It's a biological computer more than 3 million years in the making -- but some of us are guilty of spending more time thinking about our hair than the wonderfully complex machine underneath.
A few facts to whet your appetite: During the mummification process, the Egyptians preserved every organ of the body, except the brain. Why? Evidently, they couldn't figure out what it did. Every other organ's structure gave important clues to its function, but not the brain; it looks like a gelatinous mass. Today, things have changed! We now have such respect for this organ that a 2008 study found that people were more likely to believe patently erroneous science articles if the article was accompanied by a picture of a human brain. (One such article suggested that watching TV improved math skills). The credulity effect was even greater if the article had a 3D brain image, not a flat picture.
Speaking of junk science, don't be fooled by vague claims that most of the brain hasn't been mapped, or that it's workings are largely a mystery. While there's more to learn, neuroscience has mapped the brain and has a large body of knowledge about which regions perform which tasks. In fact, we'll test you on some of those areas and their functions in out quiz. Are you ready to use your brain in a test of knowledge about the brain? (Don't think too long about that!) Try your luck now!
