Your brain is super important.
You can't do anything without it.
From thinking thoughts to moving muscles, the brain does it all.
But your brain is also super delicate.
It can get hurt pretty easily if you're not careful.
Yeah, because the brain itself is just a soft squishy blob sitting in your skull.
It feels like tofu.
If you've ever felt tofu, maybe like medium firm tofu.
That's Melissa Campbell.
She studies the brain.
And coming up, she'll tell us why it's so helpful to have a soft, squishy brain.
And why protecting that tofu-like blob in your skull is super important.
So get ready to use your brains to learn about brains.
Hey, Mark here.
Have you heard our new puberty podcast?
It's a limited series that answers questions from kids and features teens who share tips and stories from their own lives.
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These are the folks who chip in to fund everything we do at Brains on Universe.
And you can be one too.
Just go to smartypass.org.
Plus, when you sign up, you can get access to the video of a special live event that we did just for parents of kids about to start puberty.
Molly talked with experts who answered questions on everything from whether or not to talk about crushes to how to start the puberty conversation in the first place.
We tend to want to ask open-ended questions instead of yes, no questions.
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Is not as good as tell me what you know about this word puberty, and you see what they say after they crawl out from under the table.
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Thanks!
You're listening to Brains On.
I'm Molly Bloom and my co-host today is Penny from North Hollywood, California.
Hi, Penny.
Hello, everybody.
You're here because you asked us a really interesting question.
Yeah, I asked why our brains are squishy.
Do I really have to wear a helmet every time I go on wheels?
So what made you think of it?
I was going to school and just thinking and thinking.
And then I just said to my mom, hey, this is a good question for Brains On.
Perfect.
So I'm guessing you wear a helmet.
Yes.
What does your helmet look like?
I actually brought it.
Oh, cool.
Can you describe it?
Shining purple.
Very cool.
And I put a sticker that I got from Yosemite on it.
Oh, cool.
So what do you ride that you need to wear a helmet during A bike, rollerblades and stuff that goes on wheels.
Nice.
So, do you mind wearing a helmet?
Do you find it uncomfortable?
I...
Like wearing a helmet.
Tell me some of the other cool things that you like to do with your brain, besides ride-wheeled things.
I like to think of what I should paint.
What are some things you've painted recently?
A sunset a bunch of times and like ponds and stuff.
So do you ever have conversations with yourself in your brain?
No, but sometimes when I'm watching a show or a movie with nobody else but I think someone's with me I start laughing and start talking and then I look behind myself and then I notice nobody's there.
Oh, interesting.
Well, clearly your brain is always busy thinking of cool questions too, because this question is exceptionally good.
And before we get to why our brains are squishy, let's learn more about this important part of the body.
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.
Libbers and gentlemen, kidneys and kids I, Dwayne the Brain, will attempt the most death-defying stunt in the history of brains on.
Is that a talking brain with legs and arms wearing a helmet?
Yeah, that's Dwayne.
He can walk and talk.
Please don't ask any further questions because I can't answer them.
Understood.
Watch as I ride my scooter off this ramp, fly into the air over a pit of hungry badgers, then over a pit of hungry sharks, then over a pit of snakes, who aren't really that hungry but can maybe go for a snack.
Then I'll fly through a hoop covered in Tabasco sauce, do a triple flip and land unharmed in that chair next to Molly.
Is he really going to do all that?
Yes, I really am going to do all that while also playing the piccolo.
Here I go.
Wow, that's amazing.
Bravo, Dwayne.
Truly the most extra entrance in Brains On history.
I'm amazing, I know.
Now I'm here, and I can help explain the brain.
Perfect.
We're all ears.
That's silly.
You are so much more than just ears, Molly.
You're also noses and other things.
But not me.
I'm all brain.
Right.
Now, the important thing to know about that brain is that it's like the conductor of the body, the director, the top dog.
Woof, woof!
It helps you move and feel.
That's right.
The brain controls your body by sending signals to your various parts, so it makes your arms and legs move, for example.
But the brain doesn't just send out signals, it also takes in signals from your body.
So when a bug lands on your arm or you stub your toe, those body parts send a signal to the brain to tell you what you are feeling.
Right.
Brains also take in signals from your eyes and ears.
Then the brain makes sense of all that information so you know what's going on around you.
Truly an amazing thing.
That's what it says on my business card.
See?
Dwayne the Brain.
He's truly an amazing thing.
Here, Penny.
You can have this card.
It's scented.
It just smells like paper.
Exactly.
Paper is a scent.
But back to how amazing brains are.
Brains are also where your memories live, where you think your thoughts and where you feel your feelings.
Yeah, and the brain does a lot that we don't control, too.
Your brain helps you with your breathing and your heartbeat.
Even your body temperature and how you digest food.
The brain deals with lots of stuff that feels like it's just happening automatically in your body.
Yep, brains pretty much keep everything on track.
Like the boss, like the coach, the train conductor.
So what is the brain made out of?
Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
Nah, JK.
Like everything in the body, the brain is made up of tiny pieces called cells.
There are a few different kinds of cells in the brain.
We're going to teach you the names of the two main types.
One group is called the neurons.
I love those.
And the other group is called glia.
Glia.
I love those too.
The neurons are the cells that send signals around the brain.
They're like the messengers that let us think and feel and move.
They're always communicating with other cells to make your thoughts and actions.
The messenger cells.
And the glia are cells that help take care of the neurons.
They bring nutrients and oxygen, they stop germs from attacking and they act like the glue holding the brain together.
Glia.
The helper cells.
So those are the main cells in the brain.
Neurons and glia.
A dream team if I ever heard one.
Like peanut butter and jelly.
Or peanut butter and chocolate.
Or peanut butter and anything really.
I'd eat paper if it was covered in peanut butter.
Oh, new business card idea.
Peanut butter flavored paper.
Dwayne, you're a genius.
So those are the cells.
And get this, your brain has a lot of both types.
Oh, yeah.
Like a lot, a lot.
Some researchers think the human brain has around 86 billion neuron cells and around the same number of glia.
That's around 172 billion cells total.
Now think of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
Some scientists think it has around 100 billion stars.
That means our brains might have more cells than there are stars in the galaxy.
That's a lot of cells all squeezed into that not-so-giant space between your ears.
So basically, the brain is like a big galaxy of cells in your head.
And it's constantly sending signals and communicating with itself and with the rest of the body, all the time.
And those billions of cells in the brain makes all your memories, thoughts, and feelings.
Plus, they help keep all your important body functions running, like breathing and digesting and pumping blood.
So given all that, I deserve a raise.
All brains do.
We're literally the best.
I couldn't agree more.
Well, I'm so impressed with myself.
I'm going to go journal about how great I am.
Do you mind if I leave my stunt set up here for now?
Thanks.
Oh, and can you feed the tank of hungry badgers and hungry sharks for me?
A snake should be fine.
Later.
So now that we know a little about what the brain does and what it's made of, we can find out why it's so soft.
But first, a challenge for the billions of cells in your noggin.
It's the... Mystery Sound.
Are you ready for the mystery sound, Penny?
Yes.
Okay.
Okay.
Here it is.
What do you think?
I have two guesses.
One guest was like really quickly unpausing, pausing, unpausing, pausing, unpausing, pausing the TV.
Oh, okay.
And my second guest was playing laser tag.
Whoa, okay.
I'm going to give you a hint.
Okay.
This is happening outside.
I heard some singing.
Okay.
And like in the background the singing and like maybe like people riding a horse kind of.
I like that guess a lot.
I do know the answer for this one, so I can't make my own guess.
But we will be back.
We'll play it again, give you another chance to guess, and hear the answer at the end of the show.
So stick around.
Hey friends, we're working on an episode about why humans love to dance and we want you to be in it.
There have been lots of dance crazes over the years from the Charleston to the moonwalk.
Now you make one up.
And I'll see you next time.
Today's episode is sponsored by shopify.
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Slash brains on.
Again, that's shopify.com slash brains on.
This is Brains On.
I'm Molly.
And I'm Penny.
And we're talking about brains.
Brains are super important.
They help control our body and keep us alive.
And they're packed with billions of special cells called neurons and glia.
The brain is also very soft.
It's actually one of the softest things in a human body.
Yeah, even with our hard skull around it, the brain is delicate.
We need to be very careful with our heads.
So why isn't the brain more stiff and sturdy so we don't have to worry so much?
To find out, we spoke to someone who knows a thing or two about brains.
I have touched many brains.
It feels like tofu, if you've ever felt tofu, maybe like medium firm tofu.
They're soft and smooth.
That's Dr. Melissa Campbell.
She studies the brain and teaches about it at the University of California, San Diego.
I've touched mostly mouse brains, but I have touched human brains, too.
When I was in medical school.
Some people, when they die, they donate their body so that medical students can learn about the brain.
And we actually got to touch and look at human brains that people have donated after they've passed away so we can learn about.
Melissa says one reason the brain is so soft is because the cells of the brain don't have as much structure around them.
That means they have less packaging or housing to protect them.
Sticking with food metaphors, picture a lunchbox.
The kind with little sections for each snack.
You know, like little walls separating the carrot sticks from the blueberries.
That's what moose cells in your body are like.
They're the snacks, with the little walls around them like a little bento box, with each of the cells in their own little spot.
Those walls help protect the cells and make them stronger, so they can't be damaged that easily.
But brain cells are different.
They don't have those little walls.
They're more like a bowl of cooked spaghetti with the noodles all loose in there.
Just doodles of noodles.
Some parts of the brain are a little bit harder, but never very hard.
It would be like cooked spaghetti all together if you had like a whole stretch of a bunch of spaghetti together and that feels a little hard but it's still easy to break.
So brain cells are soft and have less protection than other cells.
But there must be a reason, right?
Turns out there is.
Here's Melissa again.
So one of the things that's really awesome about brains is that they are always growing and learning and changing.
Brains grow and learn and change by making connections between the neuron cells we talked about.
The more connections the cells make, the more they can communicate with each other and the more information they can share.
Think of it this way.
Those neuron cells are like roads.
And information and ideas are like cars.
They use those roads to get around.
The more the roads are connected, the more places the cars can go.
So in your brain, the more the neurons can add and change connections, the more information can zip around.
And being soft helps those brain cells make those connections.
If the brain cells were stiffer, they wouldn't be able to stretch, grow, and branch out as easily.
Plus, because brain cells don't have as much support around them, they take up less space.
If we built more structure into the brain so that it had more support, each cell had more support, we probably could have fewer cells.
Or if we wanted to have the same number of cells, our brains would be huge.
And then they're already pretty huge.
We have some of the biggest brains in the animal kingdom relative to our body size.
So it's sort of a trade-off.
Our brain cells trade having strong protection around them for being able to make more connections.
And being able to squeeze more cells into our head.
Brains.
Coming up, more tips on how to take care of that bowl of cooked spaghetti in your head.
But first, let's check the mailbag.
Hi, BrandZone buddies.
Sanding here to check the mailbag.
Let's see what we got.
Oh, here's one for Bob.
Let's see.
Okay, so it's from Jackson in Tucson and it says Jackson found this price tag on a bottle of sauce that we got from the grocery store and thought Bob would like to have it in his collection.
Okay, cool.
Oh, and it comes with a note that says, this is for Bob.
Oh, and there's the price tag.
Aw, snap, it's a $4.99 price tag.
You know Bob is going to love it.
Bob collects price tags, and this one is minty.
Pristine condition.
Great classic price tag font.
This is an A plus tag, Jackson.
He will adore it.
Thank you so much.
Well, if you have something you want to send to us at Brains On, just go to brainsonorg.
Slash contact.
You can also send us drawings, mystery sounds, or ideas for new rooms in our headquarters.
All right, can't wait to hear from you.
Thanks, and until next time, Sandin out.
Want to support this kind of show and get ad-free versions of everything we make?
Join Smarty Pass.
It's quick and easy.
Just go to smartypass.org.
Thanks.
Okay, back to brains.
If you have one, and I hope you do, then you should take good care of it.
Here to give us tips on doing that is Timmy Le.
He studies the brain at the University of Massachusetts.
Hi, Timmy.
Hi.
Great to be here.
Oh, we're so happy to have you here.
So first up, can you tell us why it's important to protect our brains with a helmet?
Yeah, helmets are very important.
So, even though nature gives us a natural barrier to protect our brains in the form of a skull, it is still not enough.
For one second, I would like you to think of an egg.
Naturally, it has a shell to protect what's inside of it.
However, it is not enough when we drop it from a high kitchen counter or throw against the floor at a high speed.
Similarly, our skulls provide a natural way of protection when we accidentally bump our head against a wall.
But please do not do this on purpose.
It's not good for your brain because the fat can add up in the long run.
Even though accidentally bumping our heads do hurt a lot afterwards, the skull did its job in protecting our brains.
But this is very important.
Our skull is not enough to protect our brains when we are riding our bikes or running into each other at high speeds in sports like hockey.
Therefore, we have to protect our brains using a helmet, because our helmet acts as an extra layer of protection.
So like a little bump here and there, your skull is enough.
But if you're moving fast, you got to protect it better.
Yes.
Gotcha.
I hear the brain has lots of water in it.
Is that true?
Yeah, that's true.
So let me start by explaining that the brain is an organ which is like something that's in your body that works to really control how you live.
So the brain is an organ that's made up of very tiny living things called cells, and they're so small that we would need a microscope to see them.
Although these like brain cells are very small, they're mighty when they work together.
So this is like the ultimate example of teamwork, like playing on a FIFA World Cup soccer team.
Or you can also think of them as Lego blocks.
Individually, our brain cells do not do much, but when you put them together, they help us think, breathe and have the conversation that we are having right now.
And like all living things, they need water to work properly.
When we drink water, does some of it go up to the brain?
So the brain inside our heads right now is approximately 80% water.
So this is why like when you don't drink enough water, you might have a headache.
It's basically your brain telling you that you need to drink more water.
What does sleep do for the brain?
Yeah, so sleep is very important for your brain because throughout the day our brain's taking so much information.
When it's taking so much information, it needs time to rest and process the information for us to recall later.
Or like ask ourself, oh, what happened during the day?
So think about it as folding our clothes and putting it away in a drawer.
If we do not fold our clothes and put it away properly, it will be very difficult to find them later.
Similarly, our brains need sleep or a break from the day in order to put all the information away that we took during the day.
Would you say there are big differences between kid brains and grownup brains?
Ooh, this is a very interesting question.
And this is a topic that I studied a lot when I was in school.
So yes, there is a big difference.
So kids brains are more likely to form connections better and quicker between the brain cells than adult brains.
This is why it's much easier for kids to learn new things, like learning a new language, than it is for an adult.
Adult brains, however, have stronger and more efficient connections.
This is because adults have more life experiences.
However, this strong and efficient connection that allows adult brains to think much quicker tend to slow down when adults get older, which is approximately when they turn 60 or 70 years old.
Can you encourage your brain to grow more connections?
Yes, the brain is a very amazing organ that's constantly changing.
And these changes are what we call neuroplasticity, or the process in which the brain grows new connections between other brain cells.
So we can encourage our brains to grow new connections between the brain cells by learning.
So you can do this through learning a new topic at school or how to play a new instrument in a band, or being active and learning new skills like playing a sport, like baseball or softball.
I really like to paint.
Is painting good for your brain?
Yes, it's very good for your brain.
The reason behind that is painting is such a creative activity.
It means that you use like every single different part of your brain.
You use the part that control your paintbrush.
So like the part of the brain that controlled your hands so you can do each stroke of painting.
It also causes the brain to imagine things like what you want to paint.
And all that part of the brain work together so that you can work on that paint stroke, so you can make that picture on your canvas.
Wow, that's really cool.
Do you have any tips for keeping our brains healthy for far into the future?
Yes, the stuff you choose to do now will have a big impact on your brain as it becomes an adult brain.
So it is very important for you to listen to your trusted adult, like your parents, when they tell you to go to bed, eat your fruits and vegetables and wear a helmet.
Most importantly, with your trusted adult's permission, it's important to go outside and play.
Your brain needs more information than just being on your iPad all day.
But however, if you don't like to go outside because it's too hot, cold or rainy, you can ask your trusted adult for a library card so you can borrow a book.
It's like YouTube and you do not need the internet for it to work.
Thank you for making time to chat with us.
Thank you for coming on the show.
It was my pleasure.
Bye.
Bye, Penny.
Hey, Molly.
Hey, Penny.
It's me, Dwayne the Brain.
I'm back.
Hey, Dwayne.
How are the badgers and sharks doing?
We fed them some cheese curds and now they're all sleeping peacefully.
Nice.
So I've been thinking about what you said.
You know how brains are the best?
Uh-huh.
I agree, obviously, and I propose we make a holiday just for brains.
I like that idea.
Brain Day.
When would it be?
Sunday.
You mean this Sunday?
No, every Sunday.
Once a week seems fair for something as epic as your brain.
On Brainy Day Sundays, you do things.
Brains love.
Take us for a walk in nature, let us read a book, give us puzzles and brain-healthy snacks like salmon, avocados and berries.
Tell us how pretty and wrinkly we are.
That kind of stuff.
Honestly, that sounds like a perfect Sunday.
You had me at reading and snacking.
Perfect.
Let's just go ahead and make it a national wait no, an international, no wait intergalactic holiday.
Cool?
Cool.
Okay, see you later.
Bye, Duane.
The brain is super important, but it is also super delicate.
It's made up of billions of special cells called neurons and glia.
The brain learns and changes by making more connections between those neuron cells.
And being soft lets those cells make more connections.
And because their arms don't have a ton of structure around them, we can fit more of them in our heads.
It's important to wear helmets to protect our brains.
Sleep, water and reading, and painting help your brain too.
That's it for this episode of Brains On.
This episode was produced by me, Molly Bloom, Mark Sanchez and Sandon Totten.
It was sound designed by Mark Sanchez and he also wrote our theme music.
We had voice acting by Lulu.
Special thanks to Susie Sandrew and Levi and Ken Taborski at Code of the North for their website help.
So, Penny.
Are you ready for the mystery sound again?
Yes.
Okay, here we go.
Okay.
Okay.
It kind of sounds like wood on the top of a ping pong table or just having the ping pong hitter and just hitting it up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down.
I like that.
And you also thought last time that it might be a horse?
Mm-hmm.
Also singing in the background.
Like maybe a party?
Ooh, I love that idea.
A party where there's a horse and a ping-pong table present?
Mm-hmm.
We don't know.
You ready for the answer?
Sure.
Okay.
I'm Ellie from North Carolina, and that was the sound of horses pulling a wagon.
The reason why I like this sound is there are bells, and it makes me feel very jingly inside.
I got the horse correct.
You sure did.
And it was pulling a wagon and it had jingle bells on it.
Jingle, jingle, jingle.
I love the sound of those bells.
It's very soothing.
Now it's time for the Brains Honor Roll.
These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions ideas, mystery sounds, drawings and high fives.
Elliot from Raleigh, North Carolina.
Warren from Wesley Chapel, Florida.
Diego from Boston.
David from Bethesda, Maryland.
Evelyn from Lakewood, Colorado.
Emery Grace from Houston, Texas.
Beatrix from San Francisco.
Uli from Madison, Wisconsin.
Aurelia from Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Thank you.
Mateen from San Francisco, Izzy and Morgan from Springfield, Virginia Wesley from Tucson, Arizona.
Rose from Richmond Virginia.
Jamie and Will from Cortland Manor, New York.
Adeline from Brisbane, Australia.
Wesley from Cincinnati, Vera from Herndon Virginia.
Kira from Sammamish, Washington.
We'll be right back.
Thank you.
Liam from Gig Harbor, Washington.
Vivian from Vancouver.
Ewan and Imogene from Germantown, Maryland.
Ella from Alcoa, Tennessee.
Willa from Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Anika from Sacramento.
June and Grayson from Placerville, California.
Julia and Leo from Castleberry, Florida.
Cora from Skokie, Illinois.
And Niamh from Thousand Oaks, California.
We'll be back next week with a visit from the Hoax Hunters.
Thanks for listening!
