Preface

The brain unfolds like a flower. The more I have explored neuroscience, the more it has rewarded me with new stories. In 2010, I published Brain Cuttings: Fifteen Journeys Through the Mind. Here are fifteen more journeys. In some pieces, I look at some of the surprising ways in which the brain works. In others, I consider some of the many ways the brain goes wrong. And finally, I try to look at the brain as a whole—how the 100 billion neurons add up to a person’s life of the mind, and produce consciousness.

“Decoding the Smile” and “Consciousness, Bit by Bit” first appeared in the New York Times. “A Hundred Trillion Connections” was first published in Scientific American. All the other pieces orginally appeared in my monthly column at Discover. I thank all my editors at all three publications—James Gorman, Gary Stix, Mariette DiChristina, Pamela Weintraub, and Corey Powell—for allowing me to take this pilgrimage.