Carl Zimmer Secrets Of The Brain Summary

In Allan Jones’s presentation, A Map of the Brain, he explains his current project and why is essential to the modern day. Jones first starts off by giving the audience some background information about the brain. He states that the brain is a complex organ that receives around twenty percent of the blood from our hearts as well as twenty percent of the oxygen from our lungs. Jones explains that the brain is essential to the body because it controls everything we do. Even though the brain is very complex, it does not mean that it is not organized and structured. In the past century, scientists have created a blue stain that stains neuron bodies. This showed scientists that neurons were unevenly distributed throughout the brain depending on

“A cat-scan computer generated x-ray pictures of the human brain, exposing the secrets that lay hidden within the skull.” (Ch8, pg38)

Alva Noe builds an argument against the idea of cell-by-cell brain mapping in the passage “Making A Brain Map That We Can Use.” He uses rhetorical questions, imagery, and refutes the counter argument to build an argument against the idea of cell-by-cell brain mapping.

Going back to the gray matter, the outer layer of gray matter is the frontal cortex. This is where we make decisions and where we do much of our conscious and complicated thinking. Phineas Gage, a renowned neuroscience patient in the 1800, was hit with a iron rod to the head, yet minutes after he was still able to move and act normal (Fleischman 6). The only thing was that he could not make decisions. When given a $1000 for the pebbles he collected, he angrily refused the deal( 19). He was not able to make the decision of  getting the money or not. Neuroscientists have learned so much of the brain that has helped us understand our own brains and the people around us. From this scientist learned that the sections of the brain had parts and functions such as language and comprehension(65). Lastly they learned about germs and that you need to make sure to disinfect your tools(17). Without this our technology that is here would not be as progressed if we did not know this.  All of these components helped us understand the teen brain just a little bit

“The Human Brain”, by myPerspectives, is an informative article that claims that the brain is a complex organ that is truly impressive. The brain is a key part of the central nervous system, that controls the entire body’s activities, to simple things such as breathing. These actions are fired through neurons, that quickly travel through the spinal cord. Surprisingly, the brain transmits these messages at an unimaginable rate, at 150 miles per hour, through 85 billion cells, called neurons. These neurons can form up to 10,000 synapses, or connections to each other. By itself, the brain can create billions of synapses, which change the structure of the brain every time new information is learned. However, there is still much that scientists

In the article titled, “Secrets of the Brain” published in the February 2014 issue of National Geographic, we learn that there have been many advances in understanding the inner workings of our brains. One of the leading scentists, Van Weeden, is working hard to understand the connections that occur within our heads.

Many researchers have sought out an explanation for the mysteries hidden within our brain and how it operates. Recent studies have shown that the brain functions more as a muscle allowing it to continue to grow or contract. If these studies prove to be true, this could forever change how people interact or associate with their brains.

It was the 17th century British scientist Thomas Willis who recognized that the custard like tissue of the brain was where our mental world existed. The brain is an electric organ. Now we know that instead of animal spirits, voltage spikes travel through it and out into the body’s nervous system.

It is obvious that with the comparison of the Space Race, the United States intends to be the first to be able to map the brain. Just like the Space Race, the United States does not quite have all the technologies to fully map the brain, and it enlists the help of the public and will spend millions of dollars to develop and create the technology needed. Just like the Space Race, the United States plans to discover new and useful information about the brain, and as time progresses they will have an abundance of information to map the human

They also have trouble learning to perform new tasks that require interdependent movement of each hand, like playing the piano. This finding helped conclude that the corpus callosum helps in transfer of information and it is the co-ordination between the two hemispheres that lets us perform activities smoothly. The split of the two hemispheres ultimately made it so you cannot access information the other side of the brain controls. Now, Gazzaniga works at University of California, Santa Barbara teaching psychology so he can pass on knowledge to his students. Gazzaniga and his team of researchers are testing information transfer using a MEG, which maps the brain activity by recording magnetic fields produced by electrical currents in the brain. Unlike split-brain surgery these techniques are non-invasive. He has made many books explaining his work and making information about brain function more accessible to the public. Gazzaniga deserves to be in the Hall of Fame due to his amazing contribution to psychology, his continued efforts in the field, and his willingness to share his findings to educate

Greg Gage explains that the brain is a fascinating organ. He adds that not much is known about how the brain works because neuroscience is not being taught in schools. This is because the equipment needed to study neuroscience is extremely complex and expensive that this research is only completed at large institutions and major universities. In order to use these tools, one must devote their life and study for about six years to gain access to these materials. His lab partner and himself brought it upon themselves to create an affordable, simplified version of this equipment that virtually anybody could use. They created a company called Backyard Brians that uses ”DIY” neuroscience equipment. He wanted to put his new technology to use, so

The PBS special "The Secret Life of the Brain" took us through all different aspects of the brain and its formation through life. These five movies taught us that the brain is plastic and is always changing, cutting unused neurons and filling with different ideas and thoughts that you learn from your environment. The five videos go through the five stages of life; baby, child, teenager, adult and finally the aging brain.

Psychologists constantly offer new testable hypothesis to expand our knowledge on human behavior. This paper will include an analysis of a podcast and a research article. From this analysis, a hypothesis on birth order will be offered toward the end of this paper.

There is always a process or stages in which things works or grow. They starts from the beginning and gradually work itself through the correct transformation or process.

I read the article called “Secrets of the Brain” by Carl Zimmer from the February 2014 issue of National Geographic. Zimmer told of a story of a 43 year old woman named Cathy Hutchinson suffered a massive stroke which caused her to lose movement ability, becoming completely paralyzed, and lost her ability to speak. Her doctors didn’t know if she was brain-dead or still mentally there, until one day Hutchinson’s sister asked Hutchinson if she could hear and understand her and Hutchinson looked up with her eyes to answer yes and to let her sister know that she was still there and could understand her.