Question of the fortnight: Why do babies have big heads?
Blogging science to life
Mon 12 April 2010, Written by: Sophina
How come babies are born with big heads? Does that mean they have big brains?
Yes. in relation to how big their bodies are, babies have big brains.
In fact, shortly after birth, we have more brain cells, or neurons, than we will have in the rest of our lives. It's connections in the brain that develop. When we're born, connections between brain cells are not very specific. As we get older, these connections become stronger. In fact, your brain continues developing until your early 20s!
Nadine Becker
University of Bristol Neuroscientist (from At-Bristol's Brain Awareness Week)
Many thanks to Nadine for the answer! You can find out more about the brain when All About Us opens using two new interactive exhibits: Weigh a Brain and Power a Brain!
Every fortnight, we are answering your science questions about the human body. It's all part of finding out how amazing you are, in the run up to the opening of our new exhibition All About Us in February 2011.
Do you have a science question about the human body?
Tweet your question to @atbristol using the hashtag #QF and we’ll answer one question every fortnight!
Find out more information about our new exhibition All About Us opening in February 2011
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