ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY HUMANIST GALAXY OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS DAVID LINDEN May 19, 2022 UNIQUE: The New Science of Human Individuality by David J. Linden. Basic Books, 2020 (317 pages) Quote = “Exploring topics that touch all of our lives — among them sexuality, gender identity, food preferences, biological rhythms, mood, personality, memory, and intelligence — Linden shows that human individuality is not simply a matter of nature versus nurture. Rather, it is a product of the complex, and often counterintuitive, interplay between our genetic blueprints and our experiences. Experience is not just the how your parents reared you, but the diseases you have had, the foods you have eaten, the bacteria that reside in your body, the weather during your early development, and the technology you have been exposed to.” (From the publisher’s blurb) Quote = Linden shows how our individuality results... from a mélange of genes continually responding to our experiences in the world, beginning in the womb... And he shows why individuality matters, as it is our differences that enable us to live together in groups... The book is the story of how the factors that make us all human can change and interact to make each of us a singular person.” (From the publisher’s blurb) BOOK OUTLINE Note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages PROLOGUE (1-7) 1) IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY (9-33) 2) ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? (35-66) 3) I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU (67-90) 4) SEXUAL SELF (91-130) 5) WHO DO YOU LOVE? (131-157) 6) WE ARE THE ANTI-PANDAS (159-196) 7) SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS (197-219) 8) A DAY AT THE RACES (221-247) EPILOGUE (249-254) note = ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (255-256) NOTES (257-301) INDEX (303-317) Axons Brain function Central amygdala Cerebellum Children’s play Chromosome Chronotype Circadian clock Concepts, memories of Convergent evolution Cortical amygdala Cortical patches Creativity Crystalized intelligence Cultural factors Darwin, Charles Decision-making Dendrites Dendritic cells Depression Developmental plasticity Developmental randomness Divorce DNA Dogs Dolphins Domestication of animals Dopamine Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex Dreams Dyslexia Fluid intelligence Food preferences Frontal cortex Free will Genes Genome-wide association study Heritability Homosexuality Hormones Intersex traits Learning Local selection pressures Mammals Memory Mirror reading Nerve endings Nervous system Neurons Neurotransmitters Nonassociative learning Odors Plasticity Pregnancy Race AUTHOR NOTES, SUMMARY, AND BOOK DESCRIPTION AUTHOR NOTES = David J. Linden is a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where his lab studies memory storage and recovery of function after brain injury. He is the author of three previous books: Touch , The Accidental Mind , and The Compass of Pleasure. He lives in Baltimore Maryland. SUMMARY = As a scientist, David Linden had devoted his career to understanding the brain processes and behaviors that are common to us all. That is, until a few years ago, when he found himself on OKCupid. Looking through that vast catalog of human difference, he got to thinking, where does it all come from? Why does one person have perfect pitch, a taste for hoppy beer, and an aversion to bathroom “selfies”? That is, what makes you, you, and me, me? BOOK DESCRIPTION = In the book, David Linden tells a riveting and accessible story of human individuality. Exploring topics that touch all of our lives — among them sexuality, gender identity, food preferences, biological rhythms, mood, personality, memory, and intelligence — Linden shows that human individuality is not simply a matter of nature versus nurture. Rather, it is a product of the complex, and often counterintuitive, interplay between our genetic blueprints and our experiences. Experience is not just the how your parents reared you, but the diseases you have had, the foods you have eaten, the bacteria that reside in your body, the weather during your early development, and the technology you have been exposed to. Drawing all those factors together, Linden argues that human individuality is key to how we live as individuals and groups and explores how questions of individuality are informing social discussions of morality, public policy, religion, healthcare, education, and law. Like Carl Zimmer's book, She Has Her Mother's Laugh, and Robert Sapolsky's book, Behave, this book, Unique, unveils a new vista on the intricacies of human existence. But, for all its brilliance and insight, this is no weighty academic tome. The story is told with Linden's unusual combination of authority and openness, seriousness of purpose and a great sense of humor, the book sets a new standard for what popular science can be as it explains how the factors that make us all human can change and interact to make each of us a singular person. REMEMBER ALWAYS: You Are Your Adaptable Memory! Click or Tap Star to: RETURN TO THE HUMANIST HUB OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY produced by Infinite Interactive Ideas®