The real-world neuroscience debunking the 10% brain myth / lucy movie science

[00:00:01]Film a car speeding down a road. Speed up the image infinitely and the car disappears.

[00:00:09]>> So what proof do we have of its existence? Time gives legitimacy to its existence. Time is the only true unit of measure.

[00:00:16]>> What if you could unlock the potential of your mind? [music] What if the human brains which we are told we use only 10% of was a superco computer waiting to be unleashed in 2014 Scarlett [music] Johansson movie Lucy explored this mindbending premise but how much of it is science and how much is pure science fiction today we are putting Lucy to the test the entire foundation of [music] the movie rest on a popular yet completely false idea the 10% brain we hear it everywhere We hear it everywhere [music] from self- gurus to science fiction flings and it often misattribute to famous figures like [music] Albert Einstein. But let be clear this is a myth. Brain scans like fMRI PET scans show that virtually every part of our brain is active even when we are sleeping from controlling our heartbeat and breathing to processing complete [music] thoughts. Our brain is constantly running energy hungry organ.

[00:01:17]It consumes about 20% of our body energy despite making up only 2% of our body weight. If 90%age of it were useless, evolution would have gotten rid of it a long time ago. [music] A human with a smaller, more efficient brain would have had a huge survival advantage. In fact, even a tiny amount of brain damage, [music] say from a stroke or injury, can cause devastating and permanent loss of ability. There is no part of the brain that can be removed without causing some form of deficit. The super drug CPH4.

[00:01:52]The drug that triggers [music] Lucy transformation is called PH4. In the movie, Morgan Freeman character [music] explains a naturally occurring substance produced in small amount by pregnant women acting like an autobomb to fuel fetal development. This sounds adulterate right wrong. The chemical compound CPH4 actually exist but is called six caroxy tetraidin synthesis.

[00:02:18]It's an enzyme not a psychoactive drug.

[00:02:22]It founds in microorganism and is involved in the biosynthesis of other compounds. It has absolutely no neurological effects let alone the ability to unlock superpowers. The movie claims that a pregnant woman produces it to fuel your shooters is also incorrect.

[00:02:41]Let discuss about science versus science fiction in related to the power of brain. As Lucy brain's capacity increases, her powers grows. Let break down some of them. A category one 20 to 30% brain capacity. In this case, pain and emotional control. Lucy becomes immune to pain and fear. The movie suggests that this is a higher level of brain function. In reality, [music] our brain needs fear and pain to survive. They are crucial survival mechanism.

[00:03:17]Suppressing them would be incredibly dangerous.

[00:03:20]In category 2, 40 to 50% brain capacity.

[00:03:24]In this case, telekinesis and mental control. Lucy can move object with her mind. This is a classic [music] science fi trope. While we use our brains to control external devices through BCA, brain computer interfaces, the idea of directly [music] manipulating matters with our thoughts is not supported by any known signs. Our brains sends electrical signals through neurons. They don't emit a force field. In the third category, 60 to 70% brain capacity, instant knowledge, and Superman senses.

[00:04:00]Lucy can instantly absorb information, speak any language, and see electrical signals in the air. This is perhaps the most interesting concept. Our brain lands through forming and strengthening neural pathways, a process that takes times and repetition. However, the brain ability to rewire itself called neuroplasticity is a rare real phenomena. Still, instead complete knowledge download is far beyond our current understanding. In the final category, 90%age brain capacity and beyond [music] time and space manipulation. This is where the movie goes full-blown metaphysical. Lucy [music] can travel through time, witness the big bang and become an omnipresent entity. This is the realm of philosophy, not physics or neuroscience. Our brains are a product of space time, not a tool for controlling it. The movie ending is a beautiful abstract visual, but it's a complete departure from any scientific grounding. The philosophical [music] twist, a different interpretation.

[00:05:09]So if the science is so wrong, why is the movie is so popular? Maybe we are looking at it the wrong way. The director Luck Bon has hinted that the movie is not a literal interpretation of brain function, but rather a metaphorical one. It's about what it meant to be conscious, to preserve, and to exist. The frame true meaning might be [music] that we only perceive a small fraction of what our brains are doing.

[00:05:36]We are largely unaware of the complex automatic functions that [music] keeps us alive. The movie asked what it would be like to be conscious of it all. The scenes where Lucy loses her humanity.

[00:05:50]But then as a profound emotional memory of her [music] mother inser more human truth, true connections and emotions might be the most powerful brain [music] capacity we possesses.

[00:06:04]while Lucy gets almost every piece of the science wrong. It's a fantastic movie for a reason. It's a great [music] example of science fiction that uses single captivating what if questions to tell a powerful and visually stunning story. It takes a popular myth and pushes it to its absolute fantastical limit. So next time you watch Lucy, remember that real magic isn't it in your fictional drug, but in the incredible power of storytelling and the very real, very complex, and fully used brain you already have. That's the end.

[00:06:39]Thank you for watching the full video.

[00:06:42][music] Don't forget to like, subscribe, and let us know in the comments which movie we should decode next. Thank you. Signing off from FK Bites. I am your host, Betron.