Test Your Brain Facts IQ!

By Monica Gomez

True or False?

1. TRUE: Brain cells are the longest living cells in your body. Brain cells can actually live an entire lifetime. The average human brain has about 100 billion neurons—brain cells. And during early development, neurons can reproduce at a rate of 250,000 per minute.
   
2. FALSE: The brain uses 10 percent of the oxygen you breathe. Though your brain only accounts for 2 percent of your body mass, it uses 20 percent of all the oxygen you breathe. The amount of oxygen used by particular areas of the brain can actually change due to damage or activation of those areas.
   
3. FALSE: A hippopotamus brain weighs more than an adult human brain. The average hippopotamus brain weight is 582 grams. That's approximately 1.3 pounds. On average, the adult human brain weighs 1,300 to 1,400 grams. That's about 2.8 to 3.1 pounds.
   
4. TRUE: The brain generates 25 watts of power while you're awake. It's true! Your brain does in fact generate 25 watts of power while you're awake—enough to illuminate a 10-watt lightbulb.
   
5. TRUE: About 20 to 30 percent of the calories you consume are used by the brain. To survive, the brain requires one tenth of a calorie per minute. While you're thinking, millions of neurons, or brain cells, send messages back and forth to each other and to other parts of the body. And these neurons need fuel.