this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2026
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The human brain is not a single organ, but two separate systems that evolved independently before fusing together, according to groundbreaking new research. ... Armed with the knowledge of how hindbrain cells uniquely form, the team has successfully turned human stem cells into becoming functional hindbrain motor neurons in a lab for the first time.

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[–] BigBoyShuanzee@aussie.zone 2 points 1 hour ago

I don't find that hard to believe.. I have one brain, the brain that is me and I am now communicating with you.

I have a separate brain that makes me hate myself, it gives me anxiety at the highest level... It is why I never was popular in school, lost many friends and it is why I'm now why I'm a loud extrovert at 38 who just wants to help people and talk about how great I am.

[–] xep@discuss.online 1 points 44 minutes ago

We barely know anything about the human brain and yet some proclaim that they're making an artificial general intelligence based on a algorithm that purportedly mimics it.

[–] ExtraJudgement@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe I'm too sleep deprived, but why does "built from two blueprints" equal "is two organs"? When the two base components fuse they become one self-contained unit.

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I mean so does the whole human body

[–] Sylence@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Inside you are two brains...

[–] Ohi@lemmy.world 9 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?....

"Nobody will benefit from this research for 40 years, and even then, it'll only be the rich?"

[–] just_an_average_joe@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I wonder where love comes from? Hind or front. What about social functions? Like group loyalty?

[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 9 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Front on a regular day. Hind when you're feeling really frisky.

[–] just_an_average_joe@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

So they developed seperately? I mean humans have to tend to their babies for years compare to lizards that probably have an effect love evolutionarily

[–] qarbone@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 29 minutes ago)

I believe they were making a joke about different positions of intercourse, not actually answering the question. e.g. "Front" ≈ missionary on a normal day, and "hind" ≈ doggy when frisky.

[–] Sylence@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 11 hours ago

Much better article which includes links to the original paper: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/09/two-separate-brains.html

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 88 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I'm more surprised that it's separated as front and back, and not right to left.

[–] naught@sh.itjust.works 39 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The left/right brain thing has always been bunk. People have entire hemispheres removed with minimal negative consequences, personality changes, etc.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 24 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

The personality test stuff is bunk. Pretty sure the experiment with the one hand drawing something and the other hand doesn't know are real.

Are you sure people can have an entire hemisphere removed with minimal consequences? That sounds absolutely wild!

[–] Xraygoggles@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

There are brain surgeries where you just chuck out the extra to get to the parts you want to work on, eloquent vs non-eloquent tissue. And epilepsy surgery where they completely disconnect the halves. Recently read a pretty good book on this.

If you skip the first chapter, and then stop once he starts talking about anything other than neuroscience The Immortal Mind is a great overview of this by an extremely talented neurosurgeon who has dog shit views on literally everything else. Still worth it for the good parts but I warned you.

[–] naught@sh.itjust.works 15 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I learned this a while ago so I had to double check!

In terms of postoperative motor function, some patients may have improvement or no change of their weaker extremity,[11] and many can walk independently.[13] Most patients postoperatively have minimal to no behavioral problems, satisfactory language skills, good reading capability,[13] and only a minority of patients have a decline in IQ.[14] Predictors of poor outcome may include seizure recurrence and structural abnormalities in the intact hemisphere.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemispherectomy

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 10 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

so. here is the thing. that. to me. is more of an indication the two hemispheres are independent and thus the left right thing. If we take the previous paragrpah into consideration:

There is also data pertaining to how hemispherectomy affects the body in other ways. After surgery, the remaining cerebral hemisphere is often able to take over some cognitive, sensory and motor functions. The degree to which the remaining hemisphere takes on this additional workload often depends on several factors, including the underlying etiology, which hemisphere is removed and the age at which the surgery occurs.[13]

In terms of postoperative motor function, some patients may have improvement or no change of their weaker extremity,[11] and many can walk independently.[13] Most patients postoperatively have minimal to no behavioral problems, satisfactory language skills, good reading capability,[13] and only a minority of patients have a decline in IQ.[14] Predictors of poor outcome may include seizure recurrence and structural abnormalities in the intact hemisphere.[13]

We can see that indeed the other hemisphere has to expand its capability from what it had pre surgery and that much of what they are looking at is basic function and not like if they were as good at art or reasoning after surgery.

[–] potatopotato@sh.itjust.works 64 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

Wait so we have two brains and yet our society hasn't figured out how to use either of them?

[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

We have lots of brains but we only use 10% of them

[–] Manjushri@piefed.social 39 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Probably three brains if you consider the neural activity going on in the gut and how it interacts with our brain.

In a study published in 2023, the scientists found that long COVID is associated with a reduction in the body's natural levels of serotonin, a signaling molecule that is produced the brain and the gut. In the brain, serotonin influences mood, sleep and memory. In the rest of the body, it plays a role in physiology, but Thaiss and Levy found that gut-produced serotonin can affect the brain as well.

....

Before these findings, scientists debated how SARS-CoV-2 could cause cognitive problems, as it is unclear if the virus breaches the blood-brain barrier. But the study by Thaiss and Levy suggests that the disease could have direct influence on the brain via the vagus nerve, regardless of whether the virus enters the brain.

...

The gut also contains the largest number of neurons outside the brain of any structure in the body — more than 100 million neurons line the human digestive tract, from the esophagus to the anus. These cells make up what is known as the enteric nervous system, which some scientists refer to as a "second brain."

It never ceases to amaze me how complicated our bodies and our minds are.

[–] DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 12 points 17 hours ago

Fuck this shit show. Its connected to the blood system and liver too. It becomes a rabbit hole. Don't go down it.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 39 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

We're pretty good at using the lizard brain, actually.

[–] Laser@feddit.org 40 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Looking at lizards, I think they're ahead though.

Enjoy sun
Eat some bugs
Lizard life

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 7 points 17 hours ago

Also the Lizard King writes badass lyrics

[–] chahn.chris@piefed.social 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

I thought you were going to:

Enjoy sun

Eat some bugs

???

Lizard life

[–] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 3 points 14 hours ago

Enjoy sun

Eat some bugs

???

Lizard profit

[–] Malica@lemmy.zip 3 points 14 hours ago

Until you spend most of your life in fight or flight. It's good at reacting quickly, but it's stupid and won't let me think

[–] thethrilloftime69@feddit.online 38 points 19 hours ago

Pretty cool stuff. It's been well understood for a while that lower brain function governs things like hunger sex and lower animal functions and the frontal cortex governs higher reasoning. Crazy they might have been separate organs at one point.

[–] xSikes@feddit.online 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

And people said either I’m bipolar or just a classic Gemini. Now I’m just going to tell them about this recent study and tell them that hearing two voice in my head is normal.

[–] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 8 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

As long as one of them is only using lizard vocalizations it's completely normal.

[–] Doom@discuss.online 2 points 11 hours ago

It is. But I still understand it.

[–] yesman@lemmy.world 13 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Now all the people who believe in brain/body dualism are going to have to decide which brain is the cockpit for our homoucli. The good news is that cryogenics is going to get cheaper now that we only have to freeze half of the brain.

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 7 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Davel23@fedia.io 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 2 points 11 hours ago

Yeah that's my second favorite. I have a love for Bob's Burgers

[–] Eh_I@lemmy.world 11 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Men always be thinking with the lower one, amirite?

/hi5

[–] ThatGuy46475@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

Since you only feel like one person which brain has your consciousness

[–] evilcultist@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Look up the split brain experiments. They’re incredibly interesting.

[–] bss03@infosec.pub 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

We seem to have at least two consciousness, but for most people one of them is almost entirely unable to communicate with the outside world, only the verbal consciousness.

At least, it can obverse and respond; I don't know it has a subjective experience.

[–] Sergio@piefed.social 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

that sounds very interesting. do you have an overview you can point me to? thanks.

[–] bss03@infosec.pub 4 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

Friendly video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfYbgdo8e-8

I don't have links to research or summaries, tho.

[–] TheMadCodger@piefed.social 1 points 47 minutes ago

The left half of my brain exploded!

[–] Sergio@piefed.social 1 points 6 hours ago

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[–] dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I'm just speculating here but it might be more of 'which organ does your consciousness reside?'

[–] partofthevoice@lemmy.zip 5 points 9 hours ago

What if consciousness is procedural and utilizes both?

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