Strange Brains and Genius

Never has the term <em>mad scientist</em> been more fascinatingly explored than in internationally recognized popular science author Clifford Pickover's richly researched wild ride through the bizarre lives of eccentric geniuses. A few highlights: </p><strong>The Pigeon Man from Manhattan</strong> Legendary inventor Nikola Tesla had abnormally long thumbs a peculiar love of pigeons and a horror of women's pearls.</p><strong>The Worm Man from Devonshire</strong> Forefather of modern electric-circuit design Oliver Heaviside furnished his home with granite blocks and sometimes consumed only milk for days (as did Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison).</p><strong>The Rabbit-Eater from Lichfield</strong> Renowned scholar Samuel Johnson had so many tics and quirks that some mistook him for an idiot. In fact his behavior matches modern definitions of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome.</p>Pickover also addresses many provocative topics: the link between genius and madness the role the brain plays in alien abduction and religious experiences UFOs cryonics -- even the whereabouts of Einstein's brain!</p>