According to those who have touched it, the human brain has a similar texture to...
According to people who would know (scientists and zombies), the human brain has the same consistency as tofu. It has also been compared to custard and gelatin.
True or False: Your brain does not burn calories.
False! At rest, your brain uses one-fifth of a calorie per minute. To be exact, we’re talking about 10.8 calories every hour or 0.18 calories each minute. Does thinking harder mean burning more calories? Unfortunately, being a mathlete won’t earn you a six pack. Most of the energy used by the brain goes toward keeping you alive. Whether you're thinking or not, your brain still controls breathing, digestion, and other essentials. Thinking hard may result in a very slight increase in caloric burn, but it’s nothing to freak out about.
Studies have shown that people can only have strong ties to a certain number of people. What is that number?
Studies have shown that people can only have strong ties to 150 people at the most.
What is the name for the phenomenon which claims that there is a limit to how many people we can have strong ties to?
Studies have shown that people can only have strong ties to 150 people at the most. It's a phenomenon known as, "Dunbar's Number" after the British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, who first put the idea forward in the 1990s. Dunbar's claim rests on the relationship between the size of a primate's brain and the size of their social groups. He reached the number we recognize today by comparing the size of our brains to those of other apes, and then extrapolating the size of a social group which we could possibly recognize, based on how monkeys behave.
True or False: humans do not feel physical pain from damage directly to the brain.
Despite its billions and billions of neurons, the brain can't actually feel pain from damage that occurs directly to itself. Luckily, direct-impact brain injuries are exceedingly rare.
Which of these parts of the brain plays a role in recording and storing memories?
We can't remember much of our first few years because the hippocampus wasn't developed enough to build a rich memory of events.
Roughly what percentage of a person’s bodyweight is made up of their brain?
Your brain accounts for only 2% of your body weight, yet it uses 20% of the total oxygen and blood in your body. It's fascinating. That little grey blob weighs just about 4 pounds, and yet is quite possibly responsible for essentially all of our success as a species.
When awake, the brain produces enough electricity to power a...
When awake, the brain produces enough electricity to power a small light bulb. A typical adult human brain runs on around 12 watts per hour. Given it’s processing power, that’s actually not that much juice. IBM's Watson, the supercomputer that defeated Jeopardy! champions, depends on ninety IBM Power 750 servers, each of which requires around one thousand watts.
True or False: the light recieved by your eye is instantly processed by your brain.
It takes about 0.2 seconds for your brain to understand the light that reaches your eye. The slight difference in time between light hitting your pupil, and your reaction to said stimulus, is a fascinating phenomenon. It's the basis for the difference in reflexes between a top-level athlete and a regular-joe, as well as one of the reasons our minds can fall prey to what we call optical illusions.
True or False: human beings have taste receptors in other parts of their body, outside of the tongue.
You have taste receptors in the stomach, intestines, pancreas, lungs, anus, testicles, and brain. These non-oral taste receptors don’t come close to the tasting power of your tongue, so you probably won't be tasting your toilet paper. Interestingly, scientists discovered that taking away male rat's testicular taste receptors rendered them permanently sterile.
Roughly what percentage of the distribution of instructions inside our DNA is dedicated to the brain?
In another case of brain-favoritism in human evolution, we have the distribution of instructions inside our DNA: it turns out, half of your genes describe the complex design of your brain, with the other half describing the organization of the other 98% of your body.
True or False: The man who performed Einstein’s autopsy also stole his brain.
The pathologist (Thomas Harvey) who made Einstein body's autopsy stole his brain and kept it in jars for 20 years. Dr. Harvey performed an autopsy on Einstein and removed Einstein's brain. He then cut the brain into 240 pieces. He was very protective of the brain, and although he did give several pieces to various researchers.
Which of these animals has a larger brain than most humans?
Cows, whales, and elephants (in addition to many other creatures) all have much bigger brains than we do. And yet we eat steak like it's no big deal. Guess we're winning, right?
What was the name of the IBM supercomputer that was able to beat Jeopardy champions?
BM's Watson, the supercomputer that defeated Jeopardy champions, depends on ninety IBM Power 750 servers, each of which requires around one thousand watts.
True or False: Human brains today are, on average, much larger than they were 20,000 years ago.
Human brains are 10% smaller than they were 20,000 years ago. Remember from earlier that we have no clue how human brain size affects human behaviour. I like to think we’re still getting smarter…
There's a virus that attacks human DNA, and makes people less intelligent by impairing brain activity, learning and memory. What is it called?
There's a virus that attacks human DNA, and makes people less intelligent by impairing brain activity, learning and memory. Prior to 2014, the virus, known as ATCV-1 (or Chlorella virus) , was thought to only infect algae in lakes and rivers... although now there are some who say it is possible that humans and other mammals can act as hosts.
About how long can most people go without oxygen before they experience brain damage?
Lack of oxygen in the brain for 5 to 10 minutes results in permanent brain damage. Interestingly, though, this does not hold true in every case. As with most facets of human life, the performance of your brain in this particular arena can be improved with rigorous training. Free divers are one group that does just that, frequently going without air at 10 to 15 minutes at a time, and forcing their brains to adapt. The current record for such a feat actually stands at an astounding 22 minutes.
True or False: The brain has a similar reaction to physical and mental pain.
The brain treats rejection like physical pain, according to scientists. When you experience physical pain, your brain releases opioids into the empty space between neurons, which “dampen” pain signals. When you get rejected, your brain does the same thing.
How long does it take for the brain to react to alcohol?
It only takes 6 minutes for brain cells to react to alcohol.
True or False: Most humans only use 10% of their brain.
“You only use 10% of your brain” was heralded as a popular-science as a truth with sexy implications. If only you could tap into that other 90%, then surely you would be a savant who remembers π to the twenty-thousandth decimal place, or perhaps even have telekinetic powers? Wrong. The truth is that humans use every part of their brain.
At what point in our lives do we have the most brain cells?
We have more brain cells as a newborn baby than we will ever have again.
Violent homes have the same effect on children's brains as...
Violent homes have the same effect on children's brains as combat on soldiers. For both soldiers and children from violent homes, the anterior insula and amygdala have heightened sensitivity to perceived threats. Also, both groups are more likely to suffer depression and anxiety disorders.
True or False: Men tend to have larger brains than women.
Male brains, on average, have a total volume that is between 8% and 13% larger than female brains. Does this mean that men are smarter? Nope, not at all. While IQ isn’t a perfect measure of intellect, it’s a much better indicator than brain size. We, to be blunt, have no clue how brain size affects behaviour. We know that IQ can, at least looked at from certain angles, provide useful insights into mental capability.
Based on current research, which of these options is NOT an effect of taking a nap?
Research on naps, meditation and nature walks reveals that mental breaks increase productivity, replenish attention, solidify memories and encourage creativity. See? It's not procrastination... it's a rejuvenating moment of recalibration for your overworked brain.
Your Results
You’ve Got A Brain
Sure, a few of those questions got past you… but that’s because we made this as hard as humanly possible. And you still did pretty dang well. Good on you. One thing is absolutely for certain: you’ve got a brain.
Are You A Zombie?
Seriously, you know too much. Have you been munching on brains? At the very least, you must have been conducting some Frankenstein-style experiments. I mean, I’m impressed... I’m just also a little terrified. Either way, well done.
Happy With Your Test Score? This video can help you do better on any quiz... even if you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the topic.
Quiz
Brains. We’ve all got one, and yet so few of us have almost any idea how they work. Which is fair enough, when you think about: the smartest scientists on Earth are still uncovering new mysteries about the human brain every day. That being said, there are some things we know for sure. Time to see how much you know about the brain...
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