Understanding time is important for knowing what’s happening around us. It’s not just humans who can do it, but animals like hummingbirds and rats too. Scientists used to think our brains had a clock inside, making regular beats to measure time. But new discoveries show that our brains have different ways to measure time.
One scientist named Dean Buonomano thinks our brains measure very short time periods by looking at how our brain cells act, like small waves in a lake. Another scientist named Warren Meck says our brains use pulses, like beats in music, to measure longer time periods. Our brains listen to these pulses and figure out how much time has passed.
Our brains also do more than just measure time in the present. When we move our eyes, our brain changes how it sees time. Our memory is connected to time too. Scientists say our brains store memories of time in special ways, making them smaller and easier to remember. They even saw in rats that memories can play in reverse order.
So, time is tricky to understand. We can’t stop it, but we can use it for our needs. Scientists are still learning about how our brains understand time. Time is like a tool we use to understand the world around us.
Comprehension
1) Why is understanding time important?
2) What are some ways that our brains measure time according to the article
3) How is our memory connected to our perception of time?
Vocabulary
Match the words to the definition:
1) Brain
2) Beat
3) Measure
4) Waves
5) Figure out
6) Store (verb)
a) The organ inside your head you use to think
b) to save something
c) solve or find the answer
d) Using a tool to find how much of something there is
e) water that goes up and down in the ocean
f) Individual sounds in a rhythm
Grammar Highlights
Use “used to + verb” to show past routines:
“Scientists used to think our brains had a clock inside…”
Put adverbs between the auxiliary verb and the main verb:
“Scientists are still learning about how our brains understand time.”
*This article was adapted from another article to make it more suitable for English learners. You can read the original article here.