Brain facts IPC

Our reactions to touch, danger and fear are so fast because the electrical signals in the nerve

fibres travel around 280 kilometres per hour.

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• myth

We use 10% of our brains.

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Our reactions to touch, danger and fear are so fast because the electrical signals in the nerve

fibres travel around 280 kilometres per hour.

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• myth

Think about that famous image of a light bulb lighting up above someone’s head. The reality is

not very different – our brain operates on the same electrical power as a 10v lamp.

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People are right-or left-brained.

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Humans have the biggest brains.

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The brain contains billions of nerve cells that send and receive information around the body.

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The human brain is over three times as big as the brain of other mammals that are of similar

body size.

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The human brain is protected by the skull (cranium), a 3D jigsaw of 29 bones (including the jaw)

that form separately before birth and join as we grow to form a solid 'helmet' of bone.

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While your body rests at night, the brain is actually still active.

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• myth