These problems are actually contained in an important branch of biology-neuroscience. Neuroscience is also called brain science. As the name implies, this is a subject that studies the structure and function of the brain.
Then the question comes: "Why should we study the brain?" Next, let's talk about this topic together.
The development of modern neuroscience is only a few hundred years old. Compared with other traditional medical fields, it is still a very young subject. Although neuroscience is young, it absorbs interdisciplinary knowledge: first, the research object intersects with many disciplines. For example, it is necessary to study the composition of the brain at the cellular and molecular levels with the help of biology; With the help of psychology, study the cognitive process of biology; At the same time, brain science also pays attention to philosophical issues such as consciousness generation and self-centeredness.
Secondly, the brain is the most complicated thing known to mankind, and many scholars call it "small universe". Therefore, brain science needs multidisciplinary tools and methods to study the brain, such as electron microscope in physics, nuclear magnetic resonance, gene editing in biology, mathematical statistics and so on.
Brain science is also a highly applied subject, and the research results about the brain can often be directly transformed into practical products or services. For example, everyone must have heard of the term "brain-computer interface (BCI)". BCI can establish a direct connection between the brain and external devices to realize real-time information exchange between the brain and devices.
So what are the real examples of brain-computer interface around us? Cochlear implant can be said to be the most successful and popular brain-computer interface.
In addition, some scenes from science fiction can now appear in the real world.
In 2006, the research team of Brown University completed the implantation of brain-computer interface devices in the motor cortex of the brain for the first time, which can be used to control the mouse.
In 20 12, the brain-computer interface equipment was further upgraded, which allowed paralyzed patients to control the mechanical arm to complete functions such as drinking water, eating and typing.
20 16 Nathan Copeland shook hands with former US President Barack Obama by controlling the mechanical arm with his mind.
In 20 19, Johns Hopkins University conducted a research on brain-computer interface. Six microelectrode arrays (MEAs) were implanted into both sides of participants' brains by 10 hour operation. Subsequently, researchers have been trying to make participants gain the ability to control two prostheses at the same time through continuous improvement and training.
These are all manifestations of the application of brain science.
So let's go back to the original question, "Why study the brain?" In other words, why do humans need brains?
From the biological structure, the human brain weighs about 1.4 kg, which is gray and consists of left and right hemispheres. The brain is our thinking organ. Billions of cells are interconnected to produce chemical reactions, leading to contact and feeling the world. Breathing, exercise, talking and eating are all controlled and regulated by the brain.
80% of the brain is blood. Although the brain only accounts for 2% of human body weight, its oxygen consumption can reach 25% of the whole body's oxygen consumption, and the blood flowing through the brain reaches 2000 liters a day, accounting for 25% of cardiac output.
From the above brief description, we can easily find that the brain is the commander-in-chief of the human body and an important organ like ice cream! (fog)
Of course, this can't completely answer our question, because some creatures can live freely without brains, which leads to thinking in another direction.
From the level of consciousness, the brain is the place where we produce thinking activities. Descartes once wrote, "I think, therefore I am." Wisdom and thought seem to be important factors that distinguish human beings from other creatures. In ancient Egypt, people thought that life and death were only the temporary separation of soul and body. This view of life and death actually reflects the idea that consciousness is the essence of human beings.
Man cannot fly like a bird, nor can he dive into the sea like a fish; But our wisdom makes up for our physical defects, so it seems that human beings can continue to this day thanks to the command of the brain.
In ancient times, human ancestors thought that diseases were possessed by evil spirits, but now, we associate these disorders in behavior, language and feeling with specific brain regions, and observe and influence the behavior of the micro-world from the transformation and transmission of chemical signals.
Ben Pang Da thinks that the brain is really a magical organ. Although we don't know much about it, it encourages us to explore it further.