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LEFT AND RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
The Right side is the animal brain, specializing in what is important to animal survival, such as:
· Visual images - basic observation
· Face images - recognizing a special individual
· Spatial sense - remembering where the nest is
· Music - remembering bird songs, mating calls, etc.
· Learning actions - how to hunt for food, or attract mates
The Left side is the human brain, with features almost unique to humans. Very little of this
specialization has been identified in the non-human world, including apes. Examples include:
· Sequential planning - originally for tool use, now useful for important things needed for
human survival, such as planning committee meetings, and writing scripts for TV soap
operas.
· Symbols - originally useful for making hand signs to indicate a mammoth over the hill, now
useful for important modern functions such as road signs and calculating income tax.
· Language - originally useful to communicate using grunts and belches to indicate a good
meal of bear steak, now useful for important functions such as politicial speeches and
Email.
Connections : The Corpus Callosum is a bundle of fibres that connects the left and right sides of
the brain.
The main function of the corpus callosum is the communication between the two hemispheres;
the different parts of the corpus callosum connect similar areas of each hemisphere.