The one thing that has changed the
world, that made human to leave the Earth into Cosmos, brought the human race from
wildlife to Era of Artificial Intelligence. Yes, all these credits goes to a powerful
organ that human have and known to the world as The Brain. It is a brain that nothing
seems impossible. And here we have a list of 101 facts about the brain.
101 Brain fact which include the facts from Evolution of the brain to Einstein’s brain organization.
List of 101 Interesting Facts about The Brain
1. The brain is a large squishy organ
located in the head, which is the scientific term for the Noggin. It serves as
the centre of the nervous system.
2. Well the nervous system is a complex
network of nerve cells that coordinate an individual's actions and behaviour by transmitting
signals both to and from different parts of the body.
3. In vertebrates i.e. us, the nervous
system is comprised of two main sections known as the central nervous system
and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the
brain and spinal cord. which is connected to the rest of the body through the
peripheral nervous system. which is made up of long nerve spread throughout the
body.
4. Nervous tissue first arrived on planet
Earth in worm-like organisms known to fancy science types as Ediacara Biota. Which
was squirming around all over the place roughly 550 to 600 million years ago.
5. The brain is far the most complex
organ in the human body, containing roughly 100 billion neurons. Neuron is a type
of cell that gathers, processes and transmitted information by electrochemical
signals basically.
6. Neurons vary in size and shape so
dramatically that, some people have compared them to snowflakes in that they
have a recognizable shape but are very diverse in form generally however
neurons are so small that thirty thousand could fit in the head of a pin.
7. The neocortex is the large forwarding
portion of the human brain. Responsible for much of the really complex brain
functions like cognition, sensory perception, motor commands and language. It
makes up approximately two-thirds of the total size of the brain which is huge relative
to other animals.
8. Any people make comparisons between the
brain and modern electronic computers. While it's obviously very different in
terms of physical properties and mechanisms, for instance, you can't look for
naughty videos in your head yet but similar in the sense that brains and
computers acquire store and process information in a variety of ways. A computer scientist Marvin Minsky once a said that the brain is just a computer that happens
to be made out of meat.
9. Historically, theories on how the mind
relates with the brain have fallen into three categories. First up Dualism
the view that the mind is in some regard non-physical and exist independently
from the brain then there’s Materialism, which argues that the mind
exists as a result of physical interactions in the brain and Idealism,
which holds that reality is mentally constructed and that only mental phenomena
exist.
10. The brain is also split into two
sections known as hemispheres. Throughout the 19th century and the beginning of
the 20th, it was believed that each side of the brain correspond to
a particular gender the left brain was masculine and the right was feminine.
And of course, the right side of the brain was regarded as inferior and thought to
be more prominent in women, criminals to mentally ill and basically, everybody
who was not the white man. Well, this is not true, however.
11. Due to its complexity, the average brain
uses roughly 20% of total energy in oxygen that humans consume. despite accounting
for only 2% of the body’s total weight.
12. If you're having trouble comprehending
exactly how incredibly complicated our brains are. Bear in mind roughly half of
all your genes describe the makeup of just your brain alone. The remaining 50% concern
the organization of the other 98% of your entire body number.
13. Roughly three-quarters of your brain
is good old-fashioned h2O. Commonly known by its name water. as a result
allowing yourself to become even slightly dehydrated will begin to affect your
attention memory and other cognitive abilities number.
14. Though you can survive for a few days
without water, your brain requires a constant supply of oxygen. which is why
we're all incessantly breathing . Without oxygen brain cells begin to die after
five minutes which will quickly result in severe irreversible brain damage.
15. In fact if the blood supply to the brains is interrupted, you will lose consciousness within ten seconds. This is known as brain ischemia from the Greeks meaning restrain and Heimer meaning blood.
16. Minsky guy earlier said brain was made
of meat. Well he was wrong mostly. Approximately 60% of the brain is fat making
it the fattest organ in the whole body. The average brain weighs roughly 1.4
kilograms or about 3 pounds for anyone who is alive.
17. The heaviest normal brain ever
recorded belonged to a Russian writer named Ivan Turgenev ,weighing in 2
kilograms or about 4.5 pounds for that's a chunky brain.
18. Having a big brain doesn’t necessarily
make you Einstein, which is partly because Einstein's brain weight only 1.2
kilograms which is roughly 10percent smaller than a average. See size doesn’t
matter . indeed a number of other highly intelligent people have been
small-brained , the French novelist and poet Anatole France who won the Nobel
Prize for Literature in 1921 had a brain that only weigh just over a kilogram.
19. Only 7 and a half hours after his death
Einstein’s brain was removed and photographed. part of the brain but cut up into
chunks and kept in a jar where they remained for almost 20 years. Other pieces
were cut into slices. They were examined and though many experts found no significant
differences. Some notice that Einstein’s brain appeared to have a greater density
of neurons as well as a larger number of glial cells, which hold neurons in place
and supply them with oxygen and nutrients.
20. As a result of the brain’s plus size
bigger. human brain tissue is actually not dense as you may have thought. It is
in fact a very fragile soft and squishy organ with consistency similar to that
of tofu. meaning you could easily cut it with a knife.
21. As such it is of paramount importance
that the brain is well protected. To cushion the brain from all the shaking and
jiggling of experiences every single day. The brain floats in a bath of clear
liquid called cerebrospinal fluid, which acts as a shock absorber and stops
unnecessary shaking of brain . The brain produces half a cup of this fluid
every day.
22. The brain is surrounded by a series of 22 bones which make up the cranium which is again the fancy science word for the skull. The skull forms a tough rigid protective covering around the brain so that when you bang your head into things your brain isn't immediately smashed into pieces like a jack-o'-lantern.
23. Each neuron is capable of transmitting
as many as 1,000 nerve impulses a second. Creating tens of thousands of synaptic
contacts with other neurons. This is literally all you are; weak electrical
signals whizzing around-inside a lump of gelatinous mass as it is responsible
for anyone existing memory.
24. As we've mentioned not all brain cells
are alike. in fact scientists have figured out that there is many's 10,000
specific varieties of neuron found in the brain number.
26. In fact men's brains are roughly 10 per cent bigger than women's brains. even after seeking to count the fact that men are generally
larger, women generally have denser brains - which sounds like a sexist insult
but actually is true and a good thing number.
27. Ultimately though there will always be
controversy in fringe opinions. The general consensus within the scientific
medical community is that there is no real difference in general intelligence
between men and women except for the single solitary area of the understanding
of the offside rule.
28. Some scientific study have suggested
that there appears to be greater variance of intelligence in men with more men
at the very top and the very bottom of the spectrum of intelligence .
29. Some people like to suggest that the
brains of women are wired in such a way as to make them superior multitaskers,
a claim that’s been widely promoted in the media and in conventional thought. In reality there is no real evidence to suggest that women are better
multitaskers with proven differences between the sexes being small or
inconsistent.
30. In fact most evidence suggests that barely
anyone, men or women can actually multitask. first of all what people often
mean by multitasking isn't literally doing several things simultaneously .but
switching attention back and forth between several tasks. in the vast majority
of people doing this decreases attention span, short-term memory and overall
mental performance. according to science, only 2% of people can effectively
multitask without inhibiting the performance or getting distracted.
31. Interestingly the brains from the Neanderthal
were as much as 10 per cent larger than our Homo Sapiens brain. Neanderthals
were often depicted as being slow and stupid. But it's highly likely that they
were roughly is intelligent and modern humans i.e. not very.
32. Incidentally, the creatures with the
largest brains are sperm whales, which lug around a huge brain weighing 8 kilograms.
unfortunately for sperm whales, this does make them uber brainy denizens of the
oceans.
33. Babies have brains that are enormous
relative to the size of their bodies though they are not even close to fully
developed .the brain of your average two-year-old is closer to 80% as large as
that of an adult .
34. The brain keeps growing for long-time.
Motor scientists consider a person to be an adult around the ages of 18 to 21 and
even younger in some cultures. however biologically speaking the human brain
doesn’t reach full maturity until at least the age of 25 .
35. Though there are certain areas of the
brain which generally deal with particular brain functions much more mental
processing involves several brain regions working together. The brain is fairly
malleable in this regard, such that when one area is damaged others can take
over. In fact some forms of epilepsy are occasionally treated with a procedure
known as a hemispherectomy. In which one half of the brain is disconnected,
disabled or even removed entirely usually without any major loss of cognition
memory or personality.
36. There is no such thing as a left-brained
or right-brained person or left or right-brained personality type. while there
are certain areas on the left or right side of the brain that generally deal
with certain mental processes. there is no evidence that humans have a dominant
hemisphere .
37. Scientists have discovered that the
brain is able to process and extract the meaning from an image that is seen
first little as 13 milliseconds. that’s less than the time it takes to carry
out a single blink . Where your brain practically ignores anyway.
38. The information in your brain which is
around inside its gooey folds at a speed of 268 miles per hour. Formula one
cars max out at somewhere around 240miles per hour meaning that your braining a
very figurative purely not actually comparable sense works faster than a
Formula One car.
39. However it is possible to starve your
brain of exercise. to the point that it actually reduces its ability to function. If the area's involved in carrying out certain actions are not being used the
neural connections begin to fade away For instance entirely relying on GPS to navigate
while driving diminishes your innate sense of direction ,which developed over
thousands and thousands of years in humans who did not have access to navigation
technology.
40. When a person is awake their brain
generates approximately 12 to 25 watts of electricity, enough to power up a low
wattage bulb. it might not illuminate a football pitch you might just be able
to read by it.
41. It's believed that the average brain
generates up to 50,000 thoughts a day, which include thought from getting out
of bed in morning to turning off light switch before getting back to bed for
sleep.
42. Some people have estimated they love
these thousands of daily thoughts that each person generates. As many 70% of
them are negative in that they are self-critical, pessimistic or fearful.
43. As much as an entire litre of blood flows through the brains mushy clumps of matter every single minute. That’s roughly the equivalent of an entire bottle of wine except it's not wines its blood.
44. Apparently human brains have been
significantly reduced in size over the past ten to twenty thousand years. That loss
in volume is equivalent to the size of a tennis ball. scientists aren't really
sure why this is happening as many studies are done to demonstrate it.
45. The average cab driver in has been
proven to have a significantly larger than average hippocampus. The part of the
brain considered to be the centre of memory. This is because of the intense
mental workout they go through while constantly navigating all of the thousands of
streets
46. It's also been proven that chronic
stress and depression can of a profound physical effect on the brain either of
them can literally cause the brain to shrink.
47. Part of the reason that dieting is so
difficult is also down to processes in your brain. when the body’s deprived of
food neurons in the brain begin to cannibalize parts of themselves in a protest
known as Autophagy. Which literally means self-eating i.e. that’s right the brain
starts to eat itself this provides them with the source of energy but also sets
off hunger signals which prompt you to eat quickly.
48. Drinking alcohol does not kill brain
cells. Consuming alcohol can damage the connective tissue at the end of neurons
but that's only if you're a raging alcoholic.
49. Another popular alcohol-based
misconception claims that heavy drinking will make you forget what you did when
you were drunk. It's not because you forgot. In reality, you never attained any memory
of your obnoxious behaviour, to begin with. this is because while you're very
intoxicated your brain is temporarily incapable of forming new memories .Therefore
there's nothing to remember because you never got the memory anyway.
50 Another popular myth holds that humans
only use 10% of their brains. Although public awareness of this not even being
the slightest bit true is increasing the myth persists. For instance, the film Lucy
which is an absolute show-off of all
about a woman who unlocks the remaining 90% of brains was released in 2014 but reality
humans use all of their brains and its area to perform their daily activity. It
can be demonstrated by CT Scan of Brain.
51. You may have also heard that human beings
have more brain cells and there are stars in the Milky Way. as mentioned humans
possess around 100 billion neurons but most estimates suggest that the Milky
Way could contain up to 400 billion stars.
52. It’s frequently claimed that there are
10,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain with some claiming that number could
be as high as 400 thousand miles. In reality, that number is impressively high
but nowhere near 10 thousand or 400 thousand miles. In fact, there's only 600
thousand miles worth of blood vessels in the entire body.
53. The so-called Mozart Effect which
claims that playing Mozart to babies makes them smarter as adults has also been
debunked. although there's evidence to support the claim that listening to
certain kinds of music can improve memory and concentration. There is nothing
particularly special about Mozart as an intelligent increaser.
54. Many people also believe that
exceptional memory is innate and that people with excellent mental recall are
born that way. the vast majority of people who exhibits incredible memory
skills are trained for years to home them, as is the case for most competitors
in so-called memory sports. In which people actually compete to see who has the
superior memory. The first world memory championship was held in 1991 which
tests the ability of competitive ‘to remember strings of random numbers, binary
digit detector playing cards and random words and names.
55. However there are a very small number of
people who do appear to possess incredible memory abilities from birth .for
instance John Von Neumann was a Hungarian American mathematician, physicist and
computer scientist who was capable of reciting verbatim any book he had ever
read. Even those from many many years earlier.
56. Although pain is processed in the brain
and actually rhymes. The brain itself cannot hurt as it has no pain receptors
what so ever headaches are triggered by pain receptors in nearby structures such
as muscles, blood vessels, joints and the sinuses. This is why brain surgery
can be performed painlessly on patients who are wide awake using only local anaesthetic.
57. One fact that is not a myth about the power of the brain. it is often said that the brain is more powerful than any super-computer and that is 100% verifiably truth. By some comparisons, the brain remains at least thirty times as powerful as the best super-computer on earth.
58. In 2014 Japan's Kei computer one of
the most powerful supercomputers in the world was programmed to simulate human
brain activity to test the limits of neural simulation software. It took the
computer 40 minutes to carry out the computational equivalent of just one
second of brain activity.
59. Well brains must have a physical limit
to the amount of information it can store. humans simply don't live long enough
to reach the maximum capacity for memory. as such it's practically unlimited.
60. Research carried out by the Salk
Institute for Biological studies suggest that the brain’s capacity for memory
could be in the petabytes range. which would make it's large and probably as
filthy as the entirety of the Internet.
61. Dr Emmanuel Duncan, director of the
laboratory of cognitive psychotherapy at the University of Illinois believes that
the vast majority of cognitive activity
is non-conscious, saying it could be as much as 99%. As such your brain is
shaping your decisions and actions well before you are consciously aware of
doing it.
62. Your brain is protected by a highly
selective membrane called the blood-brain barrier. which stops many foreign
substances from coming into contact with the brain. however, alcohol enters the
brain in a matter of minutes and nicotine takes only seven seconds to sneak
past the barrier.
63. The brain is not perfect at keeping
everything in the right place. Synesthesia, for example is a neurological
condition in which the stimulation of one sensory pathway automatically and
instantaneously evokes the perception of another. People with synesthesia also
known as Synthetic often experience strange sensory mixtures such as seeing
music as colours. It's thought that the brains of such people are
hyperconnected between sensory areas of the brain which cause such sensory overlap.
64. Studies have shown the bacteria
in the gut can affect how the brain works and the Tulsa ringed diet can
improve brain function directly. It is well known for a very long time that the
brain turn signals to the gut but only
recently it is confirmed that the reverse is also true. As such problems with guts can directly trigger feelings of
depression and anxiety. And consuming yoghurts packed with probiotics can
improve one's mood.
65. A study carried out in 2012 by macarid
University found individuals who exhibit psychopathic tendencies have trouble
identifying odours. This is thought to be because of the proximity of the
olfactory bulb a part of the brain involved in smell to the frontal lobe, which
deals with planning and forward-thinking. the frontal lobe is underactive in
Psychopaths, making them erratic and impulsive. So diminished activity in the
same area will also affect odour perception.
66. Speaking of psychopaths, sometimes a
psychopath is lurking right under your nose, not because they're attracted to
noses or anything but because the psychopath is you. In 2006 Dr James Falyn a
neuroscientist who studied the brains of psychopathic killers, decided to scan
his own brain as to control only to discover that his brain exhibited the trait
of a full-blown psychopath. It was only then that he began to realize that much
of his past behaviour could be easily categorized as psychopathic and the
general response from his friends and family was that explains a lot.
67. Blueberries, in particular, are known to
be good for your brain as they have chemical properties that protect neurons
from damage. Tests on both animals and humans have shown that consuming
blueberries can improve learning and memory and actually delays cognitive ageing.
68. During REM for phase in a sleep cycle in
which the brain is highly active and dreams most often occur. Brain literally
paralyzes the body in a process called REM Atonic. This is so that one cannot
physically act out to their dreams which is good. But it can continue after the person
has woken up, leaving them conscious and aware but completely immobilized. This
is known as sleep paralysis and although it usually lasts less than a couple of
minutes, is reported to be extremely frightening.
69. Speaking of dreaming, no one is really
sure why we do it. Some scientists believe dreams exist as a way of exercising
the brain by keeping it stimulated during sleep. Whereas others believe that
dreaming allows the brain to fully process thoughts and experiences you've had
during the day.
70. People experience an average of four
to seven dreams per night. If you think you don't dream it’s very possible that
you do but you just don’t remember them.
71. Dreams are often extremely difficult
to record because most people forget 50% of them within the first five minutes
after waking up. after 10 minutes roughly 90% of the dream is gone forever.
72. During REM sleep the brain experiences
a significant increase in blood flow which also causes the brain to rise in
temperature.
73. Studies show that parts of the human
brain remain alert when sleeping in a new place for the first time. This is
apparently a reaction to the unfamiliarity and uncertainty of the new
environments that your brain cannot be sure are entirely safe. So your brain is
your own guard dog.
74. During sleep your brain essentially
gets washed by cerebrospinal fluid which removes waste created by brain cells including
something called amyloid-beta proteins. The build-up of which is proven to cause
Alzheimer’s disease, this washing process only happens while you sleep which is
why getting enough of it now is so important for cognitive health later in life.
75. It's been known for a long time that the
muscles on one side of your body are controlled by the opposite hemisphere of
the brain and vice-versa. this means that damage to one side of the brain often
affects control of the opposite side of the body. there's a number of theories
as to why this is with some suggesting it's useful for balancing coordination
and others believing it has implications for the development of binocular vision.
76. The Harvard brain tissue Resource
Center in Belmont Massachusetts stores are maintained over 3,000 human brains. The centre was established in 1978 to create centralized resource for use in brain
research and send samples of human brains to scientists all over the US.there’s
even a page on their website that allows you to apply to donate your brain for
medical and scientific research.
77. When a tiny cute little fetus is
developing in the womb its brain grows by roughly 250,000 neurons per minute. This slows down substantially afterbirth but humans continue to create new
neurons throughout their lives.
78. During pregnancy a woman’s brain actually shrinks and may take up to six months to return to full size rather than turning pregnant women into blithering idiots. It's thought that this protest actually improves efficiency, improving the mother's ability to interpret the emotions of their babies which in turn facilitates increased maternal attachment.
79. The cerebellum is the area of the brain
responsible for maintaining posture, walking and the coordination of movement. It’s located in the lower back region of the brain and weighs about 150 grams or
roughly a third of a pound.
80. The cerebellum is also the reason why you
can’t tickle yourself. When you attempt to do so your cerebellum predicts the
sensation and cancels it out.
81. In some culture’s animal brains are
considered a culinary delicacy. For example in Indiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom, animal brains have been described as having an animalistic flavour which
is more than a little redundant as it's victory true for any edible part of any
animal ever.
82. The active yawning has been observed in
dozens of animal species and it’s generally associated with tiredness or
boredom. The actual function of yawning isn't fundamentally agreed upon but
numerous theories exist. Some believe that yawning supplies the brain with more
oxygen whereas others think that it helps to regulate brain temperature.
83. Ancient people in their hilarious
ignorance often considered organs like the heart and stomach to be the origin
of personality and intelligence. ancient Egyptians literally thought it made
snot which is probably why they just pulled it out of the nose and threw it
away when embalming mummies.
84. There also exists special type of
brain cell called a mirror neuron, which fires both when an individual is
performing in action and when they observe the performance of the same action
in another. Discovered in the 90s mirror neurons are the reason why you flinch
when you see someone else get injured and though there's a lot of scepticism
regarding their function, some believe mirror neurons are in fact involved in
empathy.
85. Part of the reason why school can
often be so mind-numbingly boring is because the brain is literally incapable of
concentrating for long periods the human brain requires a break at least once
every 90 minutes in order to maintain concentration. As such multiple small
breaks are better at keeping people engaged in a particular topic than one
large lunchbreak.
86. While eating chocolate is a highly
pleasurable experience to most people simply smelling chocolate has been proven
to physically calm you down and relax you. this is because the aroma of
chocolate increases the amount of Delta waves in the brain which are strongly
associated with attentiveness and sleep.
87. Ever wondered why we cry both when we
extremely happy and extremely sad. well get ready to no longer wonder that, a
specific part of the limbic brain called the hypothalamus it’s highly evolved
in processing emotions and triggers crying as a response to intense emotions whether
they are positive or negative. some people theorize that this could be to
create a visible signal to others that we may need to be comforted.
88. In the 1980's a man known only as George
attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head as his severe OCD and phobia of
germs made his life unbearable. however not only did George survive the injury
he sustained eliminated his mental illness without causing any other brain
damage.
89. Some scientists have discovered that
just being around people you find annoying slows the rate at which the mind
processes movement. to the point that such people may appear to move more
slowly than they actually are.
90. Your brain is constantly working to
maintain a sense of continuity in your vision and perception of time but even the
slightest movement of the eyes disrupt this. wherever you quickly move your
eyes from one point to focus to another, there's a tiny disruption in your
vision which your brain fills in by forcing you to perceive the new visual
scene for a split second longer. This is why when you first look at an analogue
clock it appears as though the secondhand takes a moment longer than a second
to move.
91. In 2012 a man named Bruce Abridgement
went to see the Martin Scorsese movie Hugo in 3D. Bruce had spent the entirety
of a 67-year long life stereo blind. Which is the inability to experience depth
perception. however when he put on his 3D glasses something in his brain
suddenly clicked into gear and he's been able to experience three-dimensional
vision ever since.
92. In 2002 a man named Jason Padgett
received a head injury in a mugging that seriously affected his brain in an
unexpected way. After he returned from hospital he began to notice geometric
shapes all over his house, meaning he became fascinated with physics and
mathematics and developed the ability to visualize highly complex mathematical
concepts intuitively. He is now considered one of the very few people in the
world to have acquired savant syndrome. In which increased mental capabilities
emerged following the injury to the brain.
93. Part of the reason why people engage
in self-harm is because of the brain's reaction to pain. When people self-injure
the brain immediately releases a wave of endorphins. These hormones are usually
released in response to regulate injuries, as they provide a soothing sensation
and act as a natural painkiller that being said though it is seriously
dangerous to do this.
94. The chills you get when listening to
very good music is caused by the brain releasing dopamine this only really
happens when a piece of music really speaks to you.
95. A study conducted in 2014 found that
almost half all homeless men had experienced an atraumatic brain injury. all of
those that had 87 per cent of them sustained the injury before becoming homeless
.
96. Studies have proven that playing the
video game Super Mario 64 increases greywater in the brain demonstrating that
video games can improve special orientation fine motor skills and strict
planning.
97. Being kept in solitary confinement for an extended period of time can literally cause neurological damage. so profound it
can be observed directly on brain scans. It is claimed that such damage could be
a series of certain physical injuries.
98. The part of the eye that is usually exposed to
a focused image; the retina is actually an extension of the brain meaning that
you can see with an exposed part of your own brain.
99. Studies have shown that part of the
brain that process pain are activated more so when paying for expensive things
with cash than with a credit card.
100. In 2003 an ER doctor by the name of
Keith Siebert sin' saved someone’s life by drilling into their skull relieving
pressure from his brain is caused by internal bleeding the shocking part is
that he performed this emergency surgery in a car park using a cordless drill.
101. As long as you have working eyes and a nose Your nose is always visible. your brains just choosing to ignore it. As such Developers of virtual reality headsets Have found that adding a nose to Driftage reduces nausea as your brain Expect it to be there so it can be Ignored.
This was all about the facts of Brain that has amaze you or provided some extra knowledge on it. Well there are some more to have a look on. There are many myths and mis conception about many of medical things .
So you may also like to have look on 101 Medical facts and Mythbusters