Books

One Hand Clapping

Nikolay Kukushkin

‘Brilliant, bold and beautifully articulated’ Karl J. Friston, Professor of Neuroscience, University College London

Neuroscientist Nikolay Kukushkin reveals the miracle by which consciousness evolved out of the natural world, from the birth of the cell to the majesty of our modern minds.

Science says that you are nothing but a chemical reaction – a collection of atoms and molecules – like rocks, paperclips and everything else in the physical universe. But if that’s so, where is the place in this world for your consciousness? In a word, why does it feel so special to be you?

Like the Zen Buddhist riddle pondering the imponderable – the sound of a single hand clapping – this book asks the seemingly unanswerable question of how the human mind came to exist within the material world. In search of an answer, neuroscientist Nikolay Kukushkin takes readers on a billion-year journey through time from the roots of our existence to the advent of Homo sapiens, reimagining the story of our evolution. The result is an exhilarating book that embeds our consciousness within a single, unified story of life on Earth.

A work of ambitious intellectual scope, One Hand Clapping is distinguished as much by its originality as by the breadth of its imaginative reach – drawing from neuroscience, evolution, philosophy and a rich tapestry of cultural references, all brought to life by the author’s own illustrations. Told with the drama and daring of a mythical epic, it reaches deep into our oceanic past to show for the first time how the entire course of Earth’s history, from the earliest non-living particles, ultimately led to the formation of our own minds.

Hardback

ISBN: 9781800755000

Published: October 23, 2025

Ebook

ISBN: 9781800755017

Published: October 23, 2025

Category:

Reviews for One Hand Clapping

‘Brilliant, bold, and beautifully articulated, One Hand Clapping is the best of biological thought. Starting with the origins of life, Kukushkin deftly solves the chicken-and-egg problem, moves gracefully to the notion of emergence, and concludes with a compelling account of ourselves as curious creatures, co-constructing our cultural niches ― and all that entails for being you and me’ – Karl J. Friston, Professor of Neuroscience, University College London

‘Dazzling and breathtaking… Be prepared to abandon your pre-conceptions as Kukushkin takes readers on an audacious journey across the aeons of life on earth to arrive at one of the most thorough and yet provocative accounts for what makes humans the species we are. One Hand Clapping takes the scientific concepts of function, emergence, and recursion to new levels, freeing them from the tedium of simply technical explanations into jaw-dropping moments of insight that will leave you shaking with revelation. Do your brain a favour and read this masterpiece‘ – Bruce Hood, author of The Self Illusion and The Science of Happiness

‘A fun, engaging journey from the origins of life to the consciousness of human minds. Kukushkin sees the magic in the world and helps the reader see it, too. But not the impenetrable magic that wallows in mystery – instead, the kind of magic that leads to better questions, and deeper insight. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to better understand the world of molecules and why we are simultaneously in that world, but also, paradoxically, beyond it’ – Michael Levin, Distinguished Professor of Biology and Director of the Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University

‘It is a thrilling paradox to have the human mind read this work and learn its own origin, yet Kukushkin conquers it with ease… This ambitious telling is delivered in a digestible manner through the use of clever metaphors, entertaining doodles, and rigorous scientific data… This is an instant classic, for anyone interested in evolutionary psychology and neuroscience or who has a brain that wants to know about itself’ – Library Journal

Author

Nikolay Kukushkin

Nikolay Kukushkin is a Russian-born neuroscientist based in Brooklyn. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from St. Petersburg State University, a D. Phil. in biochemistry from Oxford University, and received post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School. He is currently a clinical assistant professor at New York University’s Liberal Studies, and a research fellow at NYU’s Center for Neural Science, where he studies the molecular, cellular and evolutionary foundations of memory formation. At NYU, he teaches an acclaimed course, “Life Science,” on which the present book is loosely based. An earlier version of One Hand Clapping won the most prestigious book prize for Russian nonfiction, the Enlightener (Prosvetitel) Award, as well as the Alexander Belyaev Medal, awarded to the best Russian-language nonfiction and science fiction.