The brain supremacy : notes from the frontiers of neuroscience /

Taylor (Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain) argues two points. First, rapid progress in neuroscience will usher in a new age of "brain supremacy," in which humankind may have the power to read minds, control thoughts, and re-engineer human nature. Second, to prepare for this new age and its ethical implications, people need to understand how neuroscience research works. Most of the book addresses the latter point, explaining the mechanisms behind imaging techniques such as PET, fMRI, electroencephalography, and magnetoencephalography, as well as experimental methods in neuroscience. Though these descriptions are technical and sometimes a tough slog for a nonscientist (Taylor holds a PhD in neuroscience), they help readers understand the capabilities and limitations of each tool. She touches on the ethical challenges of the future she predicts, but only briefly-glossing over what may seem more dystopia than glorious scientific revolution. VERDICT Well-written and thought-provoking, this book will help scientifically literate readers understand the science behind a potentially unsettling future.-Janet Crum, City of Hope Lib., Duarte, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.