Several years back, Vanderbilt University neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel realized that brain researchers were guesstimating when they talked about how many cells made up the brains of various species. So she headed to the lab and devised a way to actually make a concrete count. She writes that an average adult man has about 16 billion neurons in his cortex. They’re the secret to what blasted our species ahead of our primate cousins, making it possible to do things like gather for multigenerational feasts with friends and family.

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It’s these brain cells that really make humans unique. anyaivanova/Shutterstock.com

Your big brain makes you human – count your neurons when you count your blessings

Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Vanderbilt University

We have more neurons in our cortices than any other species, courtesy of an early technology – and along with them came our long, slow lives, with plenty of chances to gather around the dinner table.

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