Preamble:
Do you believe that people can live without brains? Or more extremely, how can a person with only 10% of his brain work and live normally, or even surpass ordinary people? This seems to go against what we have known for many years, because isn't the brain the key to being human? However, it turns out that miraculous things happen from time to time - on a hot summer day in 1980, Mark, a handsome young man with a lot of gold, was living with a headache.
At first, he didn't care, thinking it was due to the weather and work pressure. It wasn't until the headache seriously affected his studies that he had to seek medical attention. But the results of the examination made the attending doctor stunned - this top student of the mathematics department actually only had 10% of his brain left!
Faced with the doctor's surprised gaze, Mark was relaxed. He jokingly said, "Maybe I was born like this, otherwise how could I be so smart?" Indeed, the illness did not reduce his IQ and emotional intelligence. Mark is still handsome and dashing, and his demeanor is calm. He was slender and straight, not at all like a brain impaired person. I saw him chatting with the doctor with his eyebrows fluttering, and his expression was radiant and he didn't look sick.
The results of the subsequent series of tests were even more shocking - the IQ was as high as 126, and the mathematical and logical abilities were equal to anyone. Mark looks like a normal person, with normal language and physical functions, and even is comfortable emotionally and in life. It's like opening the door to a new world, and it turns out that there may be blind spots in our perception of the brain. Can it be replaced by other parts of the body? We are born with brains, so our importance is undeniable, right? A series of questions have come one after another, and scientists have been trying to find answers......
Where is his brain?
"Where did it go?" Doctor John, puzzled, examined Mark's CT scans repeatedly. Indeed, the cranial cavity that should have filled the brain now resembles a balloon, with only a very thin layer of brain tissue clinging to the skull, and the rest of the brain is replaced by cerebrospinal fluid. He even suspected that the young man in front of him was faking illness in order to test the knowledge of the medical profession.
But all the indicators looked normal, and Mark was functioning well and his sane posture was calm. If it weren't for the conclusive imaging evidence, who would have believed that he only had 10% of his brain? What surprised John even more was that Mark not only had an amazing memory and quick thinking, but also had a superhuman self-confidence in his personality.
John knew he was facing a problem beyond cognition, and he had to be cautious. He immediately invited authoritative experts from the medical school for a consultation and launched a special study on Mark. At the same time, he set out to collect more similar cases, which could be a big scientific discovery!
Gradually, more patients with only remnants of brain tissue were found – 95% of them had hollow brains. But what makes John unbelievable is that these "brain-breakers" are no different in intelligence and life ability. What are the forces that govern their physical and mental activity, and does the importance of the brain need to be redefined?
The magical headless chicken responds to the question
Just as John was deep in thought, the "headless chicken" on the other side of the Atlantic gave a startling reply - it turns out that humans are not the first example of a living brain fragment!
On an American farm in 1945, a fat rooster that was unfortunately decapitated miraculously survived. It stood up, swayed away from the scene, and became the center of the local conversation. The owner, Roddy, was taken aback, which was far beyond his comprehension. "Is it demonically possessed?" the neighbors argued, demanding that the strange chicken not be harmed.
The next day, however, Roddy found the headless chicken walking around the coop and foraging for food, with no intention of dying. It repeats the activities of his life with mechanical and precise precision, making Roddy shudder. He began to wonder about the world after death, maybe the soul really existed!
The headless chicken "Mike" quickly became famous and became a national celebrity. More and more people drove overnight to see the miracle. In this way, Mike lived for 18 months and became the subject of anatomical research in the medical community. Experts believe that there are fragments of brain tissue left in its neck, which maintain the basic activities of the body.
Where does the brain-breaker's superpowers come from?
Although there are doubts in the academic community about the phenomenon of "brain-breakers", in recent years there have been more and more similar cases - brainless people are frequent all over the world! The most striking example of them occurred in France: 44-year-old Michael suddenly had numbness in his right leg, and after the examination, the doctor was shocked - his entire brain was gone!
However, to the astonishment of all experts, Michael is not only mentally strong, but also has a good job in the government and successfully raised two children to adulthood. His intelligence test score was 75, which was below average, but it did not affect his normal life in the slightest. On the surface, he looks like an ordinary successful person.
Isn't this living evidence that the conventional perspective may need to be broken and reconstructed. More and more scientists are coming forward to give their opinions and try to explain this perplexing phenomenon.
Canadian neuroscientist John Andrew believes that other organs in the human body can also store memories. They have acquired certain functions of the brain over a long period of evolution, so they are able to compensate for the basic activities of the severed brain. It's the same as Mike's situation.
American expert Paul Felsall analyzed a large number of organ transplant cases and confirmed that human organs contain memory cells. They contain fragments of the memories of their previous owners, which are passed on to the new host after a successful transplant, causing subtle changes in their personalities and habits.
In any case, there is growing evidence that our past assumptions about brain function may need to be revisited...... Is its absolute importance overestimated? When there is a memory backup and processing center in the body, it allows a person to maintain basic activities even if the brain is damaged.
The mystery of the brain lies in its construction
Finally, authoritative experts point out that the answer lies in the complex structure of the brain. In fact, Mark didn't completely lose his brain, and the gray matter in the 10 percent of his remaining tissues was in charge of memory, language, and logic. That's enough to explain his extraordinary performance.
Mark is also okay because the white matter tissue has been completely destroyed. White matter is responsible for transmitting information and motor commands. As they disappear, the brain resembles a balloon of water, with only a thin layer of functional brain tissue remaining on the surface. This rare condition is called "cerebral edema".
It turns out that we have been overestimating the role of the brain as a whole, but underestimating the power of its core. Mark's case is a testament to this. Although there is not much left of his brain, the critical areas are still there, enough to keep his body and mind functioning properly.
It also reminds us not to ignore the power of self-healing in the mysteries of the body. The doctor prescribed simple painkillers to Mark and told him to get rest. "It's a miracle of science!" "The attending doctor was very excited.
For Mark, a mild fever gave him a splitting headache. The doctor understood and cured him of his stubborn illness with a simple ice compress. To this day, Mark is still in good spirits. Whenever someone marveled at him as different, he always blinked and smiled mysteriously......
The world is full of mysteries, and we still have too many unknowns. Maybe one day, the mystery of the brain will suddenly be revealed, and at that time, a "brainbreaker" like Mark will no longer be an anomaly, but another peak of evolution!