The Infinite Brain; People used to think the brain was static and inevitably declined with age. Actually, the brain never stops changing -- and we never stop learning. Series: occ.

From: The Washington Post | Date: September 28, 1999| Author: | Copyright information

It's about three pounds of wrinkled, pinkish-gray matter with the consistency of jelly -- and yet, in Emily Dickinson's words, "wider than the sky."

The human brain's nearly infinite reach comes from the elaborate circuitry of its billions of neurons -- a marvel that has led some to call it the world's most complex computer.

But scientists are zeroing in on another quality of the brain that distinguishes it from even the most powerful PC: its adaptability.

It turns out the brain is plastic.

Not that it's made of vinyl. Plastic in the sense of flexible and dynamic.

The brain is not a cerebral ...

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