What is a brain? Detailed answer

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What is a brain? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

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What is a brain?

Among all the differences between humans and other representatives of the animal world, the most important is the brain. Many lower animals do not have a brain at all, have a very small or poorly developed brain. For example, an earthworm has a brain the size of a pinhead, a rabbit has a brain no larger than a thimble. The human brain weighs an average of about 1,3 kg. By the way, the size of the brain is not the most important thing. An elephant, for example, has a larger brain than a human, but it is not as well developed.

The brain consists of three main parts: the cortex, the cerebellum, and the medulla oblongata. The bark is considered the most important part. It is from here that all our conscious actions are controlled. The cortex is also the largest part of the human brain, filling all the space at the top and back of the skull. The bark is divided into two equal parts, or hemispheres, and their surface is covered with folds and wrinkles.

The surface is composed of gray matter composed of cells. The higher the type of animal, the more numerous and deeper the folds. Beneath this surface, called the cortex, is a white substance made up of nerve fibers. Signals from the cortex and to the cortex pass through this area. Certain areas of the cortex control certain functions of the body, so the parts of the cerebral cortex are different.

In accordance with the data of science, you can specify certain areas that control vision, touch, hearing, or contractions of certain muscles. Therefore, a disruption in the activity of at least one part of the brain (due to blood clotting, for example) can affect the performance of certain actions by a person, for example, speech. The cerebellum is located at the back of the skull under the cortex. It controls balance and coordinates the work of muscles. Therefore, if it is damaged, a person is not able to walk in a straight line or stand straight.

The medulla oblongata is about the size of the thumb and is located at the end of the spine. It controls breathing, heart function, digestion, and many other processes that seem to run on their own. It is here that the nerve endings that go from the brain to the spinal cord converge. One half of the brain controls the opposite side of the body. For example, the right hemisphere controls the left leg, etc.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What is the Flying Dutchman?

The most famous legend of the Flying Dutchman appeared in the XNUMXth century in the Netherlands.

It was a very long time ago. The captain of one ship was the most evil man in the world. He sailed all the seas and seemed to be charmed, and everything was nothing to him: no storms, no whirlpools, no reefs. They said he was praying to the devil. The crew was a match for the captain.

One day the captain had to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific, rounding Cape Horn. Due to fogs and storms, this is a very dangerous place. Not everyone would dare to sail in March past the accursed cape.

Before raising the sails, the captain put a young Spaniard and his bride on the ship. On the way, the captain learned that the young man was rich and was carrying a lot of gold. Then, on his orders, the young Spaniard was thrown into the sea. And he offered the girl to become his maid. "Damn you, murderer! May you never see the shore again!" - exclaimed the girl and rushed into the depths of the sea.

Then the ship got into a strong storm, and when it became clear that trouble was imminent, the captain exclaimed in a rage: "Let the devil take my soul! I will go around this damned Cape Horn, even if I have to swim forever!" And the devil took him at his word. So, since then, the ship of the dead, the Flying Dutchman, has been rushing across the seas.

A beautiful legend has a real basis. Due to temperature changes in the upper air layer, an air mirror is created that can reflect distant shores or ships that are beyond the horizon. So the sailors who met the ghost ship saw only a mirage. But much more often their eyes were presented with a real ship of the dead - one of the many homeless sailboats whose crews left the ship or died of a contagious disease.

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ How and why did Ariadne help Theseus defeat the Minotaur?

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▪ Who was ostracized for escaping the Titanic?

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Fitness bracelets for cows 09.12.2022

The use of smart technologies to monitor the health, reproduction, location and environmental conditions of cattle can contribute to food safety and supply chain efficiency, but this monitoring increases energy costs for an already high industry. To combat this, scientists have developed a wearable sentient device for cows that captures the kinetic energy generated by even their slightest movements and uses it to power smart ranch technology.

“On a ranch, monitoring information about the environment and health of cattle can help prevent disease and improve efficiency in breeding and pasture management. This information can include oxygen concentration, air temperature and humidity, amount of exercise, reproductive cycles, diseases, and milk production. "explained co-author Zutao Zhang, an energy researcher at Southwestern Jiaotong University in China.

"Smart ranch" involves cows wearing small sensory devices around their ankles and necks that are powered by whatever the cows do during their normal ranch activities.

There is a huge amount of kinetic energy that can be harvested during the daily movements of cattle, such as walking, running, and even neck movements.

Once captured, the energy is stored in a lithium battery and used to power the device. The Kinetic Energy Collector specifically collects the kinetic energy of weak motion.

The design of the team is unique as it contains a movement amplification mechanism that uses magnets and a pendulum to enhance the small movements of the cows.

The scientists also tested the devices on humans and found that a light jog was enough to measure the temperature in the device. Researchers see future applications in sports monitoring, healthcare, smart home and wireless sensor networks.

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