• Photos of the lecture

Prof Dr Christiane Richter-Landsberg
Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences

The brain is our life: It is where our thinking, remembering and feeling take place, it enables us to read and lets us operate the computer. The brain is part of our central nervous system. 100 billion nerve cells, as many as stars in the sky, connect with each other, sending and receiving messages. They are supported by billions of other cells called glial cells. The brain of an adult human weighs around 1.5 kilos, a dog's brain weighs 70 grams and an owl only 2 grams. An elephant has a really big brain: it weighs 6 kilos. Does that make it smarter than all the others?

On our journey through the brain, you will learn how the cells work and how they "talk" to each other. By the end you will know why chocolate tastes so good and why we should avoid jellyfish and poisonous snakes.

Moderator: Martin Reckweg (NDR)

Wednesday, 1 March 2006, 4.30 p.m.
Audimax Hörsaalzentrum