Two right halves of original photo | Original photo Two left halves of original photo |
 
Original Photo | Right Half Left Half | Two Right Halves | Two Left Halves |
The series of photographs shown above reveal what the model would look like if her face was divided down the middle and (as seen in the last two photos) each half of her face was paired with an inverted copy of that same half. The fact that two very different faces are created using this technique is a visible representation of the UR2N1 hypothesis, but there's way more to the story than the two faces that come from this (and every) person's photograph. Behind each of those faces is a very different personality. It's as though there are two completely different people melded into one body. And by reading this website, you'll learn why the halves of every human's face (including your own) don't match exactly and why (like everyone else) you are two-in-one.
Please note that the differences in the hues and brightness of the last two photos above are due to the angle of lighting used when the original photo was taken. I tried to correct for the lighting as much as possible so that we can focus on the physical differences in the halves of the model's face. Below, I've reversed the halves from the original photo to give you a greater appreciation for how different they are in appearance.
Maybe you’re thinking that this is an unusual face – one that was specifically chosen because each half of the model's face is particularly different from the other. Well, if that's what you’re thinking, then I suggest that you closely examine your own face. And if you closely examined enough faces, you’d quickly discover how different the halves of the face are in everyone. Sometimes the difference is mild, sometimes it’s more than mild, but there’s always a difference. However, there is a very good reason for the why the halves of a face don't match exactly.
To understand why the halves of a face don’t match exactly, you will need to know about the structure of the brain. You may be surprised to learn that the brain's structure consists of halves that don’t match exactly. The photo below shows the rear view of a typical brain. The gap that divides the brain into halves runs vertically down the center of the brain.
As you may be able to tell by closely examining the photo above, although the halves of the brain have the same general structure, they aren't exact matches, and there's a very good reason for why the brain's halves don't match exactly. And once you've learned why the brain's halves don't match exactly, you'll be able to understand everything else about human beings: why we look the way that we look, why we behave in all the ways that we behave, and why some of us all too frequently behave in ways that we shouldn't.
Why The Brain's Halves Don't Match Exactly
Have you ever wondered why the human brain is shaped the way that it is? Well, in order to understand the origin of the brain's shape, you need to know that the brain’s structure is modeled after the structure of a very common type of protein known as a globular protein. There are billions of globular proteins in the human body, and as we will learn in the next section of this website, it's not merely a coincidence that the brain's structure is modeled after the structure of a globular protein. And because the brain and the globular protein are identical in both form and function, learning how a globular protein works is extremely useful for understanding how the brain works. A simple comparison between the structure of the brain and the structure of a globular protein is shown in the illustrations below.
The illustration on the left below depicts a frontal view of the brain when it’s cut in half lengthwise. The various colors used in that illustration are helpful for identifying different structural components of the brain. We'll discuss some of those structural components shortly. On the right below is an illustration of a highly magnified globular protein with a blue colored segment of DNA in the center. That illustration was created by using the structural symbols (spirals, loops, etc) that scientists commonly use for depicting the various structural components of a protein. I won’t explain why those symbols are used to depict a protein’s structure as it’s not necessary for understanding the UR2N1 hypothesis. And just so you know, even though it looks like the protein has a lot of empty spaces in it, those spaces aren’t really empty. They're actually filled with water. All proteins, including globular proteins, are made mostly of water...as is the brain.
The significance of the brain/protein structural comparison with respect to the UR2N1 hypothesis is captured by the various colors used for identifying the structural components of the protein. Again, the blue colored component in the center of the protein is a segment of DNA, and the significance of the DNA segment will be discussed in another section of this website. For now, it’s the purple and teal colored components that are of greater importance for this discussion. As shown in the illustration below, the purple and teal components are called domains, and toward the bottom of the illustration, you can see that the two domains cross over each other.
I won't explain why the domains of the protein cross over each other at this time, but please note that there is a similar crossover feature that is very important with respect to the human body. I’ll explain the significance of the crossover feature in humans shortly. Until then, I’m going to delete the lower section of the protein in future illustrations so as to avoid any distraction that the crossover feature might cause you. Below is what the protein looks like without the crossover feature.
The Two In UR2N1
In the illustrations below, you can see that if a straight line was drawn vertically through the center of the brain, the line would divide the brain into halves that are mirror images of each other structurally speaking – just as the two domains of the divided protein below are mirror images of each other structurally speaking.
The halves of the brain are composed mostly of structural components that are referred to as hemispheres. The brain is described as having two major sets of hemispheres. One set of hemispheres make up a part of the brain called the cerebrum, while the other set of hemispheres make up a part of the brain called the cerebellum. In the illustration of the brain below, you can see that the hemispheres of the cerebrum are shaded in tan and red, while the hemispheres of the cerebellum are shaded in light gray. In the illustration on the right below, I’ve filled in the body of the protein using red and gray to indicate which structural components of the protein are comparable to the hemispheres of the cerebrum and cerebellum.
The hemispheres of the cerebrum and the cerebellum are involved in the generation of reactions that influence the behavior of humans. And given that the brain's structure is modeled after the structure of a protein, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that – in the same way that the hemispheres of the brain generate reactions that influence the behavior of a human – the domains of a protein generate reactions that influence the behavior of a protein. But as we are about to see, despite the similarity in their structure, when it comes to comparing one domain with the other or comparing one hemisphere with another, things aren't what they would appear to be.
The Same, Only Way Different
Even though the domains of a protein are mirror images of each other structurally speaking, it's important to note that there is in fact a significant difference in the molecular components from which each domain is constructed. Because of the difference in their molecular composition, each domain generates a functionally distinct reaction in response to environmental stimuli. For example, whereas the purple colored domain might generate a reaction that causes the protein to bind to a particular substance, the teal colored domain might generate a reaction that causes that same substance to be broken down into smaller parts.
In the illustration below, I’ve filled in the halves of the protein with teal and purple to emphasize the contrast in the molecular composition that differentiates one domain from the other.
Given that the brain’s structure is modeled after the structure of a protein, it shouldn't surprise you to learn that the molecular composition of the brain’s halves varies just as the molecular composition of the protein’s halves varies. In the illustration below, I’ve filled in the halves of the brain with teal and purple to emphasize the contrast in the molecular composition that differentiates one brain half from the other.
Just as the molecular variation in the domains of a protein causes each domain to generate a functionally distinct reaction, the variation in the molecular composition of the brain’s halves also causes each half of the brain to generate functionally distinct reactions. This phenomenon is evident in that one half of the brain is clearly dominant over the other half with respect to the generation of certain behavioral responses. The left half of the brain, for example, is dominant with respect to the generation of verbal responses, while the right half is dominant with respect to the generation of behavioral responses that determine spatial appropriateness (for example, how closely we stand or sit next to another person in a particular situation). And as we're about to see, this is just one example of how the brain's halves differ.
Not Exactly Exact
Although the domains of a protein appear to be mirror images of each other structurally speaking, it turns out that the variation in the molecular composition of each domain not only causes each domain to generate a functionally distinct reaction, it also produces a definite (if only slight) variation in each domain’s physical appearance. And though the variation in their molecular composition isn’t so substantial as to distort the structural similarity that the domains exhibit overall, the variation does effect the domains to the extent that one domain is not an exact mirror image of the other domain.
Of course, what's true for the protein is also true for the brain. And so it is that the variation in the molecular composition of each half of the brain also produces a definite (if only slight) variation in each half’s physical appearance. However, as is true for the protein’s domains, this variation in molecular composition isn’t so substantial as to alter the structural similarity that the brain's halves exhibit overall, but the variation does effect both halves to the extent that one half of the brain is not an exact mirror image of the other half. And the variation in appearance produced by each half's molecular composition is particularly evident with respect to one of the brain’s outermost surfaces: the face.
As seen in the illustration below, even though the halves of the face – like the halves of the brain – are mirror images of each other structurally speaking, the variation in the molecular composition of each half of the brain produces a definite (if only slight) variation in the appearance of each half of the face. In other words, the molecular composition of one half of the brain determines the appearance of one half of the face.
Now here's a really interesting fact with respect to the brain/face relationship: as it turns out, it's actually the left half of the brain that determines the appearance (as well as the motions and emotions) expressed by the right half of the face, while the right half of the brain determines the appearance (as well as the motions and emotions) expressed by the left half of the face. This cross over from one side of the brain to the other side of the body is…hey, wait a minute! Didn’t we talk about a crossover thingy a little earlier? Do you remember what we were discussing when I first mentioned it? If your answer is that we observed a crossover feature in the first protein illustration that I used, then give yourself a pat on the back because you’re absolutely correct. You may also remember that I asked you to ignore this peculiar feature earlier, but the time has come for us to talk about it's significance. And doing so will help us clear up the great crossover mystery in humans.
The Great Crossover Mystery
Below is the original illustration of the protein that I used when I first made mention of the crossover between the teal and purple colored domains in the lower section of the protein. I deleted the lower section of the illustration after it was first shown so as to avoid any distraction that the crossover feature might cause, but now we’re back to using the protein’s whole structure. And though the explanation for why a globular protein possesses a crossover feature won't be covered until later on in another section of this website, its significance with respect to the human body will become apparent to you momentarily.
As you may know, there are many features of the body’s nervous system that scientists have been unable to explain, and one of those heretofore inexplicable features relates to the fact that many of the body’s nerves cross over (or decussate) from one side of the brain to the opposite side of the body and control body parts (extremities, etc) on that opposite side. In general, the right half of the brain controls the left side of the body, while the left half of the brain controls the right side of the body. And as we learned earlier, the same is true with respect to the brain/face relationship. The illustration below shows the connection between the right half of the brain and the left half of the face and vice versa.
Given that the brain’s structure is modeled after the structure of a globular protein, and given that certain components of a globular protein exhibit a crossover feature, it isn’t surprising that comparable components of the brain would do likewise, and thus we now have an explanation for why the human body possesses a crossover feature. As you will see throughout this website, understanding the structure of a globular protein will help us unravel all of the mysteries surrounding the body and the brain in particular, including why one half of the brain (and therefore one half of the face) is so different from the other half in both appearance and function. And our knowledge of the functional differences will be especially useful for helping us understand the origins of human behavior, or more importantly perhaps, the origins of human misbehavior.
The Origins of Human Misbehavior
Because each half the brain is dominant with respect to the generation of certain behavioral responses, each half possesses a distinct personality. In other words, if a brain consisted of the same two halves (two right halves or two left halves), not only would the face of that person be very different (as seen in the photos at the beginning of this website and below), the personality behind each of those two faces would be very different as well. Those two personalities, as described briefly in the next paragraph, reveal what behavioral problems might arise if either the left half of the brain (the half that generates verbal responses) or the right half (the half that determines spatial appropriateness) was missing.
Two right halves | Two left halves |
For example, if a person's brain consisted of two right halves, then we might expect that person to be very quiet and extremely (if not absurdly) conscientious of how closely he or she sits or stands next to people. You probably know a person like this, someone that you think is a snob or a weirdo because he or she doesn't speak to anyone and is very standoffish. On the other hand, if a person's brain consisted of two left halves, we might expect that person to be extremely talkative, but not at all concerned about spatial appropriateness. Perhaps you know someone that fits this description, someone like that incessantly jabbering jerk at work that's always violating your personal space. Of course, people don't actually have brains consisting of two left or two right halves, but if one half or the other of a person's brain constantly fails to generate a reaction when it should, then that person would constantly behave inappropriately.
The examples cited above will hopefully help you understand that people who exhibit odd or annoying behavior don't do so intentionally. Without a left and a right half of the brain working together, a person is unable to behave appropriately. Throughout the remainder of this website, we will explore how the brain's halves work together to generate appropriate behavior and what happens when they don't. As you will soon learn, even though each half of the brain (and therefore each half of the face) possesses a distinct identity and functionality, who you are and what you look like is the combined product of those halves, and the combined product of those halves is what the UR2N1 hypothesis is all about. Thanks for reading this section of my website. The next section follows the short list of acknowledgments below, so stay tuned for more!
In the first section of this website, we learned that the molecular structure of a globular protein serves as the structural model for the human brain. Of course, the brain is only one component of the body, so wouldn't it be nice if we could identify a molecular model for the entire body, including the brain? Well, fortunately, I have identified such a model (which I refer to as a template), so I will now attempt to explain how the human body came to have the particular shape that it has, and the explanation goes something like this.
In the beginning, when things were first taking shape on our planet, a molecular template for all living things was formed from the interaction among the various chemicals that were present and the water that covered much of the planet. Surprisingly, this molecular template captured the shape of a very small (as in microscopic) human. I say surprisingly because at the time that this template came into being, it would be a couple billion years later before humans would arrive on the scene. So how is it that the template for all living things would take on the shape of a human long before humans actually came into existence? Well, in my way of thinking, the answer isn't as complex as it might seem.
In my way of thinking, a living thing is a living thing is a living thing, and it doesn't matter what body shape the living thing comes in, whether it has two legs or four, a long tail or no tail, or whether you call it a human or a horse or a seahorse or a horsefly, it's all the same – or at least nearly so based on the similarity of the DNA that all living things share. DNA, as you may know, contains the chemical messages that detail how various molecular components are suppose to come together to form a body of some kind, and of special interest to us is a certain group of those molecular components known as the amino acids.
A Meano Whato? To appreciate the contribution that the amino acids make toward the existence of life, you don't necessarily need to know what the word amino means or what an acid is. What you do need to know, however, is that all of the proteins in the body are made of water and amino acids (there are twenty different types of amino acids), and if we were to remove all the water from our bodies (water accounts for over two thirds of the body's composition), the amino acids would make up well over half of what's left. Thus, it can be said that the human body is made mostly of amino acids and water.
So here's the sixty-four thousand dollar question for you: if one thing is made almost entirely of two other things, what will that one thing most likely look and act like? The answer is quite simple: that one thing will most likely look and act like the two things from which it is mostly made. Therefore, given that our bodies are made mostly of amino acids and water, it isn't surprising that the human body looks and acts like a giant amino acid stuck inside a very large water balloon. And though water is essential for all things living, it is the molecular structure of an amino acid that serves as the structural template for all living things, including humans.
The fact that the molecular structure of an amino acid serves as the structural template for the human body can be seen in – among other things – the body's skeletal structure. To illustrate this point, let's take a look at the skeletal (or molecular) structure of one of my favorite amino acids, glutamic acid, which is more commonly known as glutamate and is abbreviated as GLU. As you can see below, glutamate – like all of the amino acids – contains atoms of the following chemicals: oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), hydrogen (H), and carbon (C).
Please note that the illustration shown above is how the molecular structure of glutamate is commonly depicted, but in my way of thinking, that's how it looks when it's lying down and dehydrated. If we were to give GLU a drink of water, that might cause GLU to stand up and look something like the diagram below.
Now with a little imagination and some really bad artwork, you can see in the diagram below that an upright glutamate molecule could conceivably take on features similar to that of the happy little stick man next to it (sorry, but due to my total lack of artistic ability, I was forced to use a stick man to illustrate the human body's skeletal structure). Please note that I down-sized the components of the upper most section of GLU's body so that they would all fit in its head.
Okay, so GLU's arms and legs are quite a bit shorter than their human equivalent, but hopefully you get the general idea that the anatomical similarities shared by the bodies of glutamate and its human counterpart serve as evidence that the molecular structure of an amino acid is in fact the molecular template for life that I referred to earlier. And now that we recognize that a molecular template for life exists, we will be able to understand some things about the human body – particularly the brain – that no one has heretofore been able to explain.
GLU Got Brain
In order to fully appreciate the template of life's importance, I think that it would be beneficial for us to briefly examine in more detail one of the many anatomical features that the amino acids and humans have in common, and that feature is a brain. Below, I've included a close-up of the 'head/brain' section for both GLU and the happy little stick guy to help us with this examination.
You can see that the 'head/brain' section of glutamate shown above depicts a left brain half and a right brain half that are very different from each other with respect to their molecular composition: one atom of carbon (C) plus two atoms of oxygen (O) make up the left half, while one atom of nitrogen (N) plus three atoms of hydrogen (H) make up the right half. We won't go into why the halves of GLU's brain are made up of these particular atoms, but the fact that they are so different in their molecular composition helps to explain a lot of what we learned in the first section of this website.
In the first section, we learned that the structure of a globular protein serves as the structural model for the brain. And since we know that all proteins are made from amino acids, and given that a globular protein (as shown on the left below and in the first section of this website) has left and right halves (or domains) that are different from each other with respect to their molecular composition, we can now see that the variation in the molecular composition of the protein's halves originated with the molecular variation in the composition of an amino acid's halves and was passed on to proteins. But the transfer of this structural property doesn't end with proteins.
Given that there are billions of globular proteins in the brain, and given that the left and right halves of the brain (as shown on the right above and in the first section of this website) are different with respect to their molecular composition, we can see that the variation in the molecular composition of the brain's halves also originated with the variation in the molecular composition of the amino acid's halves. And so it is that the relatively simple structure and properties of an amino acid are replicated in the more complicated construct of globular proteins and the human body. But this repetition of form and function is not at all unusual. In fact, it's found fractally everywhere in nature. Fractally everywhere? Yes, fractally. Keep reading and you'll see what I that mean.
Fractals Are Da Bomb
When the same structural pattern and its properties are repeated in a series going from the smallest to the largest of related objects, that structural pattern is referred to as a fractal. In this case, numerous amino acids come together to form a protein, and yet the general structure of an amino acid and its properties are captured by the protein's structure and properties. And when numerous proteins come together to form a human body, the general structure of an amino acid and its properties are likewise captured by the human body's structure and properties. And because the structure and properties of an amino acid include a brain-like structure with halves that are varied in their molecular composition, the protein and the human body also possess similarly structured halves that are also varied in their molecular composition. But there's more than just this variation in molecular composition that gets passed along the fractal trail from amino acids to proteins to humans.
In addition to the differences in their molecular composition, another feature that distinguishes the left half of glutamate's brain from the right half is the electrical charge that each half possesses. Don't be concerned if you don't understand what an electrical charge is or where one comes from. For now, all you need to recognize is that the left half of GLU's brain has a negative (–) electrical charge, while the right half has a positive (+) electrical charge. You can see the (+) and (–) symbols in the halves of GLU's brain below.
Just as the variation in the molecular composition of an amino acid is preserved in the fractal transition from amino acids to proteins to humans, the electrical charge variation in an amino acid is also preserved, which means that (as shown below) the left and right halves of a globular protein as well as the left and right halves of the human brain possess the same electrical properties as those of the left and right halves of an amino acid.
Although these electrical properties are already known to exist in amino acids and proteins, no one has heretofore understood that the electrical charges are also preserved in the brain's molecular structure. And knowing that the charges exist will help us unravel another mystery regarding the brain, but first we will need to briefly consider why electrical charges matter.
Why Electrical Charges Matter
To appreciate the role that electrical charges play, I'll offer a universally recognized general rule that will hopefully help to explain why the variation in electrical charges is so important with respect to amino acids, proteins, the brain, and life in general. The rule is a simple one: things of an opposite electrical charge are attracted to each other, while things with the same electrical charge are repulsed by each other. For example, if some thing has a positive charge, it will be attracted to (and attempt to interact with) those things that have a negative charge, but it will be repulsed by (and react so as to avoid) those things that are positively charged.
So when a bunch of amino acids interact with each other, the negatively charged left brain half of an amino acid such as GLU (as shown in the middle below) will be attracted to and react so as to form a bond with the positively charged right brain half of another amino acid, while GLU's positively charged right brain half will be attracted to and react so as to form a bond with the negatively charged left brain half of yet another amino acid. As a result of the negative-to-positive linking interaction that goes on among the brain halves of all the amino acids involved in a particular reaction, a long chain of amino acids is quickly formed and that long chain of amino acids will eventually be transformed into a protein.
For our purposes, however, it's more important to note that the halves of an amino acid's brain will generate very different reactions when responding to the same thing. For example, let's say GLU and a bunch of other amino acids are on the dance floor at a big party when – as illustrated in (a) below – GLU happens to bump into the side of another amino acid in such a way that the negatively charged half of both GLU and that other amino acid are positioned next to each other. In (b), we see that the negatively charged half of GLU's brain is repulsed by the negatively charged half of that other amino acid and reacts so as to avoid interacting with it by moving away from it. However, in (c), we can see that the positively charged half of GLU's brain was attracted to the negatively charged half of that other amino acid and reacted so as to form a bond with it by moving toward it.
Given that the structure and properties of an amino acid are replicated in the structure and properties of a globular protein and the brain alike, and given that each half of an amino acid's brain will generate a completely different reaction in response to the very same thing, it isn't surprising that the brains of proteins and humans would exhibit the very same behavioral traits as described above. Of course, that's assuming that the brains of the proteins and humans involved are fully functional and properly charged.
Is Your Brain Properly Charged?
As I said a few paragraphs earlier, just as the variation in the molecular composition of an amino acid is preserved in the fractal transition from amino acids to proteins to humans, the electrical charge variation of an amino acid is also preserved. And just as the brain halves of an amino acid generate fundamentally different reactions to the same thing because of the variation in their electrical charges, each half of a protein (as shown on the left below) and each half of the human brain (as shown on the right below) will also generate a fundamentally different reaction to the same thing because each half's reaction will be based on the electrical charge that it possesses.
Because each half of a protein and each half of the human brain generates a fundamentally different reaction to the same thing, it would appear as though each half is specialized (or dominant) with respect to the generation of certain behavioral responses. For example, as I stated in the first section of this website, the protein's right half (which we now know is positively charged) might react so as to form a bond with a certain substance, while the protein's left half (which we now know is negatively charged) might generate a reaction that initiates the chemical break down of that same substance. And now we know that the halves of a protein generate different responses because of the difference in their electrical charge. Thus, it's the variation in electrical charge that explains the specialization that each half of a protein exhibits with respect to the generation of certain behavioral responses.
I also stated in the first section of this website that each half of the human brain is considered dominant with respect to the generation of certain behavioral responses. As examples of this phenomenon, I stated that the brain's left half (which we now know is negatively charged) is dominant with respect to the generation of verbal responses, while the brain's right half (which we now know is positively charged) is dominant in generating responses that determine spatial appropriateness (for example, how closely we sit or stand next to someone in a certain situation). Now we know that the brain's halves generate different responses because of the difference in their electrical charge. Thus, it is the variation in electrical charges that explains the dominance that each half of the brain exhibits with respect to the generation of certain behavioral responses.
A Properly Charged Brain in Action
So now that we have a better understanding of how and why the human brain works the way that it does, let's take a look at a rather simplistic scenario that depicts the various reactions that the brain's halves might generate based on the variation in their electrical charges. For example, let's suppose that a faithfully married heterosexual man gets on a city bus and sees an attractive woman sitting by herself near the front of the bus. A highly detailed, nearly life-like depiction of this scenario as it unfolds is shown in the illustrations below.
Because she's attractive, we'll say that the woman sitting on the bus possesses a positive charge, and as we can see in (a) above, because she is positively charged, the negatively charged left half of the man's brain – the half that is dominant with respect to verbal responses – might cause him to cheerfully say "howdy" to the woman as he walks by her because the negatively charged half of his brain is attracted to her positive charge. And as we can see in (b), the man might be tempted to sit close to the woman in order to strike up a conversation with her, but the right half of his brain would cause him to sit farther away because the positively charged right half of his brain is repulsed by the woman's positive charge. As a result, as we can see in (c), the man would end up sitting at a distance that would be appropriate – given that he is faithfully married – for this type of social interaction.
Of course, had the man not been married, the right half of his brain would have still been repulsed by the woman's positive charge to the extent that he would have ended up sitting at a distance from her that would be appropriate given the situation. For example, if the women had responded cheerfully to the cheerful "howdy" that the man directed toward her, then his brain undoubtedly would have caused him to sit closer to her. Perhaps he would have taken a seat that was one row behind and across from the woman. And if she had responded cheerfully to the man's salutation, the left side of his brain might have caused him to strike up a conversation with her, so a seat one row back and across from the woman would have allowed him to strike up a conversion without making it awkward for her to turn and talk to him - if that's what her brain was instructing her to do.
Another Section Comes To An End