The human brain, which is often referred to as the greatest achievement in the course of evolution, surprisingly cannot process information as fast as the amount of sensory data it is exposed to. The peripheral nervous system takes environmental information at a rate of over 1 billion bits per second, while our brains can process only 10 bits per second, according to a new research published in the journal Neuron. This discrepancy reveals fascinating insights into human cognition and raises profound questions about how we perceive and interact with the world. At first glance, the brain's ability to process just 10 bits per second may seem underwhelming.

For perspective, this rate pales in comparison to modern internet speeds. "We become annoyed when the WiFi in our home falls to 100 megabits per second because this interferes with streaming shows on Netflix," according to the authors of the study, Caltech's Jieyu Zheng and Markus Meister. In stark contrast, the human brain processes a billion-bit data stream at dial-up internet speed, yet manages to work reasonably well in real-time applications. To reach this number, the scientists considered tasks such as solving Rubik's Cubes or memorizing shuffled decks of cards. Dividing the number of bits for these tasks by the time needed to complete them, they determined that even memory champions who set record times process information at the same snail's pace of 10 bits per second.

Why is Brain Processing So Slow?

This seems a strange limitation for the brain's filtering mechanism. If a single neuron can wire at a rate fast enough to encode 10 bits per second, why does the brain, with its billions of neurons, still process information at such a restricted rate? The study suggests that this is evolutionary, based on the very survival tasks early organisms had to complete.

The first nervous systems, intended to guide creatures towards food or away from predators, had to function on a one-task-at-a-time basis. This single-task focus enabled prompt, decisive action. Modern humans, despite the ability to abstractly think, may have been left with this limitation. Even in such complex tasks that require multitasking, like driving, the brain is essentially juggling its attention between distinct subtasks rather than processing them simultaneously.

Dual-Mode Operation of the Brain

According to the authors, the human brain works on two modes at once. That is, as follows:

1. Outer Brain: It perceives and aggregates tremendous amounts of sensory data-the colors, the sounds, and the textures surrounding the environment.

2. Inner Brain: A minuscule fraction of the same data at a concentrated pace of 10 bits per second gets processed.

The frontier for neuroscience is to understand how these two systems communicate. When driving, the brain is switching focus constantly from traffic signals to the speedometer to potential hazards. Future research could unravel how the "inner brain" decides which bits to prioritize in those high-stakes scenarios.

Also Read: Can You Rewire Your Brain? 6 Ways To Do It

'Cocktail Party Problem' in the Brain

Humans' inability to process multiple trains of thought simultaneously, popularly known as the "cocktail party problem," underscores this limitation. For instance, it is almost impossible to follow multiple conversations simultaneously at a noisy gathering. Evolution may have optimized the nervous system for making a single decision at a time-an advantage when survival depended on determining whether to fight or flee.

Today, the single-minded quality of this cognitive system helps sustain attention but impedes our capacity to multitask. This particular evolutionary trade-off continues to mold the human mind; it affects every aspect of it, from linguistic processing to dealing with high-stress situations.

How Does the Brian Breaks Down Language Processing?

Another experiment gives a clear view of how the brain processes information in speech. Scientists, by using electrodes implanted in the brains of patients suffering from epilepsy, found that it takes the brain 600 milliseconds to think of a word, apply grammatical rules, and say it.

They recorded activity in Broca's area—a critical region for language production—and identified three distinct steps:

Word Recall: Occurring at 200 milliseconds.

Application of Grammar: Takes 320 milliseconds to occur.

Phonology or Sound Organization: Takes 450 milliseconds to occur.

This further supports that the brain operates on a step-by-step approach. Amazing as it might be able to generate speech continuously in a span of milliseconds, the brain's operation does follow a strictly linear approach; its bottleneck of 10 bits per second does not differ from one activity to another.

This new understanding of the brain's speed limit opens doors for further research. How does the inner brain prioritize specific tasks? How might this bottleneck influence artificial intelligence systems designed to mimic human thought processes?

Implications stretch beyond neuroscience. In the era of multitasking, this study underlines the importance of attentional focus. As Zheng so aptly put it, study of real-life situations like driving may be one of the best ways to learn how the brain accommodates changing priorities in real-time.

How You Can Improve Your Brain's Mental Flexibility

Improving the speed of your thoughts and processing requires improving cognitive functions and strategies that enhance mental agility. Here are some ways to optimize your brain's processing power:

Regular Exercise: Physical activity promotes better blood flow to the brain, enhancing cognitive functions. Aerobic exercises like running or swimming improve memory and focus, allowing for quicker thinking.

Mindfulness and Meditation: The practice of mindfulness meditation enhances attention and reduces mental clutter. They help train your brain to focus on one task at a time, thus enhancing processing efficiency.

Mental Stimulation: Engage in activities that challenge your brain, such as puzzles, memory games, or learning a new skill. These exercises stimulate neural connections, sharpening your processing speed.

Adequate Sleep: Sleep is important for cognitive function. The brain is best able to process information quickly and efficiently when it is well rested.

Healthy Diet: A diet rich in antioxidants, omega-3s, and vitamins supports brain health, enhancing overall mental speed.

This is counterintuitive, for the brain takes in information at a mere 10 bits per second, but such is the depth and efficiency of human cognition that it can work through this very effectively. Extraneous data will be filtered out, and focus will be placed where it matters the most: survival, adaptation, and communication.

Although our mental "speed limit" may be maddening for those who multitask, it speaks to the stunning advancement of the human mind—a machine designed for clarity, precision, and survival in an overwhelmingly complex world.

The unbearable slowness of being: Why do we live at 10bits/s? Neuron. 2024

Did you also wake up with a mild cold? A sneeze, blocked nose and a sore throat. It is worse because you had just shaken off the miserable cold and your energy was finally coming back and then now again you are sneezing. So, now the question is, could you really get the same cold twice, or is it just your bad luck?

As per the National Health Service, UK (NHS), adults could get an average of 2 to 4 colds a year. The NHS, UK notes that the viruses behind them behave in a complicated way. This is because some mutate quickly, and some stay in your system. This is why your body's ability to fight them off can differ depending on how well does your immune respond.

Catching The Same Cold, Twice

Conventionally, it is believed that once you have a virus, your body recognizes it and does not let you catch the same virus again. However, this is not the case, always.

Professor Brain Ferguson, who is the professor of viral immunity at the University of Cambridge told Yahoo UK, that it is possible to catch cold twice. This is due to the levels of antibodies that we have in our system.

Ferguson says, "It depends on the quality of the antibodies that your body generates when you get infected the first time. Sometimes your body might make really good ones, and that will stop you being reinfected with the same virus later. But another person might not, and they can catch the same virus, exactly the same one, again later."

The expert further added, "It is also down to the actual molecules, and the constituents of the virus, like proteins and things you make antibodies against. The longer they exist in your body, the better the antibody response tends to be."

This means that the cold can stay in your system, and the longer it stays the better your immune system will be prepared to build up a stronger defense.

Reinfection Time: How Long Does It Take?

If you had two colds very close together, you may not have had enough time to build immune response the first time. Ferguson says, "Reinfection can be very fast."

"It can be as soon as a couple of weeks if the antibody response is very weak... You might pick up a virus and get a few minor symptoms, but fight it off really quickly. In that case, you get much weaker antibodies that fight the virus, which means the same virus appears in your system again very quickly."

This means your body only has a "fleeting encounter" with the virus and thus it won't remember it well enough to protect you the next time. However, a more severe cold may trigger a stronger immune response, which can work as a longer-lasting protection.

Why Some People Catch More Often?

This has something to do with genetics. This is because of their immune system, how good it works against different infections. As Ferguson says, "Some people are just naturally better or worse at fighting off viruses or bacteria due to their genetic makeup."

While it is believed that multivitamins and supplements can help "boost" immunity, Ferguson says that the evidence is mixed.

There’s not a great evidence base for [vitamins] for repeat infections," he says. However, Ferguson adds there is evidence that people who spend more time outside and get more vitamin D tend to have a slightly better-functioning immune system.

"I wouldn't use the word hide," said Dr Sue Goldie to NPR, she is a professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, who has finally told the world after four years about her Parkinson's.

She learned about her diagnosis in 2021. She told NPR, "I think I was really trying to give myself room and time to fall apart, to panic, to think about what it meant for me.” For Goldie, silence wasn’t secrecy, it was self-preservation.

She revealed she needed space to understand to first accept that it is happening with her, and secondly to understand how to live with a condition that would alter her movements, her voice, and even her sensing. So she calls the 4-year-gap of not telling anyone as a "process of figuring out how I could be OK."

Parkinson's Disease: How Does It Start?

We often read about Parkinson's disease, what is it, and what it does to someone. However, what we do not talk a lot about is how it starts. We don't talk about the subtle signals one's body sends.

Goldie says it started with a tremor. It was so slight, that it was almost invisible. Then, a running coach mentioned her off cadence. The New York Times (NYT) reports that a trainer noticed her left arm did not lift properly in the pool. Eventually, afterwards, her fingers began twitching. Goldie, then was 50.

She was also at the height of her academic career and was newly obsessed with triathlons. She was in fact, training for Ironman races, reported NYT.

When tests confirmed Parkinson’s, a degenerative neurological disease that affects movement and coordination, her first reaction was disbelief. Then fear. Would her students notice? Would colleagues see her differently?

The diagnosis left her confronting an identity crisis. At what point, she wondered, does a disease become who you are?

Sue With Parkinson's, Who Lived Two Lives

Goldie began to divide her world. At Harvard, she was the confident professor and global health leader, still producing intricate teaching materials and mentoring students. In triathlons, she was freer, surrounded by people who saw her as an athlete, not a patient.

But the effort to maintain that balance came at a cost. As reported by NYT, early mornings were the hardest: walking unsteadily to the bathroom before medication took effect, hiding tremors from colleagues, managing the dopamine pills that controlled her symptoms. “You have no idea how hard it is to trick you into thinking I’m OK,” she later said.

Eventually, she could no longer keep it private. “Starting today, I am Sue with Parkinson’s,” she decided. Most of the people in her professional life would learn about it through her story.

The Camera For Healing

When Goldie's hand tremors made writing impossible, she began to record thousands of video diaries. They were often short, unfiltered glimpses of her daily struggle, which were filmed in her office, car, or home. Sometimes, calm, sometimes in tears.

Her videos began with a "Hello Sue", talking to her future self. In one video as posted by the NYT from 2023, she confessed, “I’m trying hard to do all this stuff that will help, but I’m not feeling OK... I just need to not be alone with it.”

Goldie refused to stop training. Her research had shown that exercise helps manage Parkinson’s symptoms. So, she doubled down, calling herself “an N of 1” — a one-person experiment. She adapted creatively: pink tape on her hands to guide her swim strokes, modified gear on her bike so she wouldn’t lose balance.

In 2022, she completed the Lake Placid Ironman, a 140.6-mile challenge. She crossed the finish line after collapsing, crying, and reapplying lipstick. Her small team called her S.F.G., with the middle initial standing for an unprintable word that captured her spirit.

As her symptoms progressed, Goldie’s fears shifted from physical decline to the erosion of identity. Parkinson’s, she realized, isn’t just about tremors; it’s about dignity, perception, and the quiet grief of being misunderstood.

She worried about whispers at Harvard, about whether others would still see her as capable. When she finally told university leaders, she felt both vulnerable and relieved.

Still, her mission remained unchanged. “I can’t change this,” she told The New York Times in 2024. “So what happens when I get worse?”

She continued teaching, designing, and mentoring. Her hands might tremble, but her mind stayed sharp. “I want to get things done while I’m still the best me,” she said.

Flu season has arrived, and while the summer wave of COVID-19 has subsided, a winter increase is expected. Vaccines are available for both viruses, prompting many to ask about timing, especially if they haven’t received their shots yet. With the CDC updating guidelines, rules around vaccination are constantly evolving, so the most common question is: can you get your COVID and flu shots at the same time?

Can You Get Your Covid And Flu Shots At The Same Time?

The COVID-19 vaccine can be administered alongside a seasonal flu shot for those who prefer to get both at once. It is considered completely safe. “There are no recommendations against it; it mainly comes down to personal preference,” Dr. Mike Ren, an assistant professor of family and community medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine explained. He added that some people may experience mild fatigue with vaccines, and getting multiple shots at the same time could slightly increase that effect.

Many people are already familiar with how their bodies react to flu and COVID-19 vaccines. The COVID shot can sometimes cause soreness in the arm, so it’s recommended to avoid getting both vaccines in the same arm if that happens. For those who experience minimal side effects, there’s no disadvantage to receiving both shots at the same visit. Some choose to space them out simply based on convenience.

Which Covid Shot To Get?

For individuals who have experienced strong reactions to the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA COVID vaccines, the Novavax shot, which uses a more traditional protein-based method may offer an alternative with fewer temporary side effects, according to Caitlin Rivers, an infectious-disease epidemiologist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Males aged 12 to 29 may particularly consider Novavax, as it carries no known risk of myocarditis, a rare heart inflammation sometimes associated with mRNA vaccines. Andrew Pavia, a pediatrics infectious-disease physician at the University of Utah, noted that myocarditis cases linked to mRNA vaccines are generally mild, and COVID-19 itself poses a higher risk of heart complications.

Pavia also explained that there are no major differences between the current Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, so people can choose whichever is more convenient or available.

When Should You Get A Flu Vaccine?

The ideal time to get a flu vaccine is generally from late September through October. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, recommends aiming to be vaccinated before Halloween, in line with CDC guidance.

While many pharmacies begin offering flu shots as early as July or August, Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, advises waiting a bit longer. This is because vaccine protection can wane after a few months, and flu cases often peak between December and February.

Even if you miss the early window, it’s still worthwhile to get vaccinated. “Some protection is better than none,” Dr. Chin-Hong emphasizes.

Staying up to date with both COVID-19 and flu vaccinations is an important step in protecting your health during the respiratory virus season. Getting the shots at the same time is safe and convenient for most people, though minor side effects like fatigue or soreness may be slightly increased.