This lecture course will outline how the human brain develops from a microscopic cluster of cells, through fetal development, to the moment of birth and beyond. It will characterise the major features in evolution and development that have led to the emergence of this powerful thinking machine. We'll look at how the developing brain patterns itself; how it generates such an enormous array of cells then wires them together with precision. How then, we can ask, does this give rise to perception, cognition, and the multiple features that make human brains the most complex structure in the universe? Finally, we will take a tentative look at how neurodiversity arises, and why each of us is unique. There is no course work or preparatory reading, and while a basic knowledge of Biology (O Level) would be an asset, it is not required.