Dawn of the Neuron

Dawn of the Neuron: The Early Struggles to Trace the Origin of Nervous Systems By Michel Anctil, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2015, 370 pages, hardcover. In the mid-nineteenth century, scientists grouped jellyfish, comb-jellies, hydra, and sea anemones together under one term - "coelenterates" - due to their perceived similarity to plants. However, this classification was later challenged by Darwin's theory of evolution, which led to a fundamental shift in the study of nervous systems. This book explores how scientists responded to these changes, using simple-structured creatures like coelenterates and sponges to understand the building blocks of more complex nervous systems. Through photographs and historical sketches, Dawn of the Neuron reveals the labours and lives of scientists who studied coelenterate nervous systems over several generations. Their approaches were shaped by their cultural backgrounds, societal biases, and academic traditions, yet it was these very attitudes that proved decisive in the exploration of how neurons first emerged. This book provides a fascinating insight into the link between evolutionary theory and pioneering studies on the origin of nervous systems.