5428885_001.jpg Today

: Despite weighing only about 2% of your body mass, the neural activity depicted here consumes 20% of your body's total energy [7].

While we often think of our brains as solid masses, this image highlights the "electric forest" happening inside us every second.

: The glowing connections you see in the image—called synapses —allow signals to travel at speeds up to 270 miles per hour [3].

: This image is a snapshot of neuroplasticity . Your brain is physically changing and forming new "blue paths" like the ones in the photo every time you learn a new fact or skill [6].

: There are roughly 86 billion neurons in the human brain [4]. If you lined them all up, they would stretch for about 600 miles [5].