"We are the only species on this planet that can construct realities in our mind, and then go actually build it." ~ Leland Melvin, astronaut
For three billion years life didn't even have a brain.
Chance, coincidence, and impossible odds.
Humans do things that might seem pointless. But we do these things because we're smart.
The human brain sets us apart from all other creatures on this planet. Inside there's a vast network with a hundred trillion connections. That's more than the number of stars in our Milky Way. All this depends on tiny cells sending electrical signals called neurons.
Most of life on earth does just fine without a brain. Some brainless creatures are so successful you can even see them from space. e.g. coral animals and the huge reefs they create. Life needs to sense its surroundings, otherwise it's just flailing in the dark.
You don't just hear with your ears. You hear with your brain.
The eagle is like a weaponized telescope. To see like an eagle you need more than eagle eyes. You need an eagle brain. If you're an animal with eyes, you're going to need a bigger brain.
Each creature had to develop an array of senses, and brains to support them.
The planet's significant and varied landscapes shaped the brains of each species. It was the same for human type of creatures.
How come humans are so different? Just because a macaque can shuck oysters with a rock doesn't mean it will want to open a seafood restaurant. But a human wants to create that next level.
Fire. As far as we know, this planet is the only one with the right conditions for fire to burn. But fire also allows us to cook food. It's more than making it tasty. It helps the food to break down so our brains have access to more nutrients quicker. One of the key events in our ancestral history is when food was cooked for the first time.
Fossils that were once at the bottom of the sea show us that parts of the earth's surface have been forced upward. There are overarching themes that are visible from space which are the ways the earth has geologically developed.
It's hard to know how our ancestors adapted to changing climate and vegetation conditions. However, we came out the end with bigger brains, and we went across the planet.
How do you get a brain that can tell a damn good story? We have learned to speak.
We link signs and sounds to thoughts and things. In countless ways creating almost infinite meaning. That takes a lot of brain power! So why do we have any language at all?
It's partly connected to the sizes of our brains. One theory is that it was something really tiny. One gene that we humans posses, if you don't have it, you'll struggle to talk. We don't know where this gene came from, but it gave us more precise control over our lips and tongues. A small genetic twist gave us the ability to hear and articulate fine nuanced sounds.
The ability to work as a team to accomplish something great is significant. The importance of communications can't be overstated. Communicating helps you face failure without fear.
Our brains can find work-arounds. A brain over time, can find ways to compensate for losses or changes forced upon it.
Our brains give us language. Writing lets us pass on that knowledge in time.
The astronauts say that the colours from earth which burst into your eyeballs from space are overwhelming.
Everything we've achieved as a species is the product of a lucky chain of accidents. "To get here we needed a planet to congeal, out of dust in the right place for life to form and mold our world, allowing us to breathe and grow complex. We needed to be shielded from the sun, gifted with a moon. and granted seasons. We needed just enough bombardment and near annihilation to let life meander through its twists and turns and evolve a species with a brain as complex as yours and mine."
With these 86 billion neurons we've left the planet and looked far, far out into the universe trying to unravel the mystery of the cosmos. But no matter how far out we look, the most far out thing we've found is right between our ears!
