Science and Technology




The Human Brain

The human brain is one the humans body largest organs.

The ancient Egyptians thought so little of brain matter they made a practice of removing it from dead leaders before packing the skull with cloth before burial. They believed consciousness resided in the heart, a view shared by Aristotle and a legacy of medieval thinkers. As late as 1662, philosopher Henry More scoffed that the brain showed "no more capacity for thought than a cake of suet, or a bowl of curds."

As science has advanced so has our knowledge of the brain. It is now known that the brain is the “control center” for everything from being able to walk and talk to the reasoning and calculating of our thoughts.

The medical world today is as intrigued with the brain as much as the ancient Egyptians were. Although the discoveries made over the years has been massive, today we still find more questions to ask and more answers to be found.

About the Brain

Making sense of the brain's mind-boggling complexity isn't easy. What we do know is that it's the organ that makes us human, giving people the capacity for art, language, moral judgments, and rational thought. It's also responsible for each individual's personality, memories, movements, and how we sense the world.

All this comes from a jellylike mass of fat and protein weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). It is, nevertheless, one of the body's biggest organs, consisting of some 100 billion nerve cells that not only put together thoughts and highly coordinated physical actions but regulate our unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing.

Interesting Facts about the Brain

  • Your brain uses 20% of your body's energy, but it makes up only 2% of your body's weight.
  • Approximately 20% of the blood flowing from the heart is pumped to the brain. The brain needs constant blood flow in order to keep up with the heavy metabolic demands of the neurons.
  • An adults brain requires around 20% of the body's oxygen.
  • Your cerebral cortex is about as thick as a tongue depressor. It grows thicker as you learn and use it.
  • Your brain is about 1300-1400 cubic centimeters in volume, about the size of a cantaloupe and wrinkled like a walnut.
  • The brain feels like a ripe avocado and looks pink because of the blood flowing through it.
  • Your brain generates 25 watts of power while you're awake---enough to illuminate a light bulb.
  • A newborn baby's brain grows almost 3 times in course of first year
  • Humans have the most complex brain of any animal on earth.
  • Your brain is divided into two sides. The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body; and, the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body.
  • Toxins in commonplace items such as carpeting and shower curtains may be contributing to memory loss over time?
  • Overexposure to aluminum compounds—in foil, cookware, deodorants, antacids, toothpaste—can affect brain function
  • Lavender can help you sleep
  • A cooked potato can jump-start your brain when you're feeling foggy.
  • The essential oil of jasmine can quickly restore mental alertness
  • Eating foods rich in vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C may help lower your risk of Alzheimer's disease.
  • Certain prescription and nonprescription drugs may dramatically affect your ability to concentrate.

Other Facts about the Human Brain

  • Results from cognitive tests show 30% of 80-year-olds perform as well as young adults.
  • More electrical impulses are generated in one day by a single human brain than by all the telephones in the world.
  • How much does human brain think? 70,000 is the number of thoughts that it is estimated the human brain produces on an average day.
  • After age 30, the brain shrinks a quarter of a percent (0.25%) in mass each year.
  • Albert Einsteins brain weighed 1,230 grams (2.71 lbs), significantly less then the human average of 1,300g to 1,400g (3 lbs).
  • Each year Americans consume 50 billion aspirin tablets or 15.5 million tons.
  • 89.06 is the percentage of people who report normally writing with their right hand, 10.6% with their left and 0.34% with either hand.