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Look, we've always known that Einstein was better than us. But now we know why.
听着，我们一直都知道爱因斯坦比我们聪明。但现在，我们知道他为什么比我们聪明了。
Anthony here from DNews.
大家好，我是DNews频道的安东尼。
And we are constantly hearing about Einstein's brain.
我们经常都在听说关于爱因斯坦大脑的故事。
It was removed about eight hours after his death,
在他离世的8小时后，他的大脑被切了下来，
and we've just been poking at it ever since, looking for the differences that made it such a brilliant mind.
从那以后，我们就一直在研究它，想弄清楚究竟是怎样的差异让他的大脑变得如此的绝顶聪明。
And a study recently published in the journal Brain thinks that they've found the answer.
最近发表在《大脑》杂志上的一项研究认为他们已经找到了答案。
And it's in the corpus callosum, the body's largest bundle of neuronal fibers that sits underneath your cerebral cortex.
答案就在胼胝体里，胼胝体是人体位于大脑皮层之下的最大的神经纤维束。
Among its functions is making sure that both halves of the brain can communicate with each other.
它的功能之一就是确保大脑的两个半球能够互相交流。
Now, we've talked about the left brain, right brain myth and lateralization before.
因为我们在之前的视频里已经讨论过左右脑神话和左右脑的偏侧性了。
Spark Notes version-- there's no such thing as a left or right brain person.
“火花笔记”网站对这一问题的看法是，并不存在什么左脑更发达或右脑更发达的问题。
You are a beautiful, unique snowflake that can do anything you want, thanks to practice and neural plasticity.
你就是像美丽且独一无二的雪花一样的存在，你可以做任何你想做的事，因为我们可以练习，而且我们的神经具有可塑性。
However, the things you do are controlled by different parts of the brain.
然而，大家所做的事情是由大脑的不同部位控制的。
And if those parts are on different sides and need to work together, they've got to go through the corpus callosum to do it.
如果这些部位不在大脑的同一边，又需要协同配合的话，就必须通过胼胝体来实现。
Einstein's corpus callosum had extremely thick connections between the halves of three very interesting brain regions--
爱因斯坦的胼胝体在三个非常有趣的大脑区域之间有着极其紧密的联系，
his prefrontal cortex, which controls abstract thinking and decision-making,
这三个区域分别是控制抽象思维和决策的前额皮质，
his parietal lobe, which is all about sense and motor function, and his visual cortex, you know, for seeing.
整个都跟感觉和运动功能有关的顶叶，以及视觉皮层，你知道的，就是控制视觉的皮层。
The thicker connections could be responsible for lower lateralization of brain activity and at least partially explain why he was so brilliant,
更紧密的联络可能就是大脑活动偏侧程度较低的原因，也至少部分解释了他为什么这么聪明，
which is interesting, because lower lateralization in the brain has also been linked to schizophrenia and psychopathy.
这一点很有意思，因为大脑偏侧化程度偏低也一直被与精神分裂症和精神病联系在一起。
So how do you get brain like Einstein's?
那么，我们要怎样才能获得像爱因斯坦那样的大脑呢?
Last week, I talked a little bit about neural plasticity
上周，我们简单地聊了聊神经可塑性
and how the more you use a part of your brain, the stronger it gets and the thicker its connections become.
以及我们越是偏向使用某一侧大脑，该侧大脑就会变得越强，其内部纤维的联络也会变得越紧密的问题。
So in theory, to think like Einstein, you've got to do activities that will keep your corpus callosum active and use both hemispheres of your brain at once.
所以，从理论上来看，要像爱因斯坦一样思考，我们就必须做一些能够让我们的胼胝体保持活跃并同时使用大脑的两个半球的活动。
Multiple studies have shown that musicians tend to use their whole brain more.
多项研究表明，音乐家使用整个大脑的几率更高。
Einstein himself was a violinist.
爱因斯坦本人就是小提琴家。
So maybe taking up an instrument or music lessons could help.
所以，学一门乐器或音乐课或许会有所帮助。
Handedness is connected to lateralization.
用手习惯与大脑的偏侧化有关。
So by being left-handed, I'm using the right part of my motor cortex.
作为左撇子，我用到的是运动皮层的右半部分。
A 2004 study in Nature showed that juggling could help me strengthen up my whole brain activity by requiring me to use both hands.
2004年发表在《自然》杂志上的一项研究表明，玩杂耍需要用到双手，因而可以帮助我加强整个大脑的活动。
Just using your non-dominant hand throughout the day for things like brushing your teeth could potentially do the same thing.
仅仅是坚持用你平时不常用的那只手来刷牙也可能达到同样的效果。
Logic and math puzzles are good, because number estimates and comparison use both halves of your parietal lobe.
逻辑谜语和数学谜语也很好，因为进行数字运算和比较时，顶叶的两个部分都会用到。
And if you're terrible at them, like me, it means you also get to work out your amygdala, yor ventral medial prefrontal cortex, and your limbic system by flying into a rage.
如果你，和我一样，在这方面很烂的话，那就说明你还得勃然大怒什么的，锻炼锻炼你的扁桃体，你的腹侧前额叶皮质内侧，还有你的边缘系统。
Just remember to flip the desk over with your non-dominant hand.
只要记住用你的非惯用手掀桌子就行了。
I have some issues.
我有几个问题。
Anyway, an unanswered question here is whether Einstein was born with a more developed corpus callosum to begin with,
无论如何，一个悬而未决的问题就是爱因斯坦的胼胝体是否生来就更发达，
which would have given this sort of thinking a head start.
从而给他那种超常思考带来了一个良好的开端呢？
I also cannot tell you with a straight face that brushing your teeth with the wrong hand or playing the ukelele is going to turn you into the next great thinker.
同时，我也不能郑重地告诉你用另一只手刷牙或者弹尤克里里就能让你成为下一个伟大的思想家。
But making conscious decisions to learn, adapt, and be creative every day can't hurt.
但是，每天有意识地去学习、适应和创新是没有坏处的。
What do you think?
你觉得呢?
Was Einstein born better, or did he make himself that way?
爱因斯坦究竟是生来就更聪明呢，还是他后天自己成就了自己呢?
Let me know down below, and subscribe for more DNews.
快将你的答案在评论里告诉我们吧，还有，记得订阅观看更多内容噢。
