5 Brain Facts you never knew

The brain is the boss of your body. All you do is dependent on or regulated directly/ indirectly by the brain. For millennia, the brain has been the subject of  intrigue, mystery and even suspicion; yet, till date, what is known about this 1.5Kg jelly that floats within the skull is very little.
Despite these the brain is one sure masterpiece of creation. Here are a few things I bet you never knew about the brain:

80% of your brain is water

In case you were assuming that since you're a maths genius your brain must be made up of some, uber-special, hyperfunctional, high-faluting, extraordinarily, exceptional superlative elements components combined in a ultra-unique fashion, well I'm sorry to burst your bubble cos what you have in your head is 80% water and it thinks for you. Accept my humble apology. 

No pain in the brain

Although the brain (not the heart) is the seat of all emotions, it cannot feel pain. This is because there are no pain receptors or nerve endings for the brain. Little wonder neurosurgeons can poke around  people's brains confidently. However, your brain can communicate a sense of discomfort in the form of headaches because arteries and other structures surrounding the brain are richly supplies with nerve endings and are sensitive to pain. 

The higher your I.Q. the more you dream

Judging from this, I'm guessing  part of the requirements for your "how to be a genius toolbox" would include, in addition to your textbooks, a water bed and a feather-stuffed soft pillow. Well, I'm not an authority on intelligence but I'm pretty sure you  won't slip through college if your plan is to sleep your way through college. These's a lot more to academic excellence and intelligence but no doubt adequate sleep is a necessity for optimal academic performance.

The brain requires the same amount of power as a 10-watt bulb

So the correlation cartoon image of a light bulb over someone's head when he's having a bright idea  isn't really far off after all. What's equally intriguing is that this happens even when you are sleeping  as well. 

Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170mph.

That's faster than Michael Schumacher's best average speed throughout his entire career. Haven't you ever been in a situation where you had to react so quickly within a fraction of a second? Did you ever stop to think how it was possible? Or did you think it was one of your top secret superhuman powers hidden in your DNA only to emerge on that special day? And I guess you were also waiting for a voice from above to declare you are the "chosen one" right?  Oops!!! Nope! This is possible because of the superfast movement of impulses down the nerve fibres in the brain. 

If you have very fast reflexes, that's a good thing, but it's not to say we have superpowers to dodge bullets like Keanu Reeves in the matrix. That, my friend, would be suicide.

The brain is one of the coolest (if not the coolest) organ in the body yet so little is known about it. Ironically, your brain is your mind and your life.

Dr. Obieze Nwanna - Nzewunwa