The Transmitter’s Books section highlights books written by and for neuroscientists. In 2025, we published excerpts from books that tackled a wide range of neuroscience topics, including scientific misconduct in Alzheimer’s research, the potential upside of embracing natural neuroscience, and the latest advances in avian brain research. Check out our five most-read book excerpts of the year.
‘Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s’
by Charles Piller
Investigative journalist Charles Piller tells the story of the scientific misconduct that shook Alzheimer’s disease research to its core, and the neuroscientist who helped to expose it.
‘Natural Neuroscience: Toward a Systems Neuroscience of Natural Behaviors’
by Nachum Ulanovsky
In his new book, Nachum Ulanovsky calls on the field to embrace naturalistic conditions and move away from overcontrolled experiments.
‘Bioethics and Brains: A Disciplined and Principled Neuroethics’
by James Giordano and John Shook
Giordano and Shook examine how ethics can guide neuroscience research and its real-world applications.
‘Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders—and How We Can Change That’
by Nicole Rust
Nicole Rust takes the reader on her personal quest to spell out the brain research community’s “Grand Plan.”
‘Bird Brains and Behavior: A Synthesis’
by Andrew Iwaniuk and Georg Striedter
In their new book, Georg Striedter and Andrew Iwaniuk dive deep into the latest research on the neural mechanisms of avian behavior.
