Author(s): Rebecca Schwarzlose

Science

A trailblazing journey through the maps etched into your brain, and how everything depends on them. Your brain is a collection of maps. That is no metaphor: scrawled across your brain's surfaces are actual schematic images of the sights, sounds, and actions that hold the key to your survival. Scientists first began uncovering these maps over a century ago, but we are only now beginning to unlock their secrets. Our inner cartography distorts and shapes our experience of the world, supporting complex thought, and making technology-enabled mind-reading a reality. The maps in our brain invite us to view ourselves from a startling new perspective. In Brainscapes, Rebecca Schwarzlose combines unforgettable real-life stories, cutting-edge research, and vivid illustrations to reveal brain maps' surprising lessons about our place in the world - and the world's place within us.