the human brain
Of all earth’s marvels, the human brain is the most astounding. Every second, it receives about 100 million bits of information from the senses. How does it avoid being buried by this avalanche? If we think of one thing at a time, how does it process millions of simultaneous messages? Clearly, the mind not only survives this barrage but handles it with ease.
How does the brain manage this?
Two key mechanisms are involved. First, a nerve network called the reticular formation acts as a traffic control centre. It monitors incoming messages, sifting out the trivial. It selects only the essential for the conscious mind to notice. Each second, only a few hundred signals at most get through.
Second, waves sweep the brain 8 to 12 times per second. These create periods of high sensitivity. During these, the brain notes the strongest signals. It is believed the brain scans itself with these waves. This focuses our attention on the essentials.
Something “to Wonder At”
Scientists have made tremendous strides in brain research. Yet, what they have learnt is minimal compared to the unknown. One researcher said our brains remain “essentially mysterious”. The human brain is the most mysterious part of the human miracle. “Miracle” means something “to wonder at”.
What shows the brain’s difference from animals?
This wonder begins in the womb. Brain cells start forming three weeks after conception. They grow rapidly, up to 250,000 per minute. After birth, the brain continues growing its connections. “The brain of the human infant, unlike that of any other animal, triples in size during its first year.” It packs in 100 billion neurones despite being only 2% of body weight.
How do nerve signals travel?
Neurones do not touch each other. They are separated by tiny gaps called synapses. Chemicals called neurotransmitters bridge these gaps. Signals are received by filaments called dendrites. They are transmitted by a nerve fibre called an axon. Signals are electrical in neurones and chemical across gaps.
What does the Bible note about learning?
The exact changes during learning are not fully known. Evidence suggests learning forms better neural connections. Repeated use strengthens these pathways. Scientific American reports “pathways that are often activated together are strengthened.” The Bible says mature people “through use have their perceptive powers trained.” (Hebrews 5:14) Unused mental powers fade.
What is a great unresolved issue?
The brain’s “wiring” is placed with precise complexity. How neurones make specific connections is a mystery. “Undoubtedly the most important unresolved issue,” said a scientist, is “how neurones make specific patterns of connections.” Another added that “how this precise wiring is laid down remains one of the great unsolved problems.”
How many connections exist?
The number of neural connections is astronomical. Each neurone may have thousands of connections. There are also microcircuits between dendrites. “These ‘microcircuits’ add a totally new dimension,” said a neurologist. Some estimate “as many as a quadrillion connections.” ⁷Carl Sagan said it could hold information filling “twenty million volumes”.
How does the cortex differ?
The cerebral cortex sets humans far apart. It is less than a quarter of an inch thick. If unfolded, it would cover two and a half square feet. It has ten thousand miles of fibres per cubic inch. It has a large area not committed to physical functions. This allows for higher mental processes. “We are not just smarter apes,” said a researcher.
Our Far Greater Capability
“What distinguishes the human brain is the variety of specialised activities it is capable of learning.” The term “hardwired” refers to innate, built-in traits. Applied to human beings, “hardwiring” refers to innate abilities. People have built-in capacities to learn. Animals have hardwired instincts but limited learning capacity.
With what capability are we preprogrammed?
The most intelligent animal “never develops a mind like a human’s.” It lacks our “preprogramming to form concepts and language.” We must program the brain with input from our surroundings. Otherwise, “scarcely a trace of intellect would appear.” We have the free will to programme our own intellects.
Language Unique to Humans
The brain is “genetically programmed for language development.” Speech requires an “innate language-processing capacity”. ¹Unlike animal instincts, human language use is tremendously flexible. A specific language isn’t hardwired. We are preprogrammed to learn languages.
What did a linguist say about animals?
A child can learn multiple languages if exposed to them. One girl spoke eight languages fluently by age five. A linguist concluded that chimp experiments “prove that chimps are incapable of even the most rudimentary forms of human language.”
What do ancient languages show?
Could language evolve from animal sounds? Studies of ancient languages rule this out. “There are no primitive languages.” So-called primitive languages are “often more complex and efficient.”
What do researchers say about language’s origin?
“The more we investigate language, the more mysterious it becomes.” “The origin of syntactic speech remains a mystery.” “The origins of language remain one of the brain’s most baffling mysteries.” It is no mystery to those who see a Creator’s hand.
Things Only Creation Can Explain
The brain has “considerably more potential than is realisable in one lifetime.” It could handle a billion times more learning. Why would evolution produce such excess?” This is the only example of a species provided with an organ it hasn’t learnt to use.” This contradicts natural selection. It is more reasonable that humans were designed to live forever.
What was a scientist’s summation?
Carl Sagan said the brain is “a very big place in a very small space.” Consider a pianist playing a complex piece. The brain directs the fingers perfectly. This is possible due to preprogrammed musical capability. No animal brain conceives or performs such things.
What explains our intellectual qualities?
Human intellect reflects a Supreme Intellect. Genesis 1:27 says God created man “in his image”. Animals were not, so they lack human capabilities. Their rigid instincts are no match for human flexibility.
How is altruism inconsistent?
An evolutionist said anything evolved “should be selfish.” Yet, humans have a capacity for “genuine, true kindness”. Another scientist said, “Altruism is built into us.” Only humans practise it with awareness of potential sacrifice.
Appreciating the Human Miracle
Humans think abstractly, set goals, and find satisfaction in achievement. We have an eye for beauty, an ear for music, and a creative imagination. We are challenged by problems and delight in solving them. A moral sense and conscience guide us. We find joy in loving and being loved. This gives life purpose and meaning.
What thoughts highlight our search?
Humans contemplate nature, the mountains, oceans, and stars. We feel our smallness and wonder about time and eternity. We ask how we got here and where we are going. No animal has these thoughts. We seek reasons and meanings. This stems from our awesome brain and bearing God’s “image”.
How did the psalmist acknowledge his origin?
The psalmist David gave credit to his Creator. He said:
“I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was woven in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your book all its parts were down in writing.” —Psalm 139:14-16.
What makes these words remarkable?
The fertilised egg contains the entire body plan “down in writing”. The heart, lungs, brain—all parts were in that genetic code. Internal timetables guided each part’s development. The Bible recorded this fact millennia before science discovered it.
To what conclusion does this lead?
Is the human brain not a true miracle? Is it not a cause for wonder? Can such a miracle be explained by evolution? The evidence points decisively to creation.
