Wiggle Your Big Toe
SUBSCRIBE to BrainCraft! http://ow.ly/rt5IE And say hi https://twitter.com/nessyhill | https://instagram.com/nessyhill Generally we move our bodies pretty automatically and quickly, thanks...
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First things first: wiggle your big toe. Go on! It seems easy, but any time you move your big toe, you’re sending a signal down the longest neuron in your body. You have a single cell, about three feet long, that stretches from the base of your spine all the way to your big toe. And it takes time for your biology to send a signal all that way. In the wires in your home, electricity travels close to the speed of light: In your body, your neurons have to move positively charged ions, which have mass and are harder to work with. But just like the wires in your home, your neurons can use insulation to send signals faster. Your body doesn’t use plastic or rubber like this cord. Instead, it uses a fatty coating called “myelin”. Without myelin, your slo...
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First things first: wiggle your big toe. Go on! It seems easy, but any time you move your big toe, you’re sending a signal down the longest neuron in your body. You have a single cell, about three feet long, that stretches from the base of your spine all the way to your big toe. And it takes time for your biology to send a signal all that way. In the wires in your home, electricity travels close to the speed of light: In your body, your neurons have to move positively charged ions, which have mass and are harder to work with. But just like the wires in your home, your neurons can use insulation to send signals faster. Your body doesn’t use plastic or rubber like this cord. Instead, it uses a fatty coating called “myelin”. Without myelin, your slo...
