• Question: Why does the brain controll out bodies????

    Asked by xxonedirectionxx to Andrew, Daniel, Hayley, Natalia, Peta on 23 Nov 2011.
    • Photo: Daniel Scully

      Daniel Scully answered on 22 Nov 2011:

      We need a brain to control our body so that there’s only one set of instructions.

      If there were more than one thing in our body giving instructions, they might send differing instructions. What if one wanted to turn right and the other turn left?

      Also, having one centre for decision making means that everything can work together to do something – because the brain instructs them all. Otherwise, if we had two organs making controlling us, they would have to tell each other what the other wants to do. If you’re in an emergency situation and you need to react fast, the delay while they agree on what to do could be the difference between life and death.

    • Photo: Peta Foster

      Peta Foster answered on 22 Nov 2011:

      The brain controls most of our bodies… because something has to right? However some reflex functions are actually controlled by the spinal cord.. things like you’re reaction to putting your hand on a red hot plate wouldn’t got the the brain because it would take too long so the spinal cord deals with that one. 🙂

      The brain is a very strange thing though and there are lots of people trying to work out how it works. There was a neuroscience conference in Washington DC last week which drew 31 000 people! I find that mind blowing, but that really is how interesting the brain and brain function is 😀

    • Photo: Hayley Smith

      Hayley Smith answered on 23 Nov 2011:

      The brain is like the major control centre for the bodies “central nervous system”, this is made up of the brain, the spinal chord (as described by Peta) and all other nerves that extend all over your body.

      The nerve cells are complex and the brain is there to send, receive and understand the information from the central nervous system as a whole (except for reflex actions which the spinal chord deals with more quickly, like Peta said).

      So I guess the brain is like the massive control centre, it has the special cells that enable it to keep tabs on everything and regulate what is happening as far as it can! And for saying it looks like a cauliflower, is quite impressive!

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