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HS 008: Brain and Bullsh*t
We're talking about the brain! It's important to note that we are talking neuroscience here and not psychology. Neuroscience is the study of the brain while psychology is the study of the mind. So what is the brain? How did it evolve? How does it work?
Evolution and Structure of the Brain
The first nervous system evolved in a group of animals known as cnidaria. Jellyfish are a part of this group. This simple nervous system is known as a "nerve net". Our centralized nervous system evolved in steps. First the medulla oblongata was present and this structure controls involuntary actions like heartbeat, digestion, etc. This part is located at the top of your spinal cord. Another structure near the medulla is known as the cerebellum. This is a bulb above the back of your neck. This structure controls balance and coordination. It also plays an important role in motor control. You can thank your cerebellum whenever you pick up a glass of water and don't crush it in your grip. The midbrain is the next structure that evolved and it is responsible for some sensory processing and basic monkey emotions like arousal. The cerebrum is the large wrinkly part of your brain. This is the human part of your brain that controls language, memory, thought, and a whole lot more. The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body and vice versa. It should be noted that our nervous system is made up of small units known as neurons or nerve cells. These cells are built to send electrical messages from one cell to another. The brain is made up of grey matter and white matter. Grey matter sits on the surface of your brain and is responsible for doing things. White matter is inside your brain and is responsible for sending the messages that the grey matter "creates". White matter is white because the nerve cells are coated in a white fatty substance known as myelin that helps the electrical signals travel faster.
The Terrifying Homunculus
One of the goals we had while studying the brain was to locate where each action occurs. For example, when I move my pinky, which part of the brain is responsible for that? We can do the same for facial recognition, memory, thought, etc. A result of this study is the Cortical Homunculus. After studying the motor strip, or the strip of brain that is responsible for movement of our bodies, a drawing was made that shows where each body part is controlled in the brain. The bigger the body part drawing, the more surface area of the brain is used to control it. Here is the resulting monstrosity: (If you cannot see the image, just google "cortical homunculus")
Image Source
If this wasn't enough, a scientist created a little person replica using the homunculus as a guide. He made the sizes of each body part corespond to how much brain tissue you use to control it. Here is the homunculus man. Sorry for the nightmares.
Image Source
Other Brain Information
Left brain is not solely mathematical and right brain is not solely artistic. The best correlation we can find is the left brain is more detail oriented while the right brain is more big picture oriented.
We cannot multitask well. We only use 12 watts of power to run our brains so we can only pay attention to a few things at a time. PSA: Try to avoid texting and driving.
We do not only use 10% of our brain. We use 100% of our brain just not all at once. We cannot unlock our potential by using more of our brain.
The rest of the episode talks about different brain studies and philosophical implications of brain stuff. We also spend a decent chunk of time off the rails talking about a bunch of bullshit.
View all episodes
We're talking about the brain! It's important to note that we are talking neuroscience here and not psychology. Neuroscience is the study of the brain while psychology is the study of the mind. So what is the brain? How did it evolve? How does it work?
Evolution and Structure of the Brain
The first nervous system evolved in a group of animals known as cnidaria. Jellyfish are a part of this group. This simple nervous system is known as a "nerve net". Our centralized nervous system evolved in steps. First the medulla oblongata was present and this structure controls involuntary actions like heartbeat, digestion, etc. This part is located at the top of your spinal cord. Another structure near the medulla is known as the cerebellum. This is a bulb above the back of your neck. This structure controls balance and coordination. It also plays an important role in motor control. You can thank your cerebellum whenever you pick up a glass of water and don't crush it in your grip. The midbrain is the next structure that evolved and it is responsible for some sensory processing and basic monkey emotions like arousal. The cerebrum is the large wrinkly part of your brain. This is the human part of your brain that controls language, memory, thought, and a whole lot more. The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body and vice versa. It should be noted that our nervous system is made up of small units known as neurons or nerve cells. These cells are built to send electrical messages from one cell to another. The brain is made up of grey matter and white matter. Grey matter sits on the surface of your brain and is responsible for doing things. White matter is inside your brain and is responsible for sending the messages that the grey matter "creates". White matter is white because the nerve cells are coated in a white fatty substance known as myelin that helps the electrical signals travel faster.
The Terrifying Homunculus
One of the goals we had while studying the brain was to locate where each action occurs. For example, when I move my pinky, which part of the brain is responsible for that? We can do the same for facial recognition, memory, thought, etc. A result of this study is the Cortical Homunculus. After studying the motor strip, or the strip of brain that is responsible for movement of our bodies, a drawing was made that shows where each body part is controlled in the brain. The bigger the body part drawing, the more surface area of the brain is used to control it. Here is the resulting monstrosity: (If you cannot see the image, just google "cortical homunculus")
Image Source
If this wasn't enough, a scientist created a little person replica using the homunculus as a guide. He made the sizes of each body part corespond to how much brain tissue you use to control it. Here is the homunculus man. Sorry for the nightmares.
Image Source
Other Brain Information
Left brain is not solely mathematical and right brain is not solely artistic. The best correlation we can find is the left brain is more detail oriented while the right brain is more big picture oriented.
We cannot multitask well. We only use 12 watts of power to run our brains so we can only pay attention to a few things at a time. PSA: Try to avoid texting and driving.
We do not only use 10% of our brain. We use 100% of our brain just not all at once. We cannot unlock our potential by using more of our brain.
The rest of the episode talks about different brain studies and philosophical implications of brain stuff. We also spend a decent chunk of time off the rails talking about a bunch of bullshit.