Fascinating facts you never knew about the brain

Here are ten facts offered, courtesy a nursing assistants' program:

1. Weight. The weight of the human brain is about 3 lbs.

2. Cerebrum. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and makes up 85% of the brain’s weight.

3. Skin. Your skin weighs twice as much as your brain. Gray matter. The brain’s gray matter is made up of neurons, which gather and transmit signals.

4. White matter. The white matter is made up of dendrites and axons, which create the network by which neurons send their signals.

5. Gray and white. Your brain is 60% white matter and 40% gray matter.

6. Water. The brain is made up of about 75% water.

7. Neurons. Your brain consists of about 100 billion neurons. Synapses. There are anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for each neuron.

8. No pain. There are no pain receptors in the brain, so the brain can feel no pain.

9. Largest brain. While an elephant’s brain is physically larger than a human brain, the human brain is 2% of total body weight (compared to 0.15% of an elephant’s brain), meaning humans have the largest brain to body size.

10. Blood vessels. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain.

Hey, read the rest here. And remember, most of the time, doctors don't save your life. Nurses and nursing assistants do. That's just true. Get used to it.