DEBUNKED: 7 Common Myths About The Brain - #4 - You don't have 100 billion brain cells.

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7 Common Myths About The Brain - Business Insider

Joe Mobley
  • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
    Phew. That makes me feel better about only having one.
















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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Don't you just LOVE pseudo science nonsense? FMRIs, etc... do NOT have such a great resolution, and, if they did, no part of the machine does EITHER! They are used to determine apparent use of an AREA! ALSO, as theybrushed by, they DON'T understand the brain. So forget them being able to determine the resolution of operations in a given area. And one site tried to "debunk" the 10% myth by saying that if part of the brain were suddenly missing, you would be affected. That is not really true, because brain surgeons DO remove parts of the brain, and even entire hemispheres, and the person often lives a productive life. There is ACTUALLY an operation called a Hemispherectomy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia !

    Besides, I could debunk their theory VERY easily with an illustration that could make this VERY clear! You have a liter of water. AHHHHH. good old water! And say it takes a teaspoon of botchilism toxin to kill you. Put a tablespoon in the bottle. Shake it up. Remove 1 CUP of water! That is FAR more than the tablespoon of poison you put in. Would you drink the water? WHY NOT?!?!?!?

    According to THEIR theory, the water should be SAFE to drink! LIKEWISE, not all parts of the brain are important. They are even pruned from time to time. But if you hit a part that IS important, you could become blind, crippled, unable to remember, etc.... BTW alzheimers puts holes in the brain, LITERALLY! So does mad cow, CJD, etc....

    SO, does a person use anywhere NEAR 100% of their brain? NO WAY! Of course I couldn't say how much the average person uses, but based on actual cases I have heard of, I know it isn't near 100%. Can YOU recall all you know at this instant? I DOUBT IT! FEW apparently even come CLOSE.

    As far as the number of neurons? I would debate THAT also. There is SO much they DON'T understand. HECK, we don't even know how much sea mammals know. There is little we could do to test such knowledge. AND, even then, how could we know how much they are using? PART of the brain is obviously dealing with echolocation. MAYBE it takes up say 10% of the brain. The FMRI sees that and BINGO, they say they are using 10% even though it may only be a tenth of the cells in 90% of that area. Like that water, a liter may not be a liter! That liter likely has close to 2 teaspoons of toxin, but you must treat the entire liter as the poison because it has the poison in it.

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Those myths were harmless. Most common myths about the brain would start fights, if they were listed. We still believe (some of us anyway) things about the brain....that make brain researchers cringe.

      And they can't get listed. Maybe in 100 years.
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      • Profile picture of the author MikeAmbrosio
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        Those myths were harmless. Most common myths about the brain would start fights, if they were listed. We still believe (some of us anyway) things about the brain....that make brain researchers cringe.

        And they can't get listed. Maybe in 100 years.
        Hogwash. That's all just a myth!

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