The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human | V. S. Ramachandran

Introduction:

When Charles Darwin introduced the bombshell of evolution, it sparked a heated debate: Are humans angels or mere apes? While we no longer engage in the angel debate (we are not!), we also need to acknowledge that we are not “merely” apes. Don’t get me wrong; we are undoubtedly apes, as much as we are mammals and vertebrates. However, it would be unjust to reduce us to mere apes, given our vast capabilities. We possess the ability to split atoms, decipher genes, and aspire to explore the cosmos.

More importantly, we possess the capacity for introspection, pondering our origins and our significance in the cosmic narrative, delving inward to explore the cosmos within ourselves. And all this is made possible by a three-pound jelly-like structure within our bodies that could easily fit in our palms: our brain.

Structure:

It’s easy to understand the brain by understanding its fundamental units, known as neurons. A typical brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons, communicating with each other through synaptic connections. Each neuron connects with around 1,000 others, forming networks known as neural networks. Each connection corresponds to a specific mental state, and the permutations of these…