• What does the author mean when he says we “mature glacially”? (117)—CSt

• On page 117, Are mirror neurons truly the adaptation that separates humans from other organisms?—DE

• On page 118 we learn about the history of the size of the human brain. Why do you think it took so long for us to begin using high brain functions?—NB

• “The hominin brain reached nearly its present size, and perhaps even its present intellectual capacity, about 300,000 years ago. Yet many of the attributes we regard as uniquely human such as toolmaking, fire building, art, music, and perhaps even full-blown language-appeared only much later, around 75,000 years ago.” Page 118. Judging from this passage, would it be possible to assume that the human race would eventually take a step further in an evolutionary revolution? Or that perhaps more advanced tools and innovations are in the future?—LH

• On Page 119 Ramachandran cites Jared Diamond and his book Guns Germs, and Steel why did he cite this writing? The book discusses how this “Great Leap” was possibly the greatest mistake known to man. I feel like this goes against what Ramachadran is trying to prove.—CB

• On page 121, it says, “mirror neurons enable you to imitate the movements of others, thereby setting the stage for the cultural ‘inheritance’ of skills developed and honed by others.” How do mirror neurons allow us to inherit these skills?—CJM

• On pg. 125, Ramachandran says that our mirror neurons tell us to not literally feel other people’s sensations, but rather to empathize with them. With this ability hardwired into our brains, are we meant to feel for and help each other? If so, why is it that our society is so individualistic?—MO

• On page 125, the author states, “The only thing separating your consciousness from another’s might be your skin.” when referring to the ability to feel pain and being touched simply by viewing it happen to another person. The rare disease known as Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP), is where a person cannot feel (or has never felt) physical pain. Does a person with this disorder, who sees another individual touched, mentally recognize the sensation or not? What does this say about whether or not mirror neurons are something learned or innate?—BY

• P. 131: Does the thing the mirror neurons mimic have to be human or an organism similar to a human? Do you think our mirror neurons could mimic an action of an inanimate object?—MT

• PG. 132: Do all humans have the same “cap” level when being able to imitate skills based on their mirror neurons?—HW

• Why do people not study Orangoutangs even though the are anatomically closer related to humans are then chimpanzees are? Pg. 132—DS

• In reference to page 132, do you think that it would be possible for orangutans to make the same leap that humans made to having culture?—ASC

• On the bottom of page 132 it talks about how mirror neurons allows humans to learn complex skills rapidly when seeing somebody else perform that skill. How would losing our mirror neurons affect the way we learn and our ability to communicate with others?—MM

• On pg. 133, possible solutions for the first “great leap” of human brain development include; a mutation, a statistical illusion (the brain developed over a large time period) and a genetic change. Are there any other hypothesis we can come up with to explain the “great leap”?—RG