Emergence : a memoir of boyhood, computation, and the mysteries of mind / David Sussillo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sussillo, David, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Neuroscientists--United States--Biography.

Neuroscientists.

Cognitive science.

Thought and thinking.

thinking.

Sussillo, David.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

viii, 376 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2026.

Summary:

David Sussillo has made a career at the cutting edge of neuroscience and technology--yet his path there was anything but a straight line. Born to drug-addicted parents in New Mexico, he navigated a childhood marked by violence and neglect. But a seed was planted at the unlikeliest of places--the local arcade. What follows is a remarkable journey of resilience and transformation, from the chaotic corridors of group homes to the halls of Columbia and Stanford. Along the way, Sussillo takes readers on an illuminating tour of the century-long dance between neuroscience, physics, and computation that has laid the groundwork for neural networks--the technology that drives modern artificial intelligence. As he advances in the field, working to demystify these networks, he also begins to pursue an answer to a more personal question: why, and how, did he succeed against all odds? Emergence radiates heartbreak, humor, and scientific wonder, inviting readers on an unforgettable journey that bridges the personal and the profound, revealing how intricate complexities arise from simple beginnings.

Contents:

Prologue-The Princeton Neuroscience Retreat

Part 1-Disorder, 1975-1983. Booting up

We were perfect

The war zone

A crumbling house

Part 2-Chaos, 1983-1988. Orphaned by the living

Ask and ye shall find

David is cool

Road to nowhere

Omar and the commitment

Cholo-curious

What if tomorrow?

Thirty-two years old

Did we even say goodbye?

Part 3-Order, 1988-1993. Discover

Ninety-nine problems

The milt

The blob and the brown zebra

Inhale, exhale

The utterly unremarkable experiences of a mediocre swimmer

Part 4-The edge of chaos, 1993-1998. Serious decision number 3

A quarter for your past

Complex variables

The oracle hive mind

Boston shakers

Part 5-Emergence, 1998-Current day. Just say everything

Attractors

Useful networks

What remains

Ten thousand seats

Get the free life

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Notes

About the author.

Notes:

Includes bibliographic references.

ISBN:

1538768577

9781538768570

OCLC:

1527586972

Publisher Number:

90104363385