Eric Kandel's New Book

Just saw a glowing review in the NY Times' Suday Book Section on Eric Kandel's new autobiography: In Search of Memory.

Prof Kandel is one of the nicest people in science (and one of the most enjoyable lecturers). And this book seems to convey his love of work and of life. From the Ny Times review:

Kandel's early studies were done using the simplest of neural circuits: a single sensory cell connected via a synapse to a single motor cell mediating the gill withdrawal reflex of the giant marine snail, Aplysia. This experimental preparation provided a complete biological system in which to scrutinize ways of altering the strength of the synapse by varying the stimuli to which it was exposed. Aplysia was chosen because of the small number of cells in its brain and their very large size, which allowed for detailed observations.

Kandel's account of the uses of Aplysia exemplifies one of the ancillary treasures of "In Search of Memory" -- its author's ability to weave seamlessly into the narrative his explications of some of the most fundamental precepts upon which contemporary biological research is based, so that a reader comes to understand their unifying themes. The use of this relatively simple creature, for example, demonstrates the principle that identifying the best laboratory model is a very specific part of the problem under study and is therefore essential to success. It also illustrates an underlying proposition of all studies on lower forms whose results can be applied to humans, namely that natural selection does not discard genetic adaptations that work effectively. Molecular mechanisms that do the job in a sea slug are very likely to be found doing a similar job in us.

...

If there is another book that does a better job of demonstrating how biological research is done, or of telling the story of a brilliant scientist's career, I don't know it. Nor do I know one that better conveys the unique excitement that drives the success of research and permeates the thinking of its most able practitioners, or that gives a better descriptive narrative of the historical evolution of our understanding of mind.

Wow!