Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey Into Seeing in Three Dimensions
maio de 2009 · Vendido por Basic Books
4,5star
2 recensións
Libro electrónico
272
Páxinas
family_home
Apto
info
Acerca deste libro electrónico
A revelatory account of the brain's capacity for change
When neuroscientist Susan Barry was fifty years old, she experienced the sense of immersion in a three dimensional world for the first time. Skyscrapers on street corners appeared to loom out toward her like the bows of giant ships. Tree branches projected upward and outward, enclosing and commanding palpable volumes of space. Leaves created intricate mosaics in 3D.
Barry had been cross-eyed and stereoblind since early infancy. After half a century of perceiving her surroundings as flat and compressed, on that day she saw the city of Manhattan in stereo depth for first time in her life. As a neuroscientist, she understood just how extraordinary this transformation was, not only for herself but for the scientific understanding of the human brain. Scientists have long believed that the brain is malleable only during a "critical period" in early childhood. According to this theory, Barry's brain had organized itself when she was a baby to avoid double vision - and there was no way to rewire it as an adult. But Barry found an optometrist who prescribed a little-known program of vision therapy; after intensive training, Barry was ultimately able to accomplish what other scientists and even she herself had once considered impossible. Dubbed "Stereo Sue" by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks, Susan Barry tells her own remarkable journey and celebrates the joyous pleasure of our senses.
When neuroscientist Susan Barry was fifty years old, she experienced the sense of immersion in a three dimensional world for the first time. Skyscrapers on street corners appeared to loom out toward her like the bows of giant ships. Tree branches projected upward and outward, enclosing and commanding palpable volumes of space. Leaves created intricate mosaics in 3D.
Barry had been cross-eyed and stereoblind since early infancy. After half a century of perceiving her surroundings as flat and compressed, on that day she saw the city of Manhattan in stereo depth for first time in her life. As a neuroscientist, she understood just how extraordinary this transformation was, not only for herself but for the scientific understanding of the human brain. Scientists have long believed that the brain is malleable only during a "critical period" in early childhood. According to this theory, Barry's brain had organized itself when she was a baby to avoid double vision - and there was no way to rewire it as an adult. But Barry found an optometrist who prescribed a little-known program of vision therapy; after intensive training, Barry was ultimately able to accomplish what other scientists and even she herself had once considered impossible. Dubbed "Stereo Sue" by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks, Susan Barry tells her own remarkable journey and celebrates the joyous pleasure of our senses.
Valoracións e recensións
4,5
2 recensións
Acerca do autor
Susan R. Barry is a professor of neurobiology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Mount Holyoke College. She speaks regularly to scientists, eye doctors, and educators on the topic of neuronal plasticity. She has been featured on NPR and in a New Yorker article by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks entitled "Stereo Sue." She and her husband have two grown children and live in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Valora este libro electrónico
Dános a túa opinión.
Información de lectura
Smartphones e tabletas
Instala a aplicación Google Play Libros para Android e iPad/iPhone. Sincronízase automaticamente coa túa conta e permíteche ler contido en liña ou sen conexión desde calquera lugar.
Portátiles e ordenadores de escritorio
Podes escoitar os audiolibros comprados en Google Play a través do navegador web do ordenador.
Lectores de libros electrónicos e outros dispositivos
Para ler contido en dispositivos de tinta electrónica, como os lectores de libros electrónicos Kobo, é necesario descargar un ficheiro e transferilo ao dispositivo. Sigue as instrucións detalladas do Centro de Axuda para transferir ficheiros a lectores electrónicos admitidos.
