From Professor Brian Cox in his book.The Human Universe.
The human brain is the most complex single object in the known Universe,a most intricate example of emergent compexity assembled over 4 billion years by natural selection operating within the constrainsts placed upon it by the laws of physics and the particular biochemistry of life on Earth.It contains around 85 billion individual neurons,which is of the same order as the number of stars in an average galaxy.but that does not begin to describe its complexityEach neuron is thought to make between 10,000 and 100,000 connections to other neurons ,making the brain a computor way beyond anything our current technology can simulate.When we do manage to simulate one I have no doubt that sentience will emerge ,consciousness is not magic,it is an emergent property consistent with the known laws of nature.Out of this evolutionary marvel,we emerge thoughts,feelings,hopes and dreams exist on Earth because of electrical activity inside a 1.5 kilogram blob of stuff,which has'nt changed much since the earliest modern humans began the long journey out of Africa
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.If we look at the octopus, we see an even more incredible brain system
The octopus changes skin texture as well as color in nanoseconds/ The ability to compute such change with astounding accuracy requires more brain than humans have. The octopus is one large brain with each tentacle rerpresentative of the brain itself. The brain senses all around the animal and interprets the environment.
EMC2
Level 8
Mar 2, 2018
0
Well as Brian Cox explains, we are the only one interpreting the data utilizing our own reality. So we are not able to say we have evolved the furthest regarding intelligence. Quantum spookieness exist when we are not looking but as we look to measure, or stop time to measure a specific point in time, we do not see the things we cannot. Thanks to the computer we can now interpret what we may see with more senses turned on.
EMC2
Level 8
Mar 2, 2018
0
I've always liked Prof. Brian Cox. He has a way of explaining very complex concepts in a way that someone who hasn't been formally educated in that field can understand, at least on a 'working' level. He seems to be very charismatic and a great embasador to help 'speard the word' of science.
scurry
Level 9
Mar 2, 2018
0
I find the comparisons between hominid and other species to be fascinating in this area. We share similar frontal cortex communication center structures with some other fauna such as elephants, orca, dolphins, corvid (crows, ravens, jays, magpies). As a result those animals share certain behaviors with us that we generally classify as typically "human". Most of these behaviors focus around empathy and social structure. They organize themselves into groups that follow the "golden rule" and they mourn their losses. Crows, elephants, and orca have been seen performing types of ceremonies acknowledging their dead. Funerals. I have watched one of them myself among a murder of crows in my neighborhood. It makes me wonder if certain environmental factors that drove us to increased intelligence will affect these creasures as well in the future if their species survives.
JeffMesser
Level 8
Mar 2, 2018
0
BahHumbug! Dolphin brains are far more physically complex and larger, thanours
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Mar 2, 2018
0
Yeah, it is almost inconceivable.
From a single-celled organism, a machine formed organically that keeps itself alive for up to 110 or so years by avoiding the dangers of being eaten or of diseases, and keeps the possibility of it living longer and in ever more dangerous situations by allowing it to store even more information and learn from them, all incased in a water-tight container that is neither too rigid nor too soft to allow it to adopt to it's environments.
SamKerry
Level 7
Mar 2, 2018
1
and it is also the reason we will become extinct
LeighShelton
Level 8
Mar 2, 2018
1
Explain please.....
no problem @alangodless, our amazing fantastic brain has made us self-aware and rulers of this planet yet as a creature we are not especially powerful or great at any one physical thing. our brain has allowed us to get around these problems and engineer all our food and housing and find everything we need on the earth to do what we want. the trouble is it allows us to believe in ourselves way too much and to be territorial to a fantastic degree ie the USA, Russia etc. we rape the very thing that keeps us alive at an unparalleled pace since life began. we keep breeding and finding ways to make our food and resources keep up with our population at natures expense. we have no natural predators really or diseases or parasites we can't deal with either. this is why we will become extinct as we feel so superior we think we can just take infinitely from a finite planet which isn't possible. then through these things, we call beliefs in this mix ie Gods that make us even more territorial and less interested in the health of our life on earth but more interested in being more powerful and its a recipe for disaster. jellyfish have been around for hundreds of millions of years without a brain and even a virus doesn't kill its host.are we really intelligent? very interesting what you said, however.
Thanks @LeighShelton, I totally agree with your analysis, and having just read your bio 
, where you are coming from, but not necessarily the prognosis. I thnk there will be large pockets of survivors, wealthy people will find a way of looking after their interests, as always. The survival instinct is pretty strong.
you're more than welcome my friend. if we use up resources and kill everything we feed on, what will be the point in survival? it does depend on which of many ways this happens too. I guess time will tell.
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