The Brain

The most mysterious part of the body is the brain. Scientists have thought about it for a very long time. Many early scientists had fantastical theories about the brain. Aristotle thought that the brain cooled the fiery heart. They also thought that "animal vapors" swirled around our brain cavities, and through our bodies, making us do what we do. We are now far from that. Carl Zimmer of National Geographic magazine talks about the recent advances in the understanding of the brain.

These scientists are starting to chart its biochemistry, others are looking at one individual neurons. Neurologist Van Wedeen maps out the brain's wiring. He has found a very interesting thing. He has found that the brain, magnified a lot, is completely made out of grids. The structure of it's pathways intersect at right angles. He has shown that even rats and monkeys have the grid structure. Some scientists are skeptical, but he thinks he has discovered something greater. Other scientists at Caltech and UCLA study how the brain takes in what the eyes see by showing people pictures of celebrities. In 2005 they found that one nerve cell fired only when the test subjects were shown pictures of Jennifer Aniston. Studies after this one imply that there are neurons that are only involved in representing one person, place, or concept. This shows how good the brain is at storing information.

These studies would be an extremely big help to humanity. Knowing how the brain works could help save lots of people's lives. This could help people with autism, Alzheimer's disease, or people who have had strokes. This could help people know how the brain works. It could help people know how the brain developed. Although people are figuring out a little bit more, there is still a lot to learn.