22 June 2019 | New Scientist | 3PHYSICIST Emerson Pugh once said that
if the human brain were so simple that
we could understand it, we would be so
simple that we couldn’t. Thankfully, the
complexity of our brain is so great that
we are not simple and neither, therefore,
is the task of understanding it.
However, it can feel like a Herculean
feat to establish even basic facts, such as
how many kinds of brain cell we have.
Our latest attempt to count them
suggests there are 75 types just in the
neocortex, the area responsible for our
most advanced thoughts and behaviours.
That isn’t to say our efforts to unravel
the brain’s mysteries are in vain (see
page 34). Despite Pugh’s observation,
we are learning ever more about how a
1.5-kilogram lump of tissue that flutters
and crackles inside our skull can come
up with our most elaborate – and evenannoying – behaviours. Yet each new
insight raises more questions, and also
casts age-old problems in new light.
Breakthroughs in understanding how
our brains stitch together our perception
of reality are redefining what it means
to be conscious. They also highlight the
persistent power of the mind, even in
cases when our bodies hide all signs of
awareness (see next week’s issue).
We don’t appear to be heading towards
a world of jars full of brains, bodiesdiscarded, just yet though. Our brain-
body connection has never been so
robust. Gut thinking is no simple turn of
phrase: microbes in our intestines affect
our risk for neurological conditions, and
influence our mood and mental health.
And when it comes to preventing
cognitive decline, physical activity is
paramount. Still, let’s not reject a sci-fi
future entirely – we know, for instance,
that magnetic stimulation can have
many uses, from treating depression
to supercharging our brain’s processing
power, effectively making us smarter.
The human brain has many more
revelations in store, and they may
require us to rethink old ideas or correct
our assumptions. But that should come
as no surprise. After all, between our
ears lies the most complex object in the
known universe. ❚Your incredible brain
The awesome lump between our ears is hard to fathom – and that’s fantastic
The leader
The human brain
may be a modest
1.5 kilograms in
weight, but it is
astonishingly
complexEZ
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