Evolving Brains (Scientific American Library)

How did the human brain with all its manifold capacities evolve from basic functions in simple organisms that lived nearly a billion years ago? John Allman addresses this question in Evolving Brains, a provocative study of brain evolution that introduces readers to some of the most exciting developments in science in recent years. Evolving Brains integrates a multiplicity of evolutionary developments involving genetics, response to climate variations, social organization, the nervous system, environment, and behavior. By providing one of the clearest maps yet of the brain's long and eventful journey through time, Evolving Brains reveals a more complete picture of who we are and where we come from.