tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post7796563792472930178..comments2024-03-27T08:40:31.785-06:00Comments on Clayton Cramer.: The Brain: A Highly Redundant SystemClayton Cramerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258083387204776812noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-1446137493991411942012-06-25T10:18:55.869-06:002012-06-25T10:18:55.869-06:00rmunn pretty much said what I was about to say, bu...rmunn pretty much said what I was about to say, but I'd add that I'm fairly confident that even though we use 100% of our brains, there's likely a bit of redundancy in there. It would make sense, so that we could more easily recover from injury. (By no means would I expect it to be a failsafe system, by any means, though.)<br /><br />The comic book idea that we use only 10% of our brain, and the remaining 90% was useful for telepathy and other special powers, never made sense from me, either from an Evolutionary or a Creationist point of view.<br /><br />Why would each and every person have special powers and gifts, that would give both individuals and groups advantages over other individuals and groups, but only a handful of people over all time figure out how to use them?Epsilon Givenhttp://epsilon-power.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-89183673120585773562012-06-20T16:25:10.568-06:002012-06-20T16:25:10.568-06:00Maybe the guy's a Democrat?
:-)Maybe the guy's a Democrat?<br /><br />:-)Karlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09767954910569442805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-89259678308259494852012-06-20T09:26:45.709-06:002012-06-20T09:26:45.709-06:00I once had my own ATT 3B20D to play with ...I once had my own ATT 3B20D to play with ...Cincinnatushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10424218376882403880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-33055657039279789982012-06-20T07:35:42.386-06:002012-06-20T07:35:42.386-06:00There's a common idea floating around that &qu...There's a common idea floating around that "we only use 10% of our brains", which is often used in comic books to justify telepathy or other superpowers ("he can use the other 90% that most people don't use"). Thing is, it's a misperception. It's based on studies that showed that most people are only using 10% of their brains <i>at any given moment</i>. Because nobody reads, does math, sings, plays the piano, rides a bike, runs, swims, feels love, feels hate, smells cinnamon, smells a skunk, climbs a tree, and ties their shoelaces <b>all at once</b>. Different parts of the brain are active at different times, but <i>over time</i> the whole 100% of the brain is used. So the guy who got a spear through his head may have been conscious and talking, but <i>some</i> brain function of his was impaired. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to do math, or maybe he wouldn't have recognized the smell of roses, or maybe music would have sounded like noise to him -- it's impossible to know. But <i>some</i> function of his brain would have been damaged.<br /><br />However, the brain is <i>plastic</i>, that is, malleable. (The material we call "plastic" has that name because it's easily formed into different shapes.) So whatever function of his brain he lost, it's possible (not 100% guaranteed, but possible) that he'll be able to retrain his brain so that the still-working parts can pick up the function(s) performed by the damaged parts.<br /><br />... Ah. Just read the article: "... he is worried about the fact that he can't use his left side properly." Which makes sense given that the spear went through the right side of his brain. So that's the function he lost and will have to retrain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-9479746707403122602012-06-19T15:05:14.950-06:002012-06-19T15:05:14.950-06:00I wonder if he'll suffer from sporadic memory ...I wonder if he'll suffer from sporadic memory loss.<br /><br />For example, you can probably remember what was the first car you owned. It is not something you think about daily but if I asked you then you could probably tell me. Will he no longer be able to remember such things? Can these memories be destroyed while leaving current cognitive functions untouched?tkchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537122818841045663noreply@blogger.com