101 theory drive

the long version

An obsessive scientist and his eclectic team of researchers race to discover one of the hidden treasures of neuroscience--the physical makeup of memory--and in the process pursue a pharmaceutical wonder drug. Gary Lynch is the epitome of the rebel scientist: malnourished, contentious, inspiring, explosive, ambitious, and consistently brilliant. He is one of the foremost figures of contemporary neuroscience, and his decades-long quest to understand the inner workings of the brain's memory machine has begun to pay off. Journalist Terry McDermott spent nearly two years observing Lynch at work and now gives us a fascinating account of daily life in his lab--the highs and lows, the drudgery and eureka moments, the agonizing failures. He provides detailed, lucid explanations of the cutting-edge science that enabled Lynch to reveal the inner workings of the molecular machine that manufactures memory.--From publisher description.