We used to think that the human brain was static once a person reached maturity . Not true . One of the things that assist debunk this idea was the most destructive weapon ever created . This is what nuclear bombs turn out about the human wit .
Early brain research indicated that , although other cells in the torso regenerated after they were damage , and continued to grow and change throughout a person ’s life , the nous was remarkably resistant to vary . Once you were grow , you basically were stuck with the learning ability configuration you had . In the 1960s , that thinking began to exchange . The encephalon cells did n’t divide the way other cells might . Neural root cellular phone ride around for some indeterminate amount of clock time , before they sprang into action . They change by reversal into neuroblasts , which migrated around , then split into full - fledged neuron .
That was the theory , at least , but it was difficult to find ways to prove it . No one roll in the hay just how to stimulate the generation of brain cells , so the outgrowth often involved putting markers in squealer brain cells , waiting for squealer to die , and dissecting their brains . When it was find that the markers themselves might cause mutations , scientists had to come up with something new .
inscribe the atom bomb . Sometime , ten of thousands of years into the future , the atom dud is going to be a real annoyance to scientist . Scientists utilise carbon-14 dating to determine the age of constitutional matter . There ’s a sure amount of carbon-14 , a specific isotope of carbon , in the atmosphere . It gets integrate into living cellphone as they are made . Once the cell dies , the carbon decays , tardily , over thousands of years . value the amount of decay allows scientist to get a rough estimation of when the cell go and pop off .
Above - ground testing of the atom bomb caused a huge spike in the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere . For the years during which there were above - ground test , the amount of the isotope comprise into new cells buy the farm right smart up . Someday , that ’s going to be a source of equivocalness to scientists . For now , it ’s a source of information . By studying the amount of carbon 14 in unlike cells in human encephalon , scientist are able to see what neurons were newly - made between the years of 1945 and 1963 . The conflict in C 14 levels shows that some adults did make new cell , especially in certain persona of the brain . So there ’s one positive side of above - ground nuclear testing .
Image : U.S. Army Photographic Signal Corps
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