Precarious

Chapter 14

Hearing Diana say that, my jaw dropped open. She looked at me with a strange expression.

"Is everything okay, Sierra?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Everything's fine. A random memory just popped into my head, that's all."

"Okay, then."

"Class, we're going to start presentations today. Are there any volunteers who want to present or do I have to draw names? The presentations are going to be no more than five minutes each, but half of the class will go today and the other half will go tomorrow. If you're not done with your presentation, then please email me and I will grant you an extra amount of time, should your group be chosen at random."

"Should we present today?"

"Sure, but I don't think that we should go first. There's this thing called the serial-position effect where it shows that people tend to remember the first and last of something more than the middle part of it. If we present first and do bad, then most people are going to remember it. Trust me, none of us need that to happen. So to be safe, I think that we should present second or third to be safe."

"Skylar, do you have any scientific research that'll actually motivate us to do well and alleviate the fear that we're going to embarrass ourselves?"

"Not at the moment. Sorry, Layla. I'll research something later if it makes you feel better."

"Guys, I don't think that it matters since some other kids are presenting first."

"Class, I expect all of you to be respectful of your peers. Darius, Eric, Aaron, and Jordan are now presenting their project about the human brain. If you misbehave, I'm going to deduct points from your grade when you present."

"Thanks, Mr. Johnson. Anyways, we're starting our presentation about the human brain. Basically, the human brain is the command center for the body's nervous system. It receives signals from the body's sensory organs and outputs information to the muscles. It has the same structure as any other mammal brain, but it's much bigger in terms of size."

"To add on to Darius, it weighs a little bit more than three pounds and it makes up around two percent of someone's bodyweight. The cerebrum, which is the largest part of the brain, makes up eighty-five percent of the brain's weight. The human brain in total has eighty-six billion neurons."

"The average male has a brain volume of one thousand two hundred seventy-four cubic centimeters while the average female brain has a volume of one thousand one hundred thirty-one cubic centimeters. Regardless of the different volumes, both the male and the female brain have three sections known as the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain."

"Adding on from Aaron's remark, the brain has two hemispheres which are the left and right. While they aren't completely symmetrical, they look very much alike. The left hemisphere controls all the muscles on the right side while the right hemisphere controls all the muscles on the left side. While there are some theories that the left and right hemispheres have certain qualities, that isn't supported by evidence. However, our research does show that the left hemisphere connects with speech, language, mathematical calculation, and fact retrieval while the right hemisphere connects with visual and auditory processing, spatial skills, artistic ability, instinctive, and creative things. Regardless what someone is doing, they're using both halves at the same time."

"The brain is important because it controls all of our actions, allows us to think and feel, and gives us the ability to have memories and emotions. All of which make us human."

"Also, without a brain, humans can't live. If someone is brain dead yet living on ventilators, the ventilators will allow them to breathe, but they can't breathe on their own. Many scientists argue that the brain is the most important organ in the entire human body."