The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for triggering fear, is a critical component of human evolution. It’s the thing that tells most people not to backflip off a rooftop into a pool. Or warns them not to jump the Grand Canyon on a motorcycle. Or climb the three-thousand-plus face of Yosemite’s El Capitan without a rope. Few people see these death-defying stunts as challenges, testing the utmost limits of man. Many meet their demise in these tournaments with mortality.  Read More