Science Spin 47 July 2011 | Page 12

Continuing our series in which dr Veronica Miller explains what we know about the brain and how it works THInkIng AHEAd HAPTIC feet PART NINE P rimordial earth was a perilous place with lava filled landscapes and desolate rocky plains. Primordial humans, or single celled bacteria as we were known, filled the warm pools on the edge of nascent seas. Their most important thoughts were to stay warm, get food and replicate. In many ways, the billion celled bodies we inhabit nowadays are no different. Except food, shelter, and heating are easily obtainable. This means our brains are freed from the shackles of survival, and can expand in ways never possible before. then we too possess the potential for genius from birth. And if its possible to hijack normal neural networks to retrain our brains as we wish, then the brain possess a remarkable ability to remodel itself. Evolution of genius In the future, there will be nothing to stop you creating