 Since it's simply impossible to know too much, here's more about: User tip: Turn off your popup blocker for easy access to HowStuffWorks. BRAIN POWER How does the brain create an uninterrupted view of the world? If you've ever used a camcorder, you've probably noticed that the picture can be pretty shaky as you move from one image to the next. But for most of us, our eyes -- the video cameras of our brain, if you will -- suffer no unstable transition as they move quickly over a scene. Scientists have understood this phenomenon for decades. To achieve a stable view despite quick eye movements, the eyes do an amazing thing: They take before and after shots of every focused image and compare them in order to confirm stability. In essence, before your eyes actually sense an object, your brain takes its own picture of it for comparison purposes. It knows where your eyes are going to move next, and it forms an image of the object that precedes our conscious, visual perception of it and lays the framework for a smooth visual transition. So the process is in the books. But scientists have spent at least 50 years trying to find out how the brain manages this feat. Read More at HowStuffWorks... How can someone stay awake for 11 days? Have you ever pulled an all-nighter to study for a test or get a project done for work? How about doing it 11 days in a row? On May 24, 2007, Tony Wright, a 42-year-old horticulturalist, claimed to have beaten the record of 264 hours (exactly 11 days) set in 1964. Wright had some practice: He had already been through more than 100 sleep deprivation experiments, with the longest one lasting eight days. He also employed a unique diet that comprised only raw foods. Of course, long-term sleep deprivation can cause vision problems, hallucinations, paranoia, mood swings, difficulty communicating or understanding others, a compromised immune system, and depression and is not recommended by doctors. But stunts like this have triggered questions about human’s need for sleep. Read more about Cornwall and take a peek into his diary at HowStuffWorks. Related Links: How Brain-Computer Interfaces Work How Brain Death Works |
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