THE BIG DEAL Is KIND OF A BRAIN
Nick Seluk
III
Copyright © 2019 by Nick Seluk
Special thanks to Adam M. Robin, neurosurgical oncologist at Henry Ford Health System, for his guidance and expert modification of the information included in this book.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920 . SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc
For Calan, Emmett, and Nola – you’re all a Big Deal.
ISBN: 978-1-338-60599-0 Made in North Point, Hong Kong. 137 First printing 2019 Book design by Kirk Benshoff
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Nick Seluk SCHOLASTIC INC.
Inside of your head, behind your eyes, and under your hair is one of the coolest things about you: your BRAIN.
Your brain is the command center of your entire body. A living computer! It’s constantly collecting and storing new information about everything you experience. That way, the next time you experience the same thing, your brain will know exactly what to do!
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Without your brain, you wouldn’t be able to read and understand these words, or even turn the page!
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Sure—for you, turning the page seemed easy! But your brain had to move a lot of different muscles in just the right way to make that happen. Your brain works really hard all the time without you even knowing it.
You can do it!
Great work, Muscle.
I just needed to flex a bit.
Scientists have been learning about the brain for a very long time, but they still don’t know everything! It’s so complex we may never learn all there is to know, but scientists will never stop trying to discover more!
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Within your brain are five sections called lobes. Each lobe does something a little different, but the parts all work together, too.
Don't worry, you don't have to remember their names.
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The brain is made up of billions of things called neurons. They talk to one another by sending messages through gaps called synapses. When your brain’s neurons work together to help your body take action, you can do all kinds of complicated things.
I’m sending you a message, pass it along!
Got it!
I’m sending you a message, pass it along!
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Once a message leaves the brain, it travels through long, stringy nerves. Nerves are like roads; they connect the brain to everything else in the body.
I 'm getting pumped just watching this!
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Your brain also uses nerves to get messages back from the rest of your body. If you get a paper cut or scrape your knee, a nerve will let your brain know very quickly!
Ouch? Got it, Nerve. Thanks.
Brain, it's Nerve. Ouch!
Ouch!
Tel l Brain!
WAAAAAAHHHH!
Eyes? Time to do your thing!
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BRAIN
Your brain connects to the rest of your body through the nervous system. The nervous system is made up of your brain, brain stem, spinal cord, and nerves.
Nerves
Brain Stem
Your body is ful l of this weird stuff.
Spinal Cord
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Your brain makes your body do a lot of important things that keep you alive without you even thinking about it, like telling your heart to beat and . . .
CRASH BANG
Do a steady beat!
D-DUM D-DUM D-DUM
Perfect!
How's this?
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Examples of Involuntary Functions When your brain does something for your body that you don’t have to think about, it’s called an involuntary function . INVOLUNTARY vs. VOLUNTARY
your lungs to breathe.
Breathe!
HUFF!
Tear production Blinking Sweating Digesting food in your stomach!
GASP!
Fiber, yum!
Examples of Voluntary Functions You can choose to make your brain do stuff, too. When you do something because you want to, that’s a voluntary function .
Now do that forever!
What?!
Talking Walking Reading Cleaning your room!
Books, yum!
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Your brain tells you when you need to eat. Your stomach and gut send messages to your brain, and your brain decides when you’re hungry or full.
Hey! I 'm the one who has to do all the work. You just want things to taste good!
I 'm ready for more food.
It's okay, Stomach. I know you're ful l so we won't eat anymore.
There's always room for ice cream.
What about ice cream?
Hey!
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Are you tired right now? If you are, your brain is getting messages from your body that you need to sleep soon. When you sleep, your brain and body get a lot of much-needed rest. While you dream, your brain gets ready for the next day.
Sometimes it dreams about weird stuff.
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Now it’s time to move on to even more fun stuff! The stuff that makes you YOU.
Read a book, check. Eight hours of sleep, check. Time to get up!
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Your brain helps you turn thoughts into words so you can say or write what you’re thinking. When you talk and write in a way that other people understand, you’re using language.
Now I can talk about myself al l over the world!
People speak different languages all over the world! Depending on where you grow up, you might speak a different language with different words. Many people even speak more than one language, which allows them to talk to even more people!
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Remember how the brain collects information like a computer and keeps it for later? Your brain is really good at using this information to figure stuff out, along with the senses:
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Look what we saw!
What?
When you see something, a message is passed from the back of your eyes to the very back of your brain.
It goes this way.
When the brain gets the message, the images are actually upside down and backward. Your brain is a good problem solver, though!
Oh, that makes more sense.
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Your ears are always listening.
It sounds kind of buzzy!
It's a fly!
Don't tel l me . . . Don't tel l me . . .
When you hear something, whether it’s the ocean or a song or a burp, your brain has to work to understand it. The sounds that you hear are made into messages that are sent to your brain. Then your brain tells you what the sound is.
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Anytime you feel with your sense of touch, like something soft or wet, messages are sent to your brain. When you touch something, your brain’s experience can be really useful, especially if whatever you’ve touched is sharp or too hot. Then your brain can help you avoid it to keep you safe.
Abort! Don't touch that! Remember last time?!
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When a smell enters your nose, a message is sent to your brain. Your brain will then know if the smell is good or bad, or if you have smelled it before.
Hey, smel l this. , l l i . He el l this.
IT SMELLS HORRIBLE!
LATER...
I 'm not fal l ing for that again!
Hey, smel l this.
Your brain is especially good at remembering smells.
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When you taste something, your brain gets messages about the different flavors from your tongue. Then your brain decides if it likes the taste or not.
I love it!
So?!
Your sense of taste has a lot to do with your sense of smell. Your brain uses your nose even more than your tongue to decide if something tastes good!
It smells delizioso!
Something Italian?
PIZZA!
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Your brain is also in charge of telling your muscles and body exactly how to move. When you run, your brain gives your body very specific instructions.
Okay, Muscles, move the left leg. Now the right. Don't fal l !
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When you are in danger, your brain is firing messages all throughout your nervous system to make movements happen.
Watch out for the bear. Wait, bear?! RUN!
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By now, you know that your brain is always collecting information like a computer. All that information is stored in your memory. Your brain searches through all that information so you can find a memory when you need it. A new memory is kept by your brain for about 30 seconds before it is forgotten. This is called short-term memory.
GROUP CHAT EYES
I see pizza.
NOSE
It smells good!
TONGUE
It tastes great!
BRAIN
I will not forget this pizza.
What's your phone number? I forgot it.
I just told you 30 seconds ago!
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If you repeat something enough times, or if it’s really important, that short-term memory could turn into long-term memory.
One more time, actual ly.
Again?
Tel l me again.
Tel l me one more time ...
This time I 'l l remember!
I forgot.
Wait! I remember it!
FINALLY!
Long-term memories last, you guessed it, a LONG time. Don’t worry, your brain will NEVER stop making new memories, so keep learning! 25
Something the brain is really, really good at is thinking. Thinking and thinking and thinking. Your brain is thinking about things pretty much all the time.
To think or not to think? I think I 'l l think.
You can imagine things and solve problems just by thinking about them. Every invention that people ever created, from rockets and medicine to toilets and pizza, came from thinking about ways to make things better! 26
Did you know your feelings, like love, come from your brain, too?
Aww! I love love!
You have nothing to do with it.
You feel happy, sad, angry, or scared without ever having to learn how. You can control how you react when you feel something, but your feelings happen no matter what.
Brain is sad!
Yes.
Nice work.
Are you crying?
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Your brain is pretty important.
It helps you makes sense of the world around you. It tells your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body and your lungs to breathe so you can stay alive. It moves your body and helps you talk, see, and hear.
Your brain is in charge of all the thoughts, feelings, and memories that make you YOU.
You have great taste!
Looks l ike Brain is having a party!
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Hooray for Brain!
Put me down, please.
That’s kind of a big deal.
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BRAIN: THE ORGAN INSIDE YOUR CRANIUM THAT CONTROLS YOUR BODY’S ACTIVITIES, THOUGHTS, MEMORIES, AND EMOTIONS BRAIN STEM: THE PART OF YOUR BRAIN THAT CONNECTS TO YOUR SPINAL CORD AND CONTAINS THE CENTERS THAT CONTROL INVOLUNTARY FUNCTIONS LIKE BREATHING EXPERIENCE: SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU FRONTAL LOBE: THE FRONT PORTION OF YOUR BRAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR MOTIVATION, DECISION-MAKING, LANGUAGE EXPRESSION, AND PARTS OF YOUR PERSONALITY INSULAR LOBE: A SECTION DEEP INSIDE THE BRAIN THAT HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR BODY EXPERIENCES AND MAY HOUSE SPEECH AND MOTOR FUNCTIONS INVOLUNTARY FUNCTION: SOMETHING THAT IS DONE WITHOUT A PERSON’S CONTROL LANGUAGE: THE USE OF WORDS TO COMMUNICATE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS LOBE: ONE SECTION OF A BODY PART OR ORGAN LONG-TERM MEMORY: SOMETHING YOU CAN REMEMBER OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME MEMORY: A THOUGHT OF SOMETHING THAT YOU REMEMBER FROM THE PAST NERVES: THE THREADS THAT SEND MESSAGES BETWEEN YOUR BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD TO OTHER PARTS OF YOUR BODY SO YOU CAN MOVE AND FEEL
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NERVOUS SYSTEM: A SYSTEM IN THE BODY THAT INCLUDES THE BRAIN, SPINAL CORD, AND NERVES. IN HUMANS AND ANIMALS, THE NERVOUS SYSTEM CONTROLS ALL THE FEELINGS AND ACTIONS OF THE BODY. NEURONS: THE CELLS THAT CARRY INFORMATION BETWEEN THE BRAIN AND OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY OCCIPITAL LOBE: THE BACK PORTION OF YOUR BRAIN THAT HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SEE PARIETAL LOBE: THE SECTION OF YOUR BRAIN BETWEEN THE FRONTAL AND OCCIPITAL LOBES THAT DEALS WITH SENSATIONS LIKE TOUCH AND PAIN AND BEING AWARE SHORT-TERM MEMORY: SOMETHING YOU CAN ONLY REMEMBER FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME SPINAL CORD: A THICK CORD OF NERVE TISSUE THAT STARTS BELOW THE BRAIN AND BRAIN STEM AND RUNS THROUGH THE SPINAL CANAL WITHIN THE SPINAL COLUMN SYNAPSE: THE LOCATION WHERE TWO NEURONS COMMUNICATE AND PASS MESSAGES TEMPORAL LOBE: THE BOTTOM SECTION OF YOUR BRAIN THAT IS MAINLY IN CHARGE OF YOUR HEARING AND MEMORY VOLUNTARY FUNCTION: SOMETHING THAT IS DONE ON PURPOSE FOR A SPECIFIC REASON
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Dolphins have larger brains than humans. Their brains are also very complex, especially in the sections that deal with problem-solving, emotions, and self-awareness. This means they are some of the smartest animals on Earth (besides humans).
Some of the biggest dinosaurs— like Stegosaurus —had very small brains compared to their body size. These giant dinosaurs could have had brains as small as walnuts!
EE EE EEEE EE!!!
Leeches’ bodies are broken up into 32 internal segments. Each segment has its own mini brain!
Each of an ostrich’s huge eyes is bigger than its brain! That means its brain is pretty small. No wonder they run in circles to avoid predators.
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Sea squirts eat their own brains! When a sea squirt is done developing, it settles into the sea floor where it stays for the rest of its life. Then it absorbs its little brain since it doesn’t need it to move around anymore.
A cockroach can live for weeks without its head and brain. And the antennae on its head can still move back and forth for hours after it’s removed from its body!
Okay, let's stop. Time for dinner!
I'm tired of moving.
Are you okay?
Why wouldn't I be okay?
A woodpecker has air pockets in its head. This is extra protection that keeps its brain safe from injuries while they are pecking at trees.
Sea stars don’t have brains. Instead, they have nerves that help them with basic things, like finding food.
I don't think, therefore . . . I 'm . . . not?
What was I doing? Oh right! I was banging my beak on a tree.
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Did you know that the brain is in charge of everything you do, every minute of every day? You know, like thinking about funny stuff and keeping you alive. Bestselling author Nick Seluk explains the science behind everything the brain does for you—from keeping your heart beating to remembering stuff, and making you YOU.
“If you thought you knew the brain before this mind-blowing album, you thought wrong.” —ROLLING BONE
“The beat never stops.” —EW (EAR WEEKLY)
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COVER ART © 2019 BY NICK SELUK COVER DESIGN BY KIRK BENSHOFF
“This album has it all—heart, intelligence, strength. Truly breathtaking.” —BILLBODY HITS
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