Saturday, 10 January 2009

Key functions and features of your brain

It's shaped by evolution: the main genetic differences between humans and chimpanzees focus on the brain , particularly its social, emotional, linguistic and conceptual abilities

3 pounds, 1.1 trillion cells, including a hundred billion "grey matter" neurons

Always "on": 2% of the body's weight uses about 25% of its oxygen

Average neuron has about 1,000 connections (synapses), a hundred trillion in all

Synapses firing 1 to 100 times a second

Regions linked by brain waves synchronised within a few seconds

Extremely interconnected network full of circular loops

Number of possible brain states: 1 followed by a million zeros

An organ that learns from experiences through life long changes in its structure

The most complex object known in the universe

Reading this in " Measuring the Immeasurable" filled my heart with wonder and joy.

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