Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: A Million Things to Ask a Neuroscientist by Mike Tranter, PhD

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for A Million Things to Ask a Neuroscientist by Mike Tranter, PhD. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a great guest post from the author. There’s also the chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card in the our wide giveaway. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: A Million Things to Ask a Neuroscientist

Author: Mike Tranter, PhD

Publisher: Queen of the World Publishing

Publication Date: March 11th 2021

Print Length: 250 pages

Genre: Non-Fiction Popular Science

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A Million Things To Ask A Neuroscientist answers some of the most asked questions about the brain, making the science fun and accessible to everyone. Inside, you will journey through some of the most interesting and strange things that our brain does every single day.

Have you always wanted to know just what a memory actually is, or why we dream? What is our consciousness? Why do some people seem to ‘click’ with others? And can our brain really multi-task?

Goodreads * Amazon * Author Site

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EXCERPT:

Have you ever been standing at the top of a tall building or cliff edge and had a sudden but brief urge to jump? You have no real thought of actually doing it, and you are not depressed, suicidal, or otherwise distressed, but that urge appears nonetheless. As it turns out, neuroscience has a name for such an occurrence, high places phenomenon, sometimes termed the call to the void, and it is actually very normal and common. There are also reports of impulses to jump in front of a train, stick a hand in a fire, or turn a steering wheel into traffic. Thankfully, the person generally doesn't follow through, and although most accounts of this phenomenon are anecdotal, there is one team of scientists in Florida, USA, who decided to take another look. The research team asked 431 students about such episodes in their personal lives, and a surprising 55% acknowledged that they have experienced them at some stage in their lives.

Science has revealed to us that high place phenomenon is possibly the result of a split-second delay between two opposing brain signals. One signal is based on our survival instinct that notices danger and tells us that we should avoid it, such as falling from a great height, or a train hitting us in the face. Another signal coming from our more logical brain tells us that we are relatively safe where we are, and there is no real threat to our survival. The resulting signals are interpreted by our brain - now somewhat confused, for it to relay this rather bizarre message and we experience the high place phenomenon. So, if you ever have a sudden impulse to jump off the top of Mount Everest, just remember that it is normal, but please don't do it anyway.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr Mike Tranter is from the North of England and studied how drugs work in our body, but it wasn't long before he found his true calling as a neuroscientist. After a PhD in neuroscience, he spent years in research labs all over the world, studying how the brain works. Although, it is his prominent rise as a science communicator, opening up the world of neuroscience to everybody, that he enjoys the most.

Website * Goodreads * Instagram

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GUEST POST:

- What is your favorite little tidbit about the brain?

My favourite thing about the brain is that you can always learn more, and always improve yourself. It is never too late. It is a highly complex processing machine, that does millions, or billions of things without you ever knowing it, but it is very adaptable.

In fact, within an area of the memory region, scientists have seen new brain cells growing every day. Around 700! Typically, when we learn more, and test our brain, it is forced to make new connections. Brain cells will reach out to other cells and ‘talk’ to each other. It is amazing that we also grow cells throughout our life. For a long time, scientists believed that once the brain was formed, it never really grew more cells. But it does!

The best way to keep this process happening to keep learning, and to keep challenging yourself. People who can speak more than one language are very good at this. Their brains show a lot of improvement from the extra work they put in, and we can even see this in brain scans.

So what is your limit? When is it best to learn? The feeling that children learn the best, and adults struggle to improve in the same way is not true. Science has shown this. In fact, brain cells never stop growing. The oldest person to have shown this was a 97-year-old woman. 97!!!

It doesn’t matter where your brain is now, or where you think your brain is, it is always looking to improve and learn. You can always get that little bit better, and that 97 year old lady proved it.

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GIVEAWAY:

Michael Tranter, PhD will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway