THE PERFORMANCE CORTEX

In the tradition of The Sports Gene by David Epstein and The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, THE PERFORMANCE CORTEX is an entertaining deep dive into the science of skill that will appeal to sports fans and science enthusiast alike.

Zach only intended to write a few hundred words for The New York Times about two young neuroscientists looking inside the brains of athletes performing possibly the hardest task in sport: hitting a baseball. But what he discovered was a host of movement researchers on the search for the essence of skill.

In this wide-ranging, deeply sourced and researched book, Schonbrun accompanies researchers, players, coaches, and scouts on a journey to understand human movement and its spectacular potential. Answering questions along the way like why Sir Jackie Stewart was a three-time world champion Formula 1 driver in an era of fiery crashes; why Michael Jordan couldn't hit; why modern robotics can't come close to replicating the delicate dexterity of a 5-year-old's hand; why tennis stars might be math geniuses; and why all animals have brains in the first place.

What makes Peyton Manning, Roger Federer, or Misty Copeland the best at what they do? The answer is brains not brawn, and the implications for sports and performance industries are staggering One day brain scanning may be as rote as a yearly physical. A neural profile could be assigned to each player like a mental scouting report. Brain metrics could flash on the scoreboard the way radar guns register how fast a pitcher is throwing. A young latent athlete tooling in front of a computer screen might be identified as the next Steph Curry.

Zach Schonbrun has been a contributing writer for the New York Times since 2011, covering primarily sports and business. Six of his articles have appeared on the newspaper's front page. He graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in economics in 2009 and earned a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in 2011. His work has also appeared in ESPN the Magazine, Newsday, the Washington Post, Yahoo Sports, Vice, and SB Nation Longform. In Jan. 2015, he published a 10,000-word Amazon Kindle Single, ONE GREAT SHOE, which was selected as one of the Best Kindle Singles of the Year. Schonbrun, 29, lives in New York City with his fiancée, Missy.