Neuroscience For Kids

Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia

A collection of trivia about the brain and nervous system from the archives of the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter. For more trivia about the brain, see brain facts and figures.

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January, 2022

A. Inventor Thomas Edison (1847 -1931) would take short naps to stimulate his creativity. Now there is scientific evidence that his method works (Source: Lacaux, C., et al., Sleep onset is a creative sweet spot, Science Advances, Dec. 8, 2021, Vol 7, Issue 50, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5866).

B. January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month.

C. New experiments suggest that just a 10 minute run can benefit brain function. (Source: Damrongthai, C., et al., Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation. Sci Rep 11, 22657 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01654-z).

D. The Australia Reptile Park (New South Wales, Australia) recently received a donation of the largest (8 centimeters; 3.1 inches) funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus) they have ever seen. Funnel-web venom is a neurotoxin that blocks sodium channels on neurons and can be fatal.

E. Zero2 Trench helmets made by VICIS are constructed for football players who play specific positions on the field. These position-specific helmets were developed to reduce the risk of a concussion.

More trivia from other years:

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2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998

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