Navigation is the key human skill. It's something we do everywhere; whether feeling our way through a bedroom in the dark; or charting a ship's course. But how does navigation affect our brains; our memory; ourselves? Blending scientific research and memoir; and written in beautiful prose; Finding North starts with a quest by the author to understand this most basic of human skills---and why it's in mortal peril.In 1844; Foy's great-great grandfather; captain of a Norwegian cargo ship; perished at sea after getting lost in a snowstorm. Foy decides to unravel the mystery surrounding Halvor Michelsen's death---and the roots of his own obsession with navigation---by re-creating his ancestor's trip using only period instruments. Beforehand; he meets a colorful cast of characters to learn whether men really have better directional skills than women; how cells; eels; and spaceships navigate; and how tragedy results from GPS glitches. He interviews a cabby who has memorized every street in London; sails on a Haitian cargo sloop; and visits the site of a secret navigational cult in Greece.At the heart of Foy's story is this fact: navigation and the brain's memory centers are inextricably linked. As Foy unravels the secret behind Halvor's death; he also discovers why forsaking our navigation skills in favor of GPS may lead not only to Alzheimers and other diseases of memory; but to losing a key part of what makes us human.
Edwin Porter Thompson 2010-06-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.69 x 1.91 x 7.44l; 3.73 #File Name: 1174009160970 pagesHistory of the First Kentucky Brigade
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