The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another

Chapter 8 discusses the human brain, its impact on the invention of computers, and the impact of computer use on the structure of the human brain. Ramirez explains that the brain comprises different parts that serve specific functions: The brain stem regulates automatic functions, such as breathing; the cerebellum controls balance and coordination; the cerebrum enables thinking, feeling, remembering, and speaking; and the frontal lobe controls executive functions like attention, focus, organization, and impulse control. Scientists describe the brain as plastic because it is moldable and open to rewiring. Fire allowed ancient Homo erectus brains to grow by reducing the energy needed to chew and digest raw food. Similarly, people who watch a lot of television are more sensitive to visual stimuli. Ramirez points to the negative impact of computers on the brain. People no longer remember things, such as phone numbers, because the information is available on smart phones or digital contact lists. In other words, people remember where information is located, but not the information itself.

To illustrate the brain’s complexity, Ramirez shares the story of Phineas Gage, who suffered a traumatic brain injury during an 1848 construction accident in Vermont when a metal bar pierced his brain. Gage not only survived the accident but also helped himself onto a wagon to receive medical attention. His injury, however, altered his personality. The metal bar had pierced his frontal lobe, which controls behavior. Many of Gage’s friends remarked that after the accident, “Gage was no longer Gage” (190). The Jekyll and Hyde metamorphosis of Phineas Gage taught early physicians about the distinct functions of various parts of the brain and how the brain can be altered. In addition, Ramirez cites research showing how conditioning affects the brain. For example, parts of the cerebral cortex are larger in skilled musicians than in non-musicians, while the memory center of the brain increases in people who regularly exercise their memories, such as cab drivers, who learn streets by heart. Even the act of juggling can impact the brain, enlarging part of the parietal lobe.

Ramirez describes how inventers modeled computers on the brain by using silicon transistors and binary code to send and process information, calculate, and perform logical operations. The simple switch, invented in the 19th century, is the ancestor of the silicon transistor. In 1877, George W. Coy opened the New Haven District Telephone Company and devised a switchboard that connected the telephones of his subscribers. His invention required receiving a subscriber’s call and moving its electrical signal across a switchboard with a series of switches until it reached the call’s destination. The growing popularity of telephones required more switchboards and people to operate them. Almon Brown Strowger created the Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange in 1891, which allowed customers to push levers to connect with other users without the use of switchboard operators. A miniature switch—the silicon transistor—was invented in the mid-20th century. Employed first in telephones and later in computers, the silicon transistor helped usher in the Electronic Age.

Some scientists believe that computers and the internet make people smarter because they disseminate information with a few clicks. Others argue the opposite because computers inundate the brain with information and weaken the ability to think deeply. Because it has taken over roles that the brain used to play, such as memory, the internet impacts not only knowledge, wisdom, and understanding but also creativity. On the one hand, it provides access to vast amounts of information. On the other, its numerous distractions hinder our ability to digest this information and put it together in new ways. Consequently, while computer processors were originally modeled on the human brain, our brains are now starting to resemble computers. Without training, the brain will lose its ability for understanding, creating, and thinking.