The Genius Within: Discovering the Intelligence of Every Living ThingCan bacteria be as smart as we are? Can ants think? And fish? Yes, says Frank Vertosick, a neurosurgeon who combats our elitism about intelligence in this brilliant book. Gifted writer and author of the widely praised Why We Hurt, Vertosick shows us that intelligence--the ability to react to the outside world, to change behavior, and survive-can be found wherever life exists. He demonstrates the keen intelligence of our immune system, how lowly bacteria mutate and outwit antibiotics, and how canny cancer cells elude our natural defenses. A fascinating journey through worlds of unknown science and an unsettling argument against our valuing of brain intelligence above all else, The Genius Within tells a fascinating scientific story, one that could shake our ethical foundation to its core. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
The Microbial Mind | 21 |
The Immune Intellect | 56 |
Copyright | |
7 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
action potential amino acid antibiotic antibodies antigen ants attractor basin bacteria ball becomes behavior bi-stable biological brain chauvinism cancer cells cell's cellular chaotic chapter chemical reactions chemical synapses coaster colonies complex connection weights cytoplasm Daisy world Darwinian defined device ecosystem electrical emergent property enzymes equilibrium evolution evolve example genes genetic global hardwired Hebbian Hebbian learning hidden neurons Hopfield network hormonal immune system input intelligence interact landscape learning rule living networks living systems Lovelock lymphocytes McCulloch-Pitts neuron memory microbial mind molecular molecules mutation nerve cells neural networks neuronal noise neurotransmitter noise non-genetic learning nonlinear organisms output paradigm party network pattern penicillin periodic attractor phenotypic physical protein random receptors rule-based selfish serial computers signal-to-noise ratio simple single species spin glass stable staph student network surface survival swarm intelligence switch synapses things tion Tom's Turing unique V-region valley vertebrates