Why the insect brain is so incredible - Anna Stöckl

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Senzos Osijek

The human brain is one of the most sophisticated organs in the world,

Ljudski mozak jedan je od najsofisticiranijih organa na svijetu,

a supercomputer made of billions of neurons

superračunalo od milijardi neurona

that processes and controls all of our senses, thoughts, and actions.

koji procesuiraju i kontroliraju sva naša osjetila, misli i akcije.

But there was something Charles Darwin found even more impressive:

Ali postoji nešto što je Charles Darwin smatrao još impresivnijim:

the brain of an ant,

mozak mrava,

which he called one of the most marvelous atoms of matter in the world.

koji je nazvao jednim od najčudesnijih atoma tvari u svijetu.

If you find it hard to believe that something so tiny

Ako vam je teško vjerovati da nešto tako maleno

could have a complex brain,

može imati složen mozak,

you're not alone.

niste sami

In his project to classify and describe all living things,

U svom projektu da klasificira i opiše sve žive stvari,

Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus assumed insects had no brains at all.

švedski prirodnjak Carl Linnaeus pretpostavio je da insekti nemaju mozak.

He was wrong, but understandably so.

Bio je u krivu, ali razumljivo kako.

Insect brains are not only miniscule,

Mozak insekta ne samo da je malen,

but in many respects, they function differently than our own.

već i funkcionira drugačije od našeg

One of the most noticeable differences

Jedna od najprimjetnijih razlika

is that an insect that loses its head can still walk,

je da insekt koji izgubi glavu i dalje hoda

scratch itself,

češati se,

breathe,

disati,

and even fly.

pa čak i letjeti.

This is because while our nervous system works like a monarchy,

To je zato što naš živčani sustav radi kao monarhija,

with the brain calling the shots,

u kojoj mozak vuče sve poteze,

the insect nervous system works more like a decentralized federation.

živčani sustav insekta radi kao decentralizirana federacija.

Many insect activities, like walking or breathing,

Mnoge aktivnosti insekata, kao što je hodanje ili disanje,

are coordinated by clusters of neurons, also known as ganglia,

koordinirani su klasterima neurona, poznatima kao ganglije

along their bodies.

duž svog tijela.

Together with the brain, these local ganglia form the insect nervous system.

Zajedno s mozgom, ove lokalne ganglije tvore živčani sustav insekta.

While an insect can do a lot with just its local ganglia,

Dok insekt može puno činiti samo sa ganglijama,

the brain is still crucial for its survival.

mozak je i dalje osnova preživljavanja.

An insect's brain lets it perceive the world through sight and smell.

Mozak insekta dozvoljava mu da doživljava svijet kroz vid i njuh.

It also chooses suitable mates,

Također bira i partnera,

remembers locations of food sources and hives,

pamti lokaciju izvora hrane i košnica,

regulates communication,

regulira komunikaciju,

and even coordinates navigation over huge distances.

i čak koordinira navigaciju velikim razdaljinama.

And this vast diversity of behaviors

I ova raznolikost ponašanja

is controlled by an organ the size of the head of a pin,

kontrolirana je organom veličine glave bumbačice,

with less than one million neurons,

sa manje od milijun neurona,

compared to our 86 billion.

u usporedbi s naših 86 milijardi.

But even though the insect brain is organized very differently from ours,

Ali iako je mozak insekta organiziran drugačije od našeg,

there are some striking similarities.

postoje neke začuđujuće sličnosti.

For example, most insects have smell detectors on their antennae,

Na primjer, većina insekata ima osjet mirisa na antenama,

similar to those found in human noses.

slično kao što mi imamo u nosu.

And our primary olfactory brain regions look and function rather similarly,

I naš osnovne osjetilne regije mozga izgledaju i funkcioniraju slično,

with clusters of neurons activated and deactivated in precise timing

sa klasterima neurona aktiviranima i deaktiviranima u točno vrijeme

to code for specific scents.

da bi bili kodirani za određene mirise.

Scientists have been astonished by these similarities

Znanstvenici su bili zapanjeni ovim sličnostima

because insects and humans are not very closely related.

jer insekti i ljudi nisu u bliskom srodstvu.

In fact, our last common ancestor was a simple worm-like creature

Zapravo, naš zadnji zajednički predak bio je jednostavno crvoliko biće

that lived more than 500 million years ago.

koje je živjelo prije 500 milijuna godina.

So how did we end up with such similar brain structures

Kako smo onda završili sa tako sličnim strukturama mozga

when our evolution took almost entirely different paths?

kad je naša evolucija krenula u suprtonim smjerovima?

Scientists call this phenomenon convergent evolution.

Znanstvenici to zovu konvergentna evolucija.

It's the same principle behind birds, bats, and bees separately evolving wings.

Isti je princip iza ptica, šišmiša, i pčela koje su odvojeno razvile krila.

Similar selective pressures can cause natural selection

Slični selekcijski pritisci mogu izazvati prirodnu selekciju

to favor the same evolutionary strategy

da favorizira istu evolucijsku strategiju

in species with vastly different evolutionary pasts.

u vrsta koje imaju izuzetno različitu evolucijsku prošlost.

By studying the comparison between insect and human brains,

Proučavajući usporedbu između mozga insekta i čovjeka,

scientists can thus understand which of our brain functions are unique,

znanstvenici mogu shvatiti koje su funkcije našeg mozga jedinstvene,

and which are general solutions to evolutionary problems.

i koje su generalna rješenja za evolucijske probleme.

But this is not the only reason scientists are fascinated by insect brains.

Ali ovo nije jedini razlog zbog kojega su znanstvenici fascinirani mozgom insekta.

Their small size and simplicity makes it easier to understand

Njihova mala veličina i jednostavnost čini ih jednostavnijima za razumijevanje

exactly how neurons work together in the brain.

načina na koji neuroni rade skupa u mozgu.

This is also valuable for engineers,

Ovo je važno i za inženjere,

who study the insect brain to help design control systems

koji proučvaju mozak insekta da bi dizajnirali sustav kontrole

for everything from self-flying airplanes to tiny search-and-rescue roach bots.

za sve od aviona bez pilota, do malenih robota za spašavanje.

So, size and complexity are not always the most impressive things.

Dakle, veličina i složenost nisu najimpresivnije stvari.

The next time you try to swat a fly,

Sljedećeg puta kada probate zgnječiti muhu,

take a moment to marvel at the efficiency of its tiny nervous system

uzmite trenutak i zagledajte se u učinkovitost malenog živčanog sustava

as it outsmarts your fancy brain.

kada nadmudri vaš mozak.