Author(s): National Geographic

Science

Admit it. When you hear neuroscience, you expect something abstract and remote, very complex, of little practical use. But this time? It's personal. "National Geographic Into Your Brain" makes you the test subject of an array of astonishing experiments. Your brain is going to be stimulated, fooled, and ultimately amazed, as scientists and other experts show you how this three-pound blob of gray matter makes you, you. Rather than simply displaying a collection of puzzlers or stating what happens during an illusion, this captivating book guides you to experience visual tricks firsthand and then explains your brain's reaction in clear, user-friendly language - giving every reader a strong personal interest in finding out why his or her mind acts the way it does. The companion to a highly anticipated, three-part series airing on the National Geographic Channel in Spring 2011, this book will definitely mess with your head - to entertain you and show you the very cool complexities of how your brain does its job. In three sections - Sights, Sounds, and Memories - you'll see for yourself why visual illusions hoodwink the brain. You'll hear how sounds can provoke strong emotions and understand your brain's response to them. And you'll think of events that may not have actually happened, in order to learn how the mind can create a false memory. "Into Your Brain" brings together a crack team of scientists and researchers from a wide range of fields, including neurology, psychology, chemistry, audiology, and ophthalmology. Best-selling author Oliver Sachs, awareness expert Dan Simons, and memory expert Elizabeth Loftus are just a few of the notables who lend their considerable brainpower to this unprecedented project. The book also draws on the know-how of those who traffic in brain tricks - illusionists like Penn and Teller, artists like color expert Beau Lotto, and sound designers like Julian Treasure - to bring each mind-bending illusion to life. Smart, engaging, exciting, and deeply worthwhile, "Into Your Brain" pulls you in, manipulates your mind, and leaves you with a better understanding - as well as a richer appreciation - of the marvels that go on up there in the old noggin.