5H Curricula Science Exercise 1, page 99.0:01
The human brain is the most complex object in the known universe.0:27
It packs 100 billion neurons into just 3 pounds, 1.4 kilograms, of what looks like gray jelly.0:31
It not only controls your other organs, regulates pleasure and pain, hunger and thirst, blood pressure and body temperature, but it also determines your personal identity through thoughts, memories, and emotions.0:38
Although the brain is often compared to a computer's central processing unit, it's quite different, and thinking of it in this way can lead to many misunderstandings.0:51
If you take a look at a human brain, you will see immediately that it's separated into two halves, or hemispheres.1:00
Over the last 100 years, scientists have come to realize that each side performs specific tasks.1:07
They also discovered that the left hemisphere controls the right side of your body, and vice versa.1:14
The two hemispheres are connected by a bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum.1:20
Much of what we know about the two-sided brain comes from research by a neuroscientist called Michael Gazzaniga.1:25
He studied people in hospitals with damage to the corpus callosum.1:33
Because the sides of their brains were not communicating well, there were some strange effects.1:37
Words, pictures, and memories got mixed up or lost.1:42
With careful experimentation, Gazzaniga was able to show how the brain divided everyday tasks between its hemispheres.1:46
Unfortunately, these discoveries have given rise to myths about the brain.1:53
According to some business consultants and self-help experts, the right part of the brain controls creativity and general thinking.1:58
The left deals with analysis and numbers.2:05
People have been encouraged to think of themselves as left-brained or right-brained.2:09
Real scientists say this is nonsense, but many lifestyle websites and even educational textbooks still promote the idea.2:13
The danger comes when people identify as one type and close themselves off from educational or employment opportunities.2:21
For instance, parents may decide their child is left-brained or right-brained and organize schooling on that basis.2:29
In fact, both hemispheres of the brain work together on all tasks.2:36
Furthermore, it's generally agreed that good scientists should think imaginatively, while successful artists need technical skills and attention to detail.2:41
This isn't the only mistake we make when we think of the brain as a computer with distinct components.2:49
Another difference is that the brain is plastic, meaning it can adapt and change.2:55
People with serious head injuries have made amazing recoveries, with their brains reshaping and some parts taking over the jobs formerly done by others.3:01
No machine can repair itself in the same way.3:09
Few people understand the human brain better than neurologist Professor V.C. Ramachandran, who says, "An ape can reach for a banana, but we can reach for the stars."3:13
Not only is the brain amazingly capable, it is also a surprisingly tough and reliable organ.3:24
It is a profound mystery, and when we try to simplify this miracle of creation to the level of a computer chip, we disrespect it and our own potential.3:30
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