On the Human Brain as the Final Frontier

On the Human Brain as the Final Frontier (except God, of course). 

There is no such thing as a “brain expert.” The human brain is the most complex and least understood aspect of the human being, which makes it the most mystifying piece of creation ever. So sophisticated brain scans reveal more every day more about how our compact brain operates around the clock, every minute, every second, every millisecond. We are learning more now about the brain since technology has advanced so amazingly with everything from MRI to EEG to PET scans and a host of other ways of studying this little three-pound organ, and there is always more to discover about how Creator God has designed it and included it with His final pronouncement of “Very Good!” Most of what we know about the human brain now has been discovered since 2010, including some fun facts like these:

(1.) The human brain contains up to 100 billion tiny neurons (nerve cells), which form up to 1,000 trillion connections to other neurons (synapses). One piece of brain tissue the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and 1 billion synapses. Scientists call our brain a “neuron forest.” And yet, neurons make up only 10% of the brain.

(2.) The human brain contains 400 miles of blood vessels, a dense network of microscopic capillaries, tightly packed into the brain’s tissue to make sure that every single one of these billions of neurons receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive. Every minute, 1,000 milliliters of blood flow through the brain, equal to a bottle of wine or a liter of soda… Every minute!

(3.) The human brain produces a half a cup of fluid every day so it can float in its very own shock absorber, protecting it from crashing its three pounds of mass into the inside of the cranium.

(4.) The human brain has 10,000 specific types of neurons, which produce a completely unique pattern of connectivity in every brain, as unique as a fingerprint.

(5.) Known as neuroplasticity, the human brain is not static but has the continual capacity to change, to physically rewire itself every day by creating, strengthening and discarding neural pathways.

(6.) The human brain is made up of 75% water, with what’s left being 60% fat. The brain is a relatively soft tissue, with a consistency similar to firm jelly, a gelatin, or a room-temperature stick of butter.

(7.) The human brain literally cannot multi-task, but can only move very quickly from one task or thought to another. Since we are not made to multi-task, attempts to do so results in decreased attention spans, weakened short-term memory, and will inefficiently take longer to complete a task in which they make mistakes at a rate of 50% higher than single-tasking.

(8.) Physical exercise pumps more blood to the brain, which includes more oxygen and nutrients, which produces more neurons, which increases brain volume, which leads to an increase in learning, improved memory and information processing, and heightened emotional mood. GO RECESS!

(9.) The human brain consumes 20% of the body’s energy, and produces 20 watts of electric power, which is enough to power a low-wattage lightbulb. The brain is capable of processing sensory signals and transferring information at 350 m.p.h. Just for comparison, the Formula 1 race car travels at a maximum of 240 m.p.h.

(10.) The human eyeballs are physically an extension of the brain and are wired directly to the brain with the optic nerve.  As a result, the brain can process an image that the eyes have seen in as little as 13 milliseconds, which is less than a blink of the eye.

(11.) It’s a myth that we only use 10% our brain. In fact, we use more than that while we’re sleeping. At any given moment all the brain’s regions may not be firing at the same time, but the fact is that during each day all our brain is actively used.

(12.) The human brain’s storage capacity is virtually unlimited. It appears that it is impossible to use up our storage like the RAM in a computer.

(13.) Technology in general, and cell phones in particular, are no friend to healthy brain development. As of 2020, the average attention span decreased to 8 seconds, and now in 2026 the average Gen-Z attention span has dwindled to 7.2 seconds. The average goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds. The habit of scrolling results in a phone user to change a view every 3 seconds.

(14.) Sleep deprivation kills brain cells and raises brain temperature. Yawning is actually important since it brings down and cools brain temperatures. Along the same line, chronic stress and depression cause measurable brain shrinkage.

(15.) The human brain develops from back to front, so the frontal lobe is the last to mature, around 25 years of age. This area is known as the prefrontal cortex, located directly behind the forehead, and is responsible for executive function. This important thinking skill is responsible for logical reasoning, decision-making, planning, the working memory, impulse control, goal-directed behavior, emotional regulation, and the ability to resist distractions. Teens, anyone?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is TRUE, whatever is HONORABLE, whatever is RIGHTEOUS, whatever is PURE, whatever is WINSOME, whatever is COMMENDABLE, if there is any MORAL EXCELLENCE, if there is anything PRAISEWORTHY… dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8).

Interesting Thoughts about Thoughts:

(1.) I am what I think. I become what I choose to think about. My character is shaped by the life of my mind. My attitudes are built on the foundations of my thoughts. My lifestyle is determined by whatever I fill my mind with. My destiny begins with my thought life.

(2.) According to the latest brain imaging studies (2022), we each have about 6,200 different thoughts a day. They are called “thought worms” and are distinct, measurable shifts in brain activity that represent the transition from one idea or image to another.

(3.) We each can rewire our brains by how we think. It’s called “cognitive reframing,” based on the plasticity of our brains that are able to build new neural pathways by choosing to think differently. We each have the ability to train our minds to identify harmful thoughts, replace them with life-giving thoughts, and then practice those healthier thoughts through repetition until those new thoughts become a mental habit.

(4.) When dwelling on thoughts like what St. Paul suggested above, we are making new neural pathways that become dominant and succeed in rewiring the brain to have the ability to naturally filter out harmful thoughts and welcome life-giving thoughts.

(5.) When we are “in Christ,” we are inviting God’s Holy Spirit to renew our minds and enable us to rewire our brains, our ways of thinking, which determine our attitudes, behaviors and feelings. Each person has the ability to do a lot of the legwork in this process, but only the Spirit of God can do the heavy lifting and enable us to think with the “mind of Christ.”

(6.) In this sinful world, harmful thoughts assault us every day, and there’s not much we can do about that. But we can try to keep them at a minimum by not entertaining these thoughts, by not welcoming them into our minds in such a way that we dwell on them and fill our minds with them. As Martin Luther once said about temptations… “We can’t stop the birds from flying overhead, but we can stop them from building a nest in our hair.”