Ted
Talks Presentation
While searching www.Ted.com video presentations, I found an
interesting presentation about the human brain. This presentation caught my
attention due to the arguments and comparisons the presenter makes to get to
the conclusion. The Presentation is called “What is so special about the human brain?”
by Suzana Herculano-Houzel.
Suzana Herculano-Houzel starts her presentation by asking the following
questions to obtain her audience’s attention “What is so special about the
human brain? “Why do we study animals instead of them studying us?” “What does
a human brain have or do that no other brain does?” When I heard those
questions about the human brain, she caught my attention and I notice how
smoothly she made a transition from asking questions to her argument, “Not all
brains are the same”.
She presented her argument with pictures comparing different types of
brains to the human brain and giving examples on how the brain relates to the
body, for example how a monkey’s brain relates to his/her body. For one of her
arguments on “Not all Brains are the same “she compares a monkey’s brain and a
cow’s brains. She argues that both of the brains have the same amount of neurons,
but yet the monkey is more intelligent than the cow. She finishes these argument with a little humor,
“Maybe the cows is more visual, intelligent, and just does not want to let us
know, but we eat them”.
Throughout her presentation, she uses different visuals such as a soup made
of mouse brain, she uses this to prove and show how the neurons of the brain
can be count and how she got to the conclusion that the “human brain has 86
billion neurons”, this is what separate human brain from the rest. The form she
used to present her argument and the path she follow shows that she did her
research by experimenting and studying different brains. Although the audience was
engage as well as I was, there was not an opportunity to ask questions related
to her topic. I believe if she had provided an opportunity for the audience to
ask questions, she would make her presentations stronger.
Well, that’s only my point of view, in my opinion her presentation and
topic were really interesting and that shows that she really was prepare to make
her argument and defend it. I recommend viewing this presentation, it will get
you thinking.
Link to Suzana Herculano-Houzel: What is so special about the human brain?
Presentation:
