzana
Hersteller: MIT Press
Maße: 225 x 146 x 27 mm
Von/Mit: Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Erscheinungsdatum: 21.04.2017
Gewicht: 0,357 kg
Artikel-ID: 103340800
Warnhinweis

Ähnliche Produkte

Ähnliche Produkte