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‘From the Big Bang to the big brain’ charts the evolutionary history of the nervous system. The ability to sense and act on environmental stimuli exists even in single celled organisms. However, the development of multicellularity and bilateral symmetry in organisms allowed cells to differentiate and specialize. The human brain is immensely complicated, with new systems piled on top of older ones. However, it still develops in a similar way to simpler organisms — from a fluid filled tube. The anterior end of the tube expands into segments which will form the three divisions of the brain. It is the forebrain — and its cerebral cortex — which has given humans their humanity. ...Less

‘Thinking about the brain’ asks: How do we even begin to contemplate our own thoughts? Thinking about the brain creates a self-referential paradox — we need to use our brain to think about our brain. The brain is in the background of everything we do, from essential respiratory processes to the generation of conscious thought and free choice. It comprises not just the organ in your skull, but the whole nervous system. For instance, reading utilizes muscular movement and retinal photoreceptors, as well as central brain neurons. The brain can store information in short term or long term memory, which must be represented by physical brain changes. ...Less

‘Broken brain’ explains the convergence of neuroscience and the physical sciences in the twenty-first century and beyond. The brain does not work like a normal computer, and there is currently a drive to make computer science more organic — either artificially or in concert with neurons themselves — in order to develop better artificial intelligence. In medicine, scientists are aiming to integrate replacements for missing sensory or motor units into the human brain, or to fix defective neural processing in otherwise healthy bodies. Another strand of research is into the mechanisms of brain repair, which would eliminate the need for prosthetics altogether. ...Less