Showing results for "Human Development" in Science & Engineering

Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.

The groundbreaking science of how and why we talk, and how this ability impacts every area of our lives Humans are the only species that can transform internal ideas into talk, whether through speech, writing, or sign language. But why do we have this almost magical, special talent? It turns out...

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO COUNT? WHY ARE HUMANS THE ONLY SPECIES ON EARTH THAT CAN DO IT? WHERE DID COUNTING COME FROM? HOW HAS IT SHAPED SOCIETIES ALONG THE WAY? AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? Counting is an innovative, erudite, world-wrapping journey through humanity’s marvellous ability to impose...

Fifty thousand years ago - merely a blip in evolutionary time - our Homo sapiens ancestors were competing for existence with several other human species, just as their precursors had done for millions of years. Yet something about our species distinguished it from the pack, and ultimately led to its survival while the rest became extinct. Just what was it that allowed Homo sapiens to become masters of the planet? Ian Tattersall, curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us deep into the fossil record to uncover what made humans so special.

How does a neural network become a brain? While neurobiologists investigate how nature accomplishes this feat, computer scientists interested in AI strive to achieve this through technology. The Self-Assembling Brain tells the stories of both fields, exploring the historical and modern approaches taken by the scientists pursuing answers to the quandary: What information is necessary to make an intelligent neural network? As Peter Robin Hiesinger argues, "the information problem" underlies both fields.

Inspired by the "Humans of.." concept of sharing stories originated by photoblogger Brandon Stanton in New York, Humans of ID is a podcast where students in the LSE Department of International Development sit down with classmates, instructors, and alumni to learn about their stories and how they are interacting with issues in, and approaches to, development.

Talking with the Experts in Women’s Health and Reproduction is a new monthly seminar series that will be hosted by Dr. Gil Mor, MD, PhD , Director of the CS Mott Center where he will interview experts on different aspects of women’s health and reproduction.

Welcome to Unraveling Behavior, a science podcast where we uncover the patterns driving human judgment and decision making. In each episode, Dr. Ana Sofia Morais sits down with a researcher to explore how people make decisions, how they handle risk, and how our surroundings and the online world shape our behavior. Unraveling Behavior is a non-commercial initiative from the Center for Adaptive Rationality, a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.

“Enough with speculation about our digital future. Infinite Reality is the straight dope on what is and isn’t happening to us right now, from two of the only scientists working on the boundaries between real life and its virtual extensions.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be...

Addressing the pervasive longing for meaning and fulfillment in this time of crisis, Nature and the Human Soul introduces a visionary ecopsychology of human development that reveals how fully and creatively we can mature when soul and wild nature guide us. Depth psychologist and wilderness guide Bill Plotkin presents a model for a human life span rooted in the cycles and qualities of the natural world, a blueprint for individual development that ultimately yields a strategy for cultural transformation.

A genetics expert and professor challenges our understanding of intelligence, explaining what it truly means to be “smart,” why conventional assessments are misleading, and what everyone can do to optimize their potential. Growing up in middle-class suburban Los Angeles in the 1980s, Rina...

Welcome to "The Rose Window," where we explore the fascinating world of our minds, brain health and the revolutionary science that’s improving human connection. Over six conversations, we'll join Dr. Daniel Weinberger (founder of The Lieber Institute for Brain Development) and Ryan Cummins (special advisor), as they dissect the intricate web of connections that define our inner and outer worlds. From personal struggles to societal bonds, this series examines the pivotal role the human brain plays in shaping our reality, how we've progressed throughout history to our current understanding of ...