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Does " to broach in our own brains" mean "to make an open to our own brain"?

 
 
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 08:48 am

Context:
The human brain has 86 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses, or connections, among them. The brain of the microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, by comparison, has 302 neurons and 7,000 synapses. So while the worm's brain cannot replicate the complexity of the human brain, scientists can use it to address tricky neurological questions that would be nearly impossible to broach in our own brains.

Worms spend their time wandering, looking for decomposing matter to eat. And when they smell it, they usually stop making random turns and travel straight toward the source. This change in behavior is initially triggered by a sensory neuron that perceives the smell and feeds that information to the network the researchers studied. As the worms pick up the alluring fruity smell of isoamyl alcohol, the neurons in the network transition into a low activity state that allows them to approach the odor. But sometimes the neurons remain highly active, and the worm continues to wander around -- even though its sensory neuron has detected the odor.

More:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150313110402.htm
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Type: Question • Score: 1 • Views: 437 • Replies: 7
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View best answer, chosen by oristarA
contrex
 
  2  
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 09:24 am
The verb "broach" has multiple meanings, including:

To make a hole

To introduce or raise a question or subject for discussion or consideration

oristarA
 
  1  
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 10:21 am
@contrex,
contrex wrote:

The verb "broach" has multiple meanings, including:

To make a hole


To introduce or raise a question or subject for discussion or consideration




"To make a hole" is the answer here?
dalehileman
 
  1  
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 10:43 am
@oristarA,
Yes Ori, q's to broach, approach, consider
0 Replies
 
McTag
  Selected Answer
 
  2  
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 11:57 am
@oristarA,
Quote:
"To make a hole" is the answer here?


No. It is possible to carry out an experiment or investigation in the worm's brain which would be impossible to perform on a human brain.
oristarA
 
  1  
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 12:22 pm
@McTag,
McTag wrote:

Quote:
"To make a hole" is the answer here?


No. It is possible to carry out an experiment or investigation in the worm's brain which would be impossible to perform on a human brain.


So "to broach in our own brains" means "to operate/manipulate in our own brains"?
0 Replies
 
PUNKEY
 
  2  
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 12:30 pm
in this sentence, "broach" means 'to consider or to "perceive.""

Example: She would not even broach the subject of her mother's will because it was too painful.

McTag
 
  2  
Reply Sat 14 Mar, 2015 05:39 pm
@PUNKEY,

Agree with Punkey, except in his example.

Quote:
She would not even broach the subject of her mother's will because it was too painful.


There, "broach" means to open, introduce (a subject into the conversation), to open a topic for consideration.
"Broach" originally was used in the sense of opening a barrel (forcibly, using a hammer), or in the sense of a ship's wooden hull being pierced (maybe by an impact with a reef). It has the sense of "opening up", but is commonly used figuratively, in the sense of introducing an idea or a new topic into the conversation.
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