January 1, 2013
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The Brain
The book I read to research this post was The Brain A Very Short Introduction by Michael O'Shea which is an excellent book. The brain has over 100 billion neurons and has over 100 trillion interconnections. By comparison a bee has a million neurons & is probably the most intelligent insect. The sea slug has neurons you can see with the naked eye. The human ones are microscopic but practically all animals have some form of neurons. The human brain has a large frontal cortex which gives it powerful thinking abilities. The earth is 4 1/2 billion years old & has only had life for 3 1/2 billions which is more or less how long it has taken the human brain to develop. Pre historic man had a slightly bigger brain than modern man but had a less developed frontal cortex. One thing we don't know is why whales & dolphins have such large brains. We do know they can communicate so obviously some of it's used for that. The brain isn't an isolated organ and extends threw the spine & even the eyes are a part of it. Your nervous system is an interconnected part of it. In fact in some organs like the heart there are cells similiar to brain cells. I saw a programme about some people who have had heart transplants have taken on aspects of the former owners personality but that only happens occasionally.
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