The human brain is a beautiful thing. It is responsible for all of the technological achievements that we have reached thus far. And the best part is, our brains are continually getting smarter. But to develop a better understanding of the brain, as well as a new found respect, let’s cover the top 10 facts about the brain that you probably didn’t know about.
10. Human Brains Consume More Energy than Any Other Part of The Body
Even though your brain only makes about less than 3% of your entire body, it takes up a whopping 20% of energy to operate. What is all of this energy used for? Well, a lot of it goes towards the maintenance and production of cell-growth. The remaining energy is used to fuel electrical impulses in the body so that they work better with one another. While size is usually a factor in most cases, it isn’t when it comes to the human brain.
9. The Human Brain Contains About 100 Billion Neurons
Consider this: your brain contains close to 100 billion neurons. This number is about 16 times larger than the amount of people that there are on the planet. And also realize that each of these neurons can link to as many as 10,000 other ones. To put simply, this is a massive connection. The huge number of connections going on inside of your brain is what allows you to recall memories, develop ideas, and have a personality.
8. The Neo-Cortex Makes Up 75% of the Human Brain
While the brain may be relatively small compared to other parts of the body, the neo-cortex happens to be relatively large compared to the brain. As a matter of fact, the neo-cortex in the human brain is much larger than any other species of animal on the planet. This part of the brain is one reason why humans have become capable of so much. It has allowed us to transform from a primitive species into a technological one.
7. Humans Use More than 10% of Their Brains
This happens to be a rather overused and believed misconception about the human brain. To put simply, human beings use much more than 10% of their brains at any given moment. There is no evidence to suggest otherwise and even though the brain remains a mystery, scientists do have reasons to believe why this wouldn’t be true. In regards to evolution, only using 10% of our brains would be a hindrance and wouldn’t allow us to survive as effectively.
6. Neurons Multiply Much Quicker During Pregnancy
Did you know that neurons multiply by more than 200,000 neurons per minute in someone who is pregnant? While scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes this, it can be assumed that learning new ideas and remembering old ones should be much easier for someone who is pregnant versus someone who isn’t.