14 Decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Then, correct the false ones.
1. Neither the nervous nor the endocrine system transrnits information. ☐ T ☐ F
2. Transmission in the endocrine system is not as fast as in the nervous system. ☐ T ☐ F
3. Blood transports nervous impulses. ☐ T ☐ F
4. The skin surface receives impulses from the brain. ☐ T ☐ F
5. Homeostasis depends on the correct functioning of 1the hypophysis. ☐ T ☐ F
6. The somatic system is connected with sensory infornnation. ☐ T ☐ F
7. People can contrai their internal organs through the autonomie nervous system. ☐ T ☐ F
8. The endocrine system is a network of hormones. ☐ T ☐ F
15 Look at the picture of the endocrine system and put the following words in the right places.
adrenal gland • female ovary • hypothalamus • male testis • pancreas • parathyroid • pituitary gland • thyroid
A NEW WAY OF COUNTING NEURONS
Suzana Herculano-Houzel, a neuroscientist at the lnstitute of Biomedica I Science in Rio de Janeiro, discovered a new way of counting neurons by dissolving brains into a homogenous mixture,
or brain soup. Using this technique, she found that the number of neurons relative to brain size is consistent with other primates, and that the cerebral cortex - the region responsible for higher cognition -, only holds around 20 percent of all our brain's neurons, a similar proportion found in other mammals. In light of these findings, she argues that the human brain is actually just a linear evolution of a primate brain that grew in size when we started to consume more calories, thanks to the introduction of cooked food.
GLOSSARY
to argue: sostenere (con argomentazioni)
consistent: ( qui) compatibile
to dissolve: dissolvere, sciogliere
finding: scoperta
gland: ghiandola
heartbeat: battito cardiaco
hypophysis: ipofisi
pituitary: pituitario
spinai cord: midollo spinale