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9781800755000

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‘One Hand Clapping covers everything: from the origin of life to the human brain. This book is for those who can be awed by the mystery of nature’ - Sergey Yegerev, Coordination of Science: Theory and Practice ‘Nikolay Kukushkin has a superhuman ability to hold in his head massive amounts of knowledge, make surprising connections within it, and explain everything in such simple terms that the reader thinks “How could I not see this before? Now I understand literally everything about life!”’ - Asya Kazantseva, award-winning science author ‘Nikolay Kukushkin’s book is a very brave attempt to embrace an immensity: to tell the story of roughly everything, almost from the Big Bang to the origins of the human mind. It contains many important, fresh ideas, which will be very useful to find out. I think that any readers somewhat interested in the history of life and the mind, after reading this book, will take out 10–15 new ideas for themselves, and perhaps produce some further great ideas as a result’ - Professor Alexander Markov

'Brilliant, bold, and beautifully articulated, One Hand Clapping is the best of biological thought. Starting with the origins of life, Kukushkin deftly solves the chicken-and-egg problem, moves gracefully to the notion of emergence, and concludes with a compelling account of ourselves as curious creatures, co-constructing our cultural niches ― and all that entails for being you and me' - Karl J. Friston, Professor of Neuroscience, University College London 'Dazzling and breathtaking… Be prepared to abandon your pre-conceptions as Kukushkin takes readers on an audacious journey across the aeons of life on earth to arrive at one of the most thorough and yet provocative accounts for what makes humans the species we are. One Hand Clapping takes the scientific concepts of function, emergence, and recursion to new levels, freeing them from the tedium of simply technical explanations into jaw-dropping moments of insight that will leave you shaking with revelation. Do your brain a favour and read this masterpiece' - Bruce Hood, author of The Self Illusion and The Science of Happiness ‘A fun, engaging journey from the origins of life to the consciousness of human minds. Kukushkin sees the magic in the world and helps the reader see it, too. But not the impenetrable magic that wallows in mystery – instead, the kind of magic that leads to better questions, and deeper insight. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to better understand the world of molecules and why we are simultaneously in that world, but also, paradoxically, beyond it’ - Michael Levin, Distinguished Professor of Biology and Director of the Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University 'It is a thrilling paradox to have the human mind read this work and learn its own origin, yet Kukushkin conquers it with ease… This ambitious telling is delivered in a digestible manner through the use of clever metaphors, entertaining doodles, and rigorous scientific data… This is an instant classic, for anyone interested in evolutionary psychology and neuroscience or who has a brain that wants to know about itself' - Library Journal

'Brilliant, bold, and beautifully articulated, One Hand Clapping is the best of biological thought. Starting with the origins of life, Kukushkin deftly solves the chicken-and-egg problem, moves gracefully to the notion of emergence, and concludes with a compelling account of ourselves as curious creatures, co-constructing our cultural niches ― and all that entails for being you and me' - Karl J. Friston, Professor of Neuroscience, University College London 'Dazzling and breathtaking… Be prepared to abandon your pre-conceptions as Kukushkin takes readers on an audacious journey across the aeons of life on earth to arrive at one of the most thorough and yet provocative accounts for what makes humans the species we are. One Hand Clapping takes the scientific concepts of function, emergence, and recursion to new levels, freeing them from the tedium of simply technical explanations into jaw-dropping moments of insight that will leave you shaking with revelation. Do your brain a favour and read this masterpiece' - Bruce Hood, author of The Self Illusion and The Science of Happiness ‘A fun, engaging journey from the origins of life to the consciousness of human minds. Kukushkin sees the magic in the world and helps the reader see it, too. But not the impenetrable magic that wallows in mystery – instead, the kind of magic that leads to better questions, and deeper insight. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to better understand the world of molecules and why we are simultaneously in that world, but also, paradoxically, beyond it’ - Michael Levin, Distinguished Professor of Biology and Director of the Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University

Author Information

Nikolay Kukushkin is a Russian-born neuroscientist based in Brooklyn. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from St. Petersburg State University, a D. Phil. in biochemistry from Oxford University, and received post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School. He is currently a clinical assistant professor at New York University's Liberal Studies, and a research fellow at NYU's Center for Neural Science, where he studies the molecular, cellular and evolutionary foundations of memory formation. At NYU, he teaches an acclaimed course, ""Life Science,"" on which the present book is loosely based. An earlier version of One Hand Clapping won the most prestigious book prize for Russian nonfiction, the Enlightener (Prosvetitel) Award, as well as the Alexander Belyaev Medal, awarded to the best Russian-language nonfiction and science fiction.

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