This book chronicles the apparent discovery of "memory molecules" in 1965, the loss of credibility that plagued those finding, and the subsequent triumphant discovery of the neuroactive peptides, including endorphins, which followed in their wake. The story is told in the context of the historical development of neuroscience as a field, with emphasis on research aimed at uncovering the brain mechanisms of learning and memory, roughly from 1950 to 1980, when the revolution in the scientific study of brain function was getting underway. A series of biographical vignettes paint the background and set the stage. Once introduced, the characters recur as their personal histories intertwine with the scientific story that unfolds. This seminal episode in the history of neuroscience flows smoothly for the lay reader as an engaging story of the clash between personalities, conventional wisdom, and unconventional explanations, supplemented by an essay with extensive documentation for the historian interested in this curious episode in the early years of neuroscience.

Scotophobin: Darkness at the Dawn of the Search for Memory Molecules

Science & Math

Irwin, Louis Neal

History & Philosophy

Hamilton Books

How do we store information in the brain? Is memory a thing in a place, like a specific molecule in a particular cell? Or does learning require a process in a population, like neurons firing in a specific pattern for each experience? This combination of memoir and history tells the story of how the mechanisms of memory were gradually revealed, through biographical vignettes of the scientists who set out to solve the riddle of memory, including the author's own efforts as he was coming of age as a scientist. It shows how individual goals intertwine with the technologies at hand to push scientific knowledge forward, often erratically, and always in the context of social forces and private ups and downs. Not only a compelling personal story with the war in Vietnam, civil rights movement, and downfall of two presidents as backdrop, this is a lucid explanation of brain function for the nonscientist and valuable contribution to the history of science in the decades that saw neuroscience join molecular biology as the marquee biomedical accomplishments of the twentieth century

Haystack Full of Needles: A memoir of research on mechanisms of memory in the decades that defined neuroscience

Technology

Xlibris US

This book chronicles the apparent discovery of "memory molecules" in 1965, the loss of credibility that plagued those findings, and the subsequent triumphant discovery of the neuroactive peptides, including endorphins. The story is told through a series of biographical vignettes and the author's own experiences that unfolded from the plains of West Texas, through Kansas, Houston, New York, Detroit, and Boston. This seminal episode in the early history of neuroscience flows smoothly for the lay reader as an engaging story of the clash between personalities, conventional wisdom, and unconventional explanations. The book is well documented for the scientist and historian, providing a definitive account of early attempts to understand memory at the molecular level.

Examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. Considers exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as the basic chemical element, solar energy as the main energy source, or water as the primary solvent and the question of detecting bio- and geosignatures of such life forms, ranging from earth environments to deep space. Seeks an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter. Avoids scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.

Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)

Schulze-Makuch, Dirk

Astronomy & Space Science

Springer

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Irwin, Louis Neal. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Irwin, Louis Neal

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Irwin, Louis Neal. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Scotophobin: Darkness at the Dawn of the Search for Memory Molecules

Haystack Full of Needles: A memoir of research on mechanisms of memory in the decades that defined neuroscience

Scotophobin: Darkness at the Dawn of the Search for Memory Molecules

Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)