Preview
  • Dark and Magical Places

  • The Neuroscience of Navigation
  • By: Christopher Kemp
  • Narrated by: Neil Gardner
  • Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (16 ratings)

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Dark and Magical Places

By: Christopher Kemp
Narrated by: Neil Gardner
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Publisher's summary

Inside our heads we carry around an infinite and endlessly unfolding map of the world. Navigation is one of the most ancient neural abilities we have - older than language. In Dark and Magical Places, Christopher Kemp embarks on a journey to discover the remarkable extent of what our minds can do.

Fueled by his own spatial shortcomings, Kemp describes the brain regions that orient us in space and the specialized neurons that do it. Place cells. Grid cells. He examines how the brain plans routes, recognizes landmarks, and makes sure we leave a room through a door instead of trying to leave through a painting. From the secrets of supernavigators like the indigenous hunters of the Bolivian rainforest to the confusing environments inhabited by people with place blindness, Kemp charts the myriad ways in which we find our way and explains the cutting-edge neuroscience behind them.

How did Neanderthals navigate? Why do even seasoned hikers stray from the trail? What spatial skills do we inherit from our parents? How can smartphones and our reliance on GPS devices impact our brains? In engaging, engrossing language, Kemp unravels the mysteries of navigating and links the brain's complex functions to the effects that diseases like Alzheimer's, types of amnesia, and traumatic brain injuries have on our perception of the world around us.

©2022 Christopher Kemp (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
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What listeners say about Dark and Magical Places

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Entertaining and Informative

I had never given much thought to the subject of navigation so it was eye-opening to learn about the ways our brains process the world around us and the effects that culture, biology and personal experience have on our ability to find our way around. It was written in a highly entertaining style and well read!

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Nuero data to real world

I love how all the pin points neuroscience data from research to older foundational research help proceed and helped it end with neurological disfunction that happened to the specific story from the beginning (that can happen to anyone) .Truly gave me insights of things I never would have thought to learn of

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