Did You Know That?? (Intro/Tidbits #1-2)

Ever wondered about all those little things worth pondering over? Maybe you've wondered why they use that weird symbol for the heart that we've learned means love. Or maybe you've wondered how our brain can make those memories that we're so fond of.
Whatever it is that you're thinking about, odds are I'll have it sooner or later. Check this place out as often as possible, because when I learn something new, it's going right on here.

By the way, the answers to the above questions are:

1. The origin of the heart symbol ( ♥ ) is debated, although some say that it is supposed to be a representative of the seed of the silphium plant, while others insist that it is supposed to depict a woman's genitalia or breasts. (Source: en.wikipedia.org)
   
2. Okay, this one's taken right from a book:
   Quoted: "Each memory is formed by a unique pattern of connections between the billions of neurons in various parts of the brain, especially the cerebral cortex. The event to be memorized-from reading a number to meeting a celebrity-occurs as a particular set of neurons sending impulses to each other during the initial experience. Activating this set of signals again, by remembering the experience, strengthens its pattern of links so they are more likely to occur together-a process known as potentiation. After several activations the links become semipermanent. Triggering a few of them, by a new thought or experience, activates the pattern's whole network and recalls the memory." (Source: The Complete Human Body, by Dr. Alice Roberts)
   Summarized: Every memory you form corresponds to a connection of electrical impulses between neurons. In a nutshell, the more you set that pattern off, the stronger the links between the neurons will be, the more vivid the memory will be.

By the way, if you want to read my other blog, you can drop by Teen Help Center and find out how to be a good teenager. If you want to find out how to be a good PARENT of a teenager, you can check out Teen Parent Café. Finally, if you want to know about random facts of history, visit my stepdad's blog, Deadwrite's Dailies.