If this is a faq I apoligize.. From the LA Times, Jan 11, _The Mystery of
Memory_, by Steve Emmons:
"The brain is an unimaginable jumble of electrical circuits. Each of 10
billion brain cells connects with 50,000 others. One square millimeter of
cortex, the crinkly surfaced dome of the brain, contains 80,000 brain cells,
making the cortex the most complex electronic circuit board on Earth.
This means the brain's memory storage capacity is effectively unlimited.
You'd need many more than one lifetime to fill it up."
Is this true? How many cells would be needed for the memory of a rose (say
the visual part of that memory?) Is there a specific arrangement of cells,
in a specific location, that is directly responsible for my visual memory of
the rose, or is it something more abstract?
Is the statement "we only use 5% of our brain" true? And does it refer to
an untapped memory capacity? Is it consistent with natural selection- is
there a reproductive advantage to having excess "brain" or memory capacity?
Or does natural selection simply have no say in brain capacity above that
needed for hunting/gathering?
Also, one of my textbooks quotes 100 billion brain cells and about 10,000
connections, which differs significantly from the above. Is this a margin
of error?
