If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Did you know that your brain isn’t like a pre-programmed computer, but is actually a 'livewired' system that physically reconfigures itself every single day?
- Have you ever wondered why we dream, and what this nightly ritual reveals about the brain’s competitive struggle for internal 'real estate'?
- What if you could plug entirely new senses into your brain, allowing you to perceive things like data streams or invisible light as easily as you see colors?
Listen to Livewired — Free Audiobook
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Key Takeaways from Livewired
- Discover why the human brain is the ultimate adaptable technology, constantly "livewiring" and reconfiguring itself based on your unique experiences rather than just your DNA.
- Understand how brain regions continually adjust and compete for territory, allowing individuals to repurpose unused areas to develop exceptional new skills, like heightened musical talent in the blind.
- Learn how your brain can process any type of sensory information it receives, enabling incredible feats like "seeing" through touch or literally feeling invisible magnetic fields.
- Explore the process of "motor babbling" to see how the brain uses trial and feedback to master complex new physical tasks, from riding reverse-steering bicycles to operating a body without arms.
- Find out how the brain's remarkable output flexibility paves the way for advanced technologies, allowing minds to effortlessly control wireless prosthetics and remote robotic limbs simply through thought.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from Livewired
Mind Map
Livewired
The Concept of Livewiring
Dynamic Reconfiguration
Cortical Repurposing
Sensory Processing (Inputs)
Sensory Substitution
Sensory Enhancement
Sensory Addition
Motor Control (Outputs)
Body Adaptation
Motor Babbling
Wireless Integration
Rules of Adaptation
Motivation & Relevance
Chemical Triggers
Efficiency & Stability
Tuning Out Constants
The New Normal
Aging & Plasticity
Declining Flexibility
Uneven Solidification
Lifelong Potential
Memory Mechanics
Deep Roots
Distributed Storage
Complex Biology
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 8
What does neuroscientist David Eagleman mean by the term 'livewiring'?
Livewired — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Brains can reconfigure themselves in whatever way they need to.
Chapter 3: The brain can interpret any kind of sensory information it receives.
Chapter 4: The brain can learn to control any kind of body it’s connected to.
Chapter 5: The brain changes itself according to what truly matters to it.
Chapter 6: The brain fixes stable information so we don’t have to think about it.
Chapter 7: Brain plasticity diminishes gradually as we grow older.
Chapter 8: Older memories last more strongly than the ones we’ve made recently.
Livewired Summary & Overview
Livewired (2020) is an exploration into how the brain is constantly reconfiguring itself. As it learns new information about the world around it, the brain changes shape. We’re always discovering more about its astonishing adaptability.
Who Should Listen to Livewired?
- Fans of popular science
- Students of biology and human anatomy
- People keen to expand their own brains
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