Neuroscience has made considerable progress in figuring out how the brain works. We know much about the molecular-genetic and biochemical underpinnings of sensory and motor functions, and recent neuroimaging work has opened the door to investigating the neural underpinnings of higher-order cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, and even free will. In these types of investigations, researchers apply specific stimuli to induce neural activity in the brain and look for the function in question. However, there may be more to the brain and its neuronal states than the changes in activity we induce by applying particular external stimuli.
In Volume 1 of Unlocking the Brain, Georg Northoff presents his argument for how the brain must code the relationship between its resting state activity and stimulus-induced activity in order to enable and predispose mental states and consciousness. By presupposing such a basic sense of neural code, the author ventures into different territories and fields of current neuroscience, including a comprehensive exploration of the features of resting state activity as distinguishable from and stimulus-induced activity; sparse coding and predictive coding; and spatial and temporal features of the resting state itself. This yields a unique and novel picture of the brain, and will have a major and lasting impact on neuroscientists working in neuroscience, psychiatry, and related fields.

New Frontiers and Applications of Synthetic Biology presents a collection of chapters from eminent synthetic biologists across the globe who have established experience and expertise working with synthetic biology. This book offers several important areas of synthetic biology which allow us to read and understand easily. It covers the introduction of synthetic biology and design of promoter, new DNA synthesis and sequencing technology, genome assembly, minimal cells, small synthetic RNA, directed evolution, protein engineering, computational tools, de novo synthesis, phage engineering, a sensor for microorganisms, next-generation diagnostic tools, CRISPR-Cas systems, and more. This book is a good source for not only researchers in designing synthetic biology, but also for researchers, students, synthetic biologists, metabolic engineers, genome engineers, clinicians, industrialists, stakeholders and policymakers interested in harnessing the potential of synthetic biology in many areas.

Research on natural and artificial brains is proceeding at a rapid pace. However, the understanding of the essence of consciousness has changed slightly over the millennia, and only the last decade has brought some progress to the area. Scientific ideas emerged that the soul could be a product of the material body and that calculating machines could imitate brain processes. However, the authors of this book reject the previously common dualism-the view that the material and spiritual-psychic processes are separate and require a completely different substance as their foundation. Reductive Model of the Conscious Mind is a forward-thinking book wherein the authors identify processes that are the essence of conscious thinking and place them in the imagined, simplified structure of cells able to memorize and transmit information in the form of impulses, which they call neurons. The purpose of the study is to explain the essence of consciousness to the degree of development of natural sciences, because only the latter can find a way to embed the concept of the conscious mind in material brains. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 works to convince readers that the emergence of consciousness does not require detailed knowledge of the structure and morphology of the brain, with the exception of some specific properties of the neural network structure that the authors attempt to point out. Part 2 proves that the biological structure of many natural brains fulfills the necessary conditions for consciousness and intelligent thinking. Similarly, Part 3 shows the ways in which artificial creatures imitating natural brains can meet these conditions, which gives great hopes for building artificially intelligent beings endowed with consciousness. Covering topics that include cognitive architecture, the embodied mind, and machine learning, this book is ideal for cognitive scientists, philosophers of mind, neuroscientists, psychologists, researchers, academicians, and advanced-level students. The book can also help to focus the research of linguists, neurologists, and biophysicists on the biophysical basis of postulated information processing into knowledge structures.

Neuroprosthetics is a fast-growing area that brings together the fields of biomedical engineering and neuroscience as a means to interface the neural system directly to prostheses. Advancing research and applications in this field can assist in successfully restoring motor, sensory, and cognitive functions. Emerging Theory and Practice in Neuroprosthetics brings together the most up-to-date research surrounding neuroprosthetics advances and applications. Presenting several new results, concepts, and further developments in the area of neuroprosthetics, this book is an essential publication for researchers, upper-level students, engineers, and medical practitioners.

Lecture provides an overview of the progress made in molecular medicine applying genetics and genomics to the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases. Specifically, the methods for identifying genes involved in human diseases are described. Examples from 10 genes and diseases will be provided, drawing on the author's research. Topics include examples from simple Mendelian diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, inherited cancers, oncogenes activated by chromosomal translocations, host genes involved in infectious disease, genes identified via genomewide association studies, pathogens causing cancer, and gene families contributing to multiple diseases. For each example, historical details will be provided as background for readers to understand the context and process of the discoveries, technologies explained, and current understanding and treatment implications detailed.

Neglected Tropical Diseases and other Infectious Diseases Affecting the Heart provides a comprehensive and systematic review on the literature surrounding Neglected Tropical Diseases and infectious diseases and how they affect the heart. Written by Emerging Leaders of the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (SIAC), the book includes the latest research findings, covering the cardiac involvement of a range of viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases, including COVID19, HIV, Zika, Lyme Disease, and more. Chapters cover epidemiology, the physiopathology of cardiovascular involvement, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options for each disease, making the book suitable to researchers, scientists, clinicians and physicians in the field.

Stem Cells and COVID-19 presents up-to-date knowledge on the effect of hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection in its diagnosis, treatment and prevention. In addition, the book critically discusses challenges, highlighting outstanding questions and future perspectives. Written by global experts in the field for both pre-clinical and clinical practitioners, this comprehensive book delves into how stem cells have a strong potential in developing better diagnostic, treatment and preventive strategies in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Both hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells are critical to better understand the response of immune system to coronavirus infection in both healthy and co-morbid conditions in the development of effective vaccines and immunotherapies.

This book explores new developments in the dialogues between science and theatre and offers an introduction to a fast-expanding area of research and practice.The cognitive revolution in the humanities is creating new insights into the audience experience, performance processes and training. Scientists are collaborating with artists to investigate how our brains and bodies engage with performance to create new understanding of perception, emotion, imagination and empathy. Divided into four parts, each introduced by an expert editorial from leading researchers in the field, this edited volume offers readers an understanding of some of the main areas of collaboration and research: 1. Dances with Science 2. Touching Texts and Embodied Performance 3. The Multimodal Actor 4. Affecting Audiences Throughout its history theatre has provided exciting and accessible stagings of science, while contemporary practitioners are increasingly working with scientific and medical material. As Honour Bayes reported in the Guardian in 2011, the relationships between theatre, science and performance are 'exciting, explosive and unexpected'. Affective Performance and Cognitive Science charts new directions in the relations between disciplines, exploring how science and theatre can impact upon each other with reference to training, drama texts, performance and spectatorship. The book assesses the current state of play in this interdisciplinary field, facilitating cross disciplinary exchange and preparing the way for future studies.

"Conceptual Breakthroughs in Evolutionary Genetics" is a pithy, lively book occupying a special niche-the conceptual history of evolutionary genetics- not inhabited by any other available treatment. Written by a world-leading authority in evolutionary genetics, this work encapsulates and ranks 70 of the most significant paradigm shifts in evolutionary biology and genetics during the century-and-a-half since Darwin and Mendel. The science of evolutionary genetics is central to all of biology, but many students and other practitioners have little knowledge of its historical roots and conceptual developments. This book fills that knowledge gap in a thought-provoking and readable format.

This fascinating chronological journey along the many conceptual pathways to our modern understanding of evolutionary and genetic principles is a wonderful springboard for discussions in undergraduate or graduate seminars in evolutionary biology and genetics. But more than that, anyone interested in the history and philosophy of science will find much of value between its covers.
Provides a relative ranking of 70 seminal breakthroughs and paradigm shifts in the field of evolutionary biology and geneticsModular format permits ready access to each described subjectHistorical overview of a field whose concepts are central to all of biology and relevant to a broad audience of biologists, science historians, and philosophers of scienceExtensively cross-referenced with a guide to landmark papers and books for each topic

Wound Healing, and the Myofibroblast: A Historical and Biological Perspective is the fruit of an interdisciplinary and international collaboration involving a historian of medicine (Dr. Zampieri), a physician (Dr. Coen), and a researcher (Prof. Gabbiani, world-renowned for his discovery of the myofibroblast). This book aims to draw a concise yet complete description of the conceptual evolution of wound healing, fibrosis and fibrosis-related pathologies from antiquity to present time, as well as commenting on the role of the myofibroblast and the key cell type essential for tissue repair and fibrosis (from its identification in 1971 throughout its 50-years-old history). By viewing this complex and century-long history from different perspectives, the book's authors aim to draw an exhaustive overview, with the hope of inspiring new and fruitful basic and clinical research.

Reciprocity in Population Biobanks: Relational Autonomy and the Duty to Inform in the Genomic Era begins by discussing how current judicial interpretation keeps standard of disclosure at the core of genomic research. The book then outlines multiple limitations individualistic autonomy faces in the context of gene and population biobanks, including an analysis of the complexities of benefit considerations in the research setting. Second, the book explores how individualistic autonomy fails to acknowledge the multilateral relationships implicated in genomic research, including those that affect the broader research community, research participants' families, and the general public. In carrying out this analysis, this book pays special attention to alternative approaches and ways researchers, public health officials, and judicial bodies might interact in years to come. In other words, implementing an understanding of relational autonomy that acknowledges and sustains the multilateral relationships found in genomic research without compromising the rights of participants. In short, this book proposes a reconceived duty to inform for researchers and a new standard of disclosure that is more meaningful and impactful for research participants and researchers.

Short-listed for the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, the Best Book of Ideas Prize, and the Society of Biology Book Awards - Book of the Year: Sunday Times, Sunday Express, and New Scientist

A new consensus is emerging among cognitive scientists: rather than possessing fixed, unchanging memories, we create new recollections each time we are called upon to remember. As psychologist Charles Fernyhough explains, remembering is an act of narrative imagination as much as it is the product of a neurological process. In Pieces of Light, he illuminates this compelling scientific breakthrough in a series of personal stories, each illustrating memory's complex synergy of cognitive and neurological functions.

Combining science and literature, the ordinary and the extraordinary, this fascinating tour through the new science of autobiographical memory helps us better understand the ways we remember--and the ways we forget.

There is a growing literature in neuroethics dealing with cognitive neuro-enhancement for healthy adults. However, discussions on this topic tend to focus on abstract theoretical positions while concrete policy proposals and detailed models are scarce. Furthermore, discussions appear to rely solely on data from the US or UK, while international perspectives are mostly non-existent. This volume fills this gap and addresses issues on cognitive enhancement comprehensively in three important ways: 1) it examines the conceptual implications stemming from competing points of view about the nature and goals of enhancement; 2) it addresses the ethical, social, and legal implications of neuroenhancement from an international and global perspective including contributions from scholars in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America; and 3) it discusses and analyzes concrete legal issues and policy options tailored to specific contexts.

Neuroinflammation, Resolution, and Neuroprotection in the Brain discusses the molecular aspects of neuroinflammation in neurological disorders. The book examines the effect of diet and exercise on neuroinflammatory diseases. Chapters focus on bioactive lipids, cytokines and chemokines, as well as the involvement of neuroinflammation, resolution and neuroprotection in neurotraumatic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric diseases. The comprehensive information in this monograph will help readers understand molecular cross-talk among mediators of phospholipid, sphingolipid and cholesterol metabolism. The book's goal is to jumpstart more studies on molecular mechanisms and the therapeutic aspects of neurological disorders in human subjects.

Determining the biological bases for behavior, and the extent to which we can observe and explain their neural underpinnings, requires a bold, broadly defined research methodology. The interdisciplinary entries in this handbook are organized around the principle of "molecular psychology," which unites cutting-edge research from such wide-ranging disciplines as clinical neuroscience and genetics, psychology, behavioral neuroscience, and neuroethology. For the first time in a single volume, leaders in diverse research areas use molecular approaches to investigate social behavior, psychopathology, emotion, cognition and stress in healthy volunteers, patient populations, and an array of non-human species including rodents, insects, fish, and non-human primates. Chapters draw on molecular methods covering candidate genes, genome-wide association studies, copy number variations, gene expression studies, and epigenetics while addressing the ethical, legal, and social issues to emerge from this new and exciting research approach.

Handbook on the Toxicology of Metals, Volume II: Specific Metals, Fifth Edition provides complete coverage of 38 individual metals and their compounds. This volume is the second volume of a two-volume work which emphasizes toxic effects in humans, along with discussions on the toxic effects of animals and biological systems in vitro when relevant. The book has been systematically updated with the latest studies and advances in technology. As a multidisciplinary resource that integrates both human and environmental toxicology, the book is a comprehensive and valuable reference for toxicologists, physicians, pharmacologists, and environmental scientists in the fields of environmental, occupational and public health.

Liquid Biopsy in Urogenital Cancers and Their Clinical Utility presents updated information on liquid biopsy techniques and their utility for diagnosing urological cancers. As a promising and recent diagnostic method, these techniques can be used for identifying tumors at initial stage, thus greatly improving treatment outcomes and survivorship. Chapters provide an overview of liquid biopsy as a new tool for diagnosis, monitoring and personalized medicine in urogenital cancers and explain its applicability in different cancer types, including bladder, prostate, kidney and testis tumors, female genital tract and pediatric urogenital tumors. This is a valuable resource for cancer researchers, oncologists, graduate students, urologists and biomedical researchers who need to understand more about liquid biopsy and its use for urogenital cancers.

The Vasculome: From Many, One introduces the fundamental bases of the "unity in diversity" of the Vasculome, from the coming together of various cell lineages during development, to its deceptively simple solution for architectural design: the efficient interplay of a few types of building blocks supporting key similar functions throughout the body and their highly specialized functional local variations. Specific examples are included to illustrate how the Vasculome is integral to the function and malfunction of different organs, such as the brain or the kidney. Each section is preceded by an introductory summary that will give a high level unified view of the key concepts illustrated in the various chapters in that section.

Sometimes history seems like a laundry list of malevolent monarchs, pompous presidents and dastardly dictators. But are they really the ones in the driving seat? Sapiens: A Graphic History – The Masters of History takes us on an immersive and hilarious ride through the human past to discover the forces that change our world, bring us together, and – just as often – tear us apart.

Grab a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth and explore the rise of money, religion and empire. Join our fabulous host Heroda Tush, as she wonders: which historical superhero will display the power to make civilisations rise and fall? Will Mr Random prove that luck and circumstance prevail? Will Lady Empire convince us of the irrefutable shaping force of conquerors? Or will Clashwoman beat them all to greatness by reminding us of the endless confrontations that seem to forever plague our species?

In this next volume of the bestselling graphic series, Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave continue to present the complicated story of humankind with wit, empathy and originality. Alongside the unlikely cast of new characters, we are rejoined by the familiar faces of Yuval, Zoe, Professor Saraswati, Bill and Cindy (now Romans), Skyman and Captain Dollar. As they travel through time, space and human drama in search of truth, it's impossible not to wonder: why can’t we all just get along?

This third instalment in the Sapiens: A Graphic History series is an engaging, insightful, and colourful retelling of the story of humankind for curious minds of all ages, and can be browsed through on its own or read in sequence with Volumes One and Two.